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 We could recognise second from left Albert Atkinson and asked: “Can anybody help?” Bob Doe assisted with: “Jack Claypole, Works Manager is doing the presentation and Jack Robinsoin Office Manager is on the extreme right.” Image courtesy of Dave McGill, thanks to Bob Doe for the update.  Miners at Lingdale, leaving the mine one carries a safety lamp, others are discarded on the ground along with helmet battery lamps. Was this the Last Shift?. Miners: Bernard ’Bish’ Swinburne, Eric Hatfield?, Joseph Hood, ??. Ian Swinburn has told the Archive: ”Far left on the picture is my dad Bernard (Bish) Swinburne and it might be Eric Hatfield to his left; not sure about the others”. Stuart Williamson informs: “I was born in Brotton and spent many happy summers at my grandparents, both there and in Lingdale, where my father was born. His grandmother was a midwife before they became official, and she also laid out the dead.By chance when looking through your archive I came across a photograph of my grandfather, Joseph Hood, leaving the pit”. Stuart also offered his poem: A Northern Poem – Stuart Williamson © A coat that’s seen a dozen winters Ironstone, Belemnite, Nautilus rich Terraced streets all left behind to wake Women left to tend the home A ‘job down’t pit’ was all there was Identification of the other miners or corrections welcome. Photo courtesy George Pearson, thanks to Ian Swinburne and Stuart Williamson for the updates.  South Skelton Mine, around the time of closure in 1954. Mining commenced Image courtesy of George Pearson.  South Skelton Mine just before the war, the Picking Belt shed at the left of the photograph looks fairly new; it was installed around 1935. The picking belt came from the redundant Belmont Mine. Image courtesy of George Pearson.
1962 and the final day at Lingdale mine, the miners are coming out of the Shaft Cage for the last time. In the background a miner’s hand can be seen about to pull down on the handle marked Pit Bottom, to tell the Onsetter at the bottom of the shaft the cage is clear. The handle on the left is for the winding engine. Identification of the miners in this image or corrections will be welcomed. Debbie Shepherd advises: “I think the chap in the middle of the photograph is Thomas Watson of Dixon Street. (My Grandad). The chap to the right is Thomas Pluck my Grandad’s best mate. Thomas Pluck was killed one evening walking home from The Bunch of Grapes pub. Scaling; he was sadly hit by a car.  This photograph showing the arrangement at the top of the shaft at South Skelton Mine. On the right hand cage an empty tub waits to be lowered down the shaft. The man on the side of the cage appears to have his hand on a signalling handle which will send the right hand cage down and the left hand cage will raise a loaded tub to the surface. In the background the full tub from the left hand cage is being put into the tippler unit, which will turn the tub upside down and drop the contents onto the picking belt for sorting the shale from the stone. Any further information or corrections will be welcome. Image courtesy of George Pearson.  I would have a guess that these men are queueing for their pay at the end of a long hard week down the mine at Lingdale, as they appear to be holding their ”Off Taks”. We asked for help with identification of the miners and Bill Danby tells us: ”My brother in law, Frank Holmes, now aged 88, is the handsome young man far Right. He worked at Lingdale mine for some years. He was a Deputy when it closed and transferred to North Skelton mine where he worked until the closure of that mine and was the last Deputy out in 1964. He can identify some of the others: The miner next to him is Jim Pearson. The one 4th from right with his hand in his pocket is George “Dacker” Neal. The man in the centre with his back to the camera is Bernard “Bish” Swinburne. The miner eighth from the right in the dark coat is Jack Armstrong. Standing in front of him is Ted Porritt. Behind Ted, [you can just see the top half of his head], is Eric Hatfield, who appears on your recent photograph entitled “I wonder where the next one is coming from”. Frank recalls that Eric was a good cricketer and once took all ten wickets for Skelton Castle. All the miners named lived in Lingdale. Franks says that the photograph was taken some time prior to the last pay day.” Image courtesy of George Pearson and many thanks to Frank Holmes (via Bill Danby) for the update.  A sideline at Lingdale Mine was the manufacture of bricks made from the waste shale. In the photograph piles of bricks are stacked at the right hand side, with pallets of bricks being hoisted and lowered by the rope hoist system in the Photo. Down into the rail wagons below. An excellent description of the plant and it’s working is given in Simon Chapman’s Book “Lingdale Mine”. Image courtesy of George Pearson.  A miner checks his final pay packet from Lingdale mine, at the Accounts Office ”Bob Hole”. The flat front on his safety helmet contained a clear shield which was pulled down to protect the eyes whilst drilling or using a pickaxe. We asked if anyone could identify the miner. Bill Danby tells us: ”My brother in law, Frank Holmes, who was a Deputy at Lingdale Ironstone Mine for a long time says the man at the front is Eric Hatfield, who was also a Deputy there. Man at the rear not known.” Paula Miller advises: “The man at the fron is definately Mr Eric Hatfield of Lingdale”; this is further confirmed by Kerry Hatfield: “My grandad Eric Hatfield.” Image courtesy of George Pearson and thanks to Frank Holmes (via Bill Danby) and Paula Miller and Kerry Hatfield for the updates.  Longacre Mine was situated close to the present Hollybush Industrial Estate; not far from where the Asda supermarket has been built. The 286 foot shaft was in operation from 1876 till closure in 1954. Before closure the workings were taken over by North Skelton Mine. The mine ventilating fan is to the left of this image. Image courtesy of George Pearson. |
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