Eastern United Colliery Bath House - film & photos (General)

by peteressex , Sunday, April 06, 2014, 07:08 (3885 days ago) @ Daffodil

You may be interested in this letter, dated March 10th 1959, from the Cinderford office of the National Union of Mineworkers, Forest of Dean Branch, to my grandfather, Mr Frank Essex, Bathurst Park Road, Lydney:-

"Dear Sir,

"The Forest of Dean Mineworkers District Committee have asked me to convey to you their thanks and appreciation for the support you gave us in our efforts to prevent the closure of the Eastern United Colliery.

"Unfortunately, we had no success. However, we wish to thank you most sincerely for your help.

"Yours sincerely, B.B. Hinton, Secretary."

My grandfather was at this time a member of Lydney Rural District Council and a circuit steward of the Pillowell Methodist Church Circuit. He once worked at Norchard Colliery and on the local railway whereby coal was taken from the Eastern United to Bullo. I think he sensed that if the Eastern United went, the doom of all commercial mining in the Forest would soon follow. If so, he wasn't wrong. He would have considered it his civic and religious duty to try to save livelihoods.

The original of the letter is in Gloucestershire Archives among historical papers of Springfield Methodist Church, Lydney.