Some local accidents 1911/1940
There was quite a lengthy article in the Durham County Advertiser during the 1930s which considered the various dangers within the home; such accidents were quite frequent then [and probably still are]. In that decade a relation of mine, who was four at the time, was slowly walking backwards, reading a comic, and then ended up stumbling into boiling water – it was only the speedy and effective intervention of her father that helped to reduce long term damage. Of course the mines were even more dangerous and there were many deaths, each one an emotional, and sometimes financial, disaster for their loved ones. A fall of stone was a very common cause of death at collieries. I have also noticed that at several pits workers had died cleaning out Benzole tanks; such workers would be overcome by fumes and suffocate and that is very sadly what happened to two New Brancepeth Colliery employees: James Archer Greenwell [aged 36] and Fred Underwood [21] in 1923. How futile was that? Where was the effective safety co-ordination between collieries? My great uncle, John Thomas Hope, was a Deputy at Ushaw Moor Colliery and a nail pierced him in September 1934, when he was working underground. A few days later he died of septicemia –he did not have the benefit of those antibiotics that we now take for granted.
In July 1940 my great aunt Ada’s first husband, Harold Swift, was killed at New Brancepeth Colliery when he fell down the pit shaft – absolutely dreadful; I believe that it was a communication problem that caused it. Great aunt Ada always walked to a certain spot near the colliery to wait for her husband’s return from work, and that is what she did the day he died. She was accompanied by her friend and they waited. Her dog began to whine and my great aunt said that she felt something was seriously wrong. I am sure that I have made my point without needing to go on and on about the dangerous environment in which colliery workers, and to a lesser extent their families were living.
Let us move on to the famous Samuel Cody and his accident –yes another accident - but a bit more light hearted, in that no one was killed. It makes interesting reading for those people who have not heard it before. Early in the morning on 25/07/1911 Colonel Cody had to make an emergency landing at Pit House during an air race from London to Newcastle. A New Brancepeth family gave him breakfast and he subsequently stayed for a short while at Eshwood Hall while his plane was being repaired. That delay cost him any chance of winning the race. The most interesting think to ponder is which family gave him breakfast – answers on a postcard please! Incidentally for a short while in the early 20th century he lived in a house about 800 yards from where I am now. The house has been unoccupied for a very long time and it has a plate to commemorate his several years of occupation at the house. He came to England in 1890 and was the first to fly in Britain. He is not to be confused with his friend William Cody [no relation to him] who was known as Buffalo Bill. Samuel Cody died in a flying accident [sorry!] at Aldershot in 1913.
Knocky Nine Doors – anything to change the subject. My aunt and uncles played this game in the 30s. A child would knock on a door and then hide with friends. Usually someone would open the door – but on looking out there was no one to be seen. Once the person had gone back in doors the cycle of behaviour would be repeated several times. In the end the occupier would often lose patience and come out searching for the door knocker – all the kids would then scatter. What is the point of this story? Well it was healthier than the modern electronic games that some children play, in that all concerned parties got some exercise. Of course if the occupier had been a resting miner then the last thing he would want would be exercise.
One final story .My stepfather, who was a tanky [small engine] driver at New Brancepeth Colliery, once told me that he used the tanky to deliver something from New Brancepeth Colliery to Ushaw Moor Colliery and that involved going onto the main line railway, thus, as he put it, breaking the law. Come on Brian, Geoff etc. is that a feasible story or was he just taking the time to amuse me with an interesting tale?
Best regards
W Bell
