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Westthorpe Colliery, Holbrook Colliery and me.


ken wain

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I was an apprentice electrician at Westthorpe in the mid 1950's; the colliery was connected underground with Holbrook as an escape route for either colliery in case of emergency and for enhanced ventilation purposes; There was also a pumping facility in Holbrook pit bottom which helped to keep water levels under control for both collieries. These facilities were maintained when Holbrook officially closed in 1944 until its demolition in 1956, by Westthorpe officials and craftsmen. The collieries were approx one and a half miles apart and the roadway linking the two together had to be periodically inspected by a deputy with a flame safety lamp to keep testing for gas along its entire length; I once went with a deputy and an electrician who was going to examine and maintain switchgear which was used to control the water pumps and lighting in the pit bottom.  It was very hard going, walking and sometimes crawling along the roadway which due to subsidence and floor lift due to general depreciation was no more than two foot six high in places. All this whilst having a heavy tool bag ,water bottle, snap tin and cap lamp battery on my back and around my waist, and believe me it was very scary for a young lad like me. An experience I will never forget !

On other occasion's when we didn't travel through the roadway, we were wound down the shaft; The winding engine was a steam engine and the coal used for the winding engine was brought in from Westthorpe. Descending the shaft in the cage was also a very hairy experience, due to the general decline of the equipment and safety items being missing from the shaft side we had to jump across a gap of about eighteen inches into the cage, although this gap appeared to be more like three feet, and you closed your eyes when you jumped across. The cage was lowered very slowly because a good many of the guide ropes which keep the cage stable in the shaft were missing or damaged and you could hear and feel the cage buffeting into the shaft side!

When you went down the shaft you took a couple of buckets down with you to bring them back filled with coal for the fire in the pit top cabin to mash tea.

When the colliery was demolished in 1956 the ruins were used to stage a Civil Defence exercise: St Johns Ambulance Brigade personnel carried out rescue procedures, and Dr Charles Lipp from Killamarsh officiated.  I was used as one of the casualties!

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