Leah

Thank you for the information Alan!

Thank you so much for both of your replies! So great to hear a bit more about what my granda (John) got up to as a miner, like I said in the original post he sadly passed away in 2017 and there's only my uncle Gordon left now as my uncle Dixon has passed on as well. As John died suddenly I really regret not having the chance to ask him more about his job as I think the mines and mining communities are such an interesting part of local history. A shame Gordon isn't in any of the photo's either, maybe one day him and my granda will make an appearance! Much appreciated for the information! The next time I see Gordon I'll let him know you were asking after him

Hi All, I'm trying to trace a bit about my grandad who worked at Bates from when he was a 'young lad' as he used to say to it's closure. He sadly passed away in 2017 and as we are no longer in possession of his lamp (long story) we know very little about his role etc. I keep hoping to see him in some of the photo's shared around on the local groups but so far no luck! His name was John Bennett and I know he may have been a deputy at some time but know very little else! I came across this topic and wondered if anyone has any memory of him or maybe worked with him at some point? It would mean a lot to my family if I can do a bit of digging, as you can imagine we miss him very much! Any help anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Leah Southern