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 Last pay day at North Skelton Mine 17th January 1964. Being paid is George Swan with walking stick hooked in his pocket. George lost a leg down the mine, he was given the job of handing out the explosives to the shotfirers from the underground magazine. Behind George is believed to be John Whiteley. Image courtesy of George Pearson; additional information courtesy of Jeff Templeman.  North Skelton; Miners queue for their last pay at the ”Bob hole,” It will be noticed they are wearing ordinary clothes , no issue of special gear in those days, some still carrying their carbide lamps, and in their pockets bottles and containers which held water or cold tea, ”No Canteen” underground in the good old days! However Bill Danby tells us: ”My brother-in-law, Frank Holmes, who was the last Deputy out of North Skelton Ironstone Mine in 1964 states that this is unlikely to be a photograph of the last day at the mine. One of the miners is carrying a carbide lamp and another a candle, whereas, Frank says, North Skelton mine was one of the first to start using electric lamps. Or the picture was a set-up for the occasion. Frank worked most of his life down the mines, first at Lingdale, where in the 1953 disaster he helped carry out the lads burnt in the explosion of methane. On the closure of that mine he transferred to North Skelton. After retiring he volunteered to help at the Skinningrove Mining Museum and put the roof up in the tunnel where they demonstrate what life down there was like.” Bill also suggests ”There is much information on North Skelton Mine from its opening in 1872 on my website ’ The History of Skelton’” Image courtesy of George Pearson; many thanks to Bill Danby for that update.  North Skelton Mine; the last pay packets, being paid at the accounts office window called the ”bob hole”, on the 17th January 1964. Can any one help with identification of the Miners? Leo Howard tells us: ”The first man in the queue wearing beret. His name was Willi Wnek. He was Polish and was the fitter.” Alan Etherington comments: “Of little consequnce, a Bob Hole was the little door in the side of a hen house that was raised each morning to let the hens out and closed at night when they’d all gone back in and this would keep out foxes.” Whilst Hilary Fullilove asks: “My father, Henryk Doktor, also Polish, worked at the Lumpsey pit until the 1950s. I would very much like to find out more about his time there. Any references to mining records etc. would be most gratefully received.” Image courtesy of George Pearson, thanks to Leo Howard and Alan Etherington for the updates; can anyone assist with Hilary Fullilove’s enquiry?  Photograph taken at the back of North Skelton mine fitting shop. 1954. Image courtesy of Jeff Templeman.  North Skelton Mine Fitting Shop Staff 1954. Image courtesy of Jeff Templeman.  North Skelton Mine First Aid and Rescue team. Richard Beadnall tells us: ”This is my granddad, Harry Beadnall. He was on the mine rescue team at Lumpsey before moving to North Skelton until it closed. He died not long after leaving North Skelton.” Image courtesy George Pearson and thanks to Richard Beadnall for the update.  The last mine to close in Cleveland, North Skelton Mine seen in it’s final month of 1964. Image courtesy of George Pearson (via Jeff Templeman).  Well I couldn’t go wrong with this photograph could I? The name of the mine and the owners in plain sight on the building. The mine was situated close to Boosbeck and closed in 1954. Image courtesy of Eric Johnson.  We haven’t many photographs of Longacre mine at Skelton, which was not as well known as many of the others in the area. Joan Webster tells us: ”Nice picture of Longacre mine where my father (Jack Robinson) was deputy manager.”  Once again a lovely drawing of Longacre ironstone mine, long gone now, but still remembered; the former site is close to the present day Asda store and the public house which bears the name “The Longacre”. |
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