Pithead BathsResearched by John Lumsdon

An extract from George Orwell’s “The Road to Wigan Pier”

At some of the larger and better-appointed collieries there are pithead baths. This is an enormous advantage, for not only can the miner wash himself all over every day, in comfort and even luxury, but at the baths he has two lockers where he can keep his pit clothes separate from his day clothes, so that within twenty minutes of emerging as black as a Negro he can be riding off to a football match dressed up to the nines. But it is only comparatively seldom because a seam of coal does not last forever, so that it is not necessarily worth building a bath every time a shaft is sunk. I can-not get hold of exact figures, but it seems likely that rather less than one miner in three has access to a pithead bath. Probably a large majority of miners are completely black from the waist down for at least six days a week.

It is almost impossible for them to wash all over in their own homes. Every drop of water has got to be heated up, and in a tiny living-room which contains, apart from the kitchen range and a quantity of furniture, a wife, some children, and probably a dog, there is simply not room to have a proper bath. Even with a basin one is bound to splash the furniture.

Middle-class people are fond of saying that the miners would not wash themselves properly even if they could, but this innocence, as is shown by the fact that where pithead baths exist practically all the men use them. Only among the very old men does the belief still linger that washing one's legs 'causes lumbago'. Moreover the pithead baths, where they exist, are paid for wholly or partly by the miners themselves, out of the Miners' Welfare Fund. Sometimes the colliery company subscribes some-times the Fund bears the whole cost. But doubtless even at this late date the old ladies in Brighton boarding houses are saying that 'if you give those miners baths they only use them to keep coal in'.

Last verse of poem, (a day in the life of a miner)

Two o'clock in the pithead baths, I'm washing away the grime, Now clean and refreshed I head for home, the bus it arrives on time, On the table my dinner is waiting and it's devoured without delay, With heavy eyes I slump in my chair, at the end of my working day.   J. H. Smith. (A Welsh miner)

Miner’s Clothes Instead of disposing of their old clothes when new ones were bought, Miners’ would wear these as pit clothes. They would travel to the pit, work their shift and return home in the same clothes. Attached to their belt would be a pair of kneepads, snapping

tin, for their food, a helmet and a water bottle slung over their shoulder. That was until pithead baths were built and work wear was provided. Some pits had baths in the 1920s but most had none until 1947 when the coalmines were brought into public ownership.

Then a programme of providing baths was started. Prior to this the Coal Mines Act, 1911, laid down that if a majority of two thirds of the men required pit pithead baths the proprietors were required to provide these facilities. However the men had to make a payment of two pence per week for this privilege. Some miners resisted the introduction of pithead baths with all sorts of excuses such as immodesty of communal bathing, catching colds and weakening their backs. However the payment of two pence per week was probably the main reason, particularly when they had a good supply of hot water at home.

Where baths were provided miners would come to the pit in their travelling clothes, enter what was known as the clean side lockers, take off their clothes then take their soap and towel through into the dirty side lockers. Here they would put on their pit clothes or (work wear.) and go underground. When the shift was over they would do the same in reverse, having a bath in the meantime of course. As temperatures varied from pit to pit and even in different parts of the same pit, clothing would also vary. At the shaft bottom of a downcast shaft, this was where the fresh air was drawn down. In winter times men would wear thermal underwear and extra layers of clothing. While in hotter parts of the mine the clothing worn would be football shorts, boots and stockings.

Elizabeth Andrews

Footwear was also an element of clothing. Prior to the hobnailed boots, were the clogs, and then the more modern boots had extra hardwearing rubber soles plus steel toe capped Wellingtons for working in wet conditions. Elizabeth Andrews 1882 – 1960 was the first woman organiser for the Labour

Party in Wales and a tireless campaigner for better social conditions. Her evidence to the Sankey Commission led to the inception of pithead baths at collieries – until then the dirt and dust of the mines had been carried home each

night. The drying of pit clothes in overcrowded kitchens contributed to a high infant mortality rate and the strain of shifting heavy tubs and boilers took its toll on mothers.

Work of Miners’ Welfare FundAchievements of the Miners’ Welfare Fund in helping to make the lives of coal miners easier and happier are shown in the Miners’ Welfare Committee’s 16th Annual Report 1938. This committee has been at work since 1920, and derives its revenue from a levy of a halfpenny per ton of coal produced and a levy of one shilling in the pound on mining royalties. It includes representatives of coal-owners and mineworkers, and is assisted in each of the 25 coal-mining areas by district committees of employers and employees.

Pithead Baths One of the chief objects of the Miners’ Welfare Fund is to provide pithead baths and in 1937 a sum of £657,690, two thirds of the total grants from the fund during the year, was allocated to this object. By the end of 1937, 208 baths had been completed giving accommodation to nearly 275,000 miners, and a further 70 baths, and accommodation for 90,000 miners were under construction. This accommodation is sufficient for more than half the total number of miners to be catered for and the main building programme for baths is planned to be completed about 1944. Although once regarded with apathy in the coalfields, pithead baths are appreciated not only by the miners who use them, but also by the womenfolk, who find that much of the labour traditionally associated with their lives has vanished.

Illustrations of bath buildings included in the report show also that their value is not limited entirely; to bathing facilities and that clean modern design has already noticeably improved the appearance of the coalmining districts. Besides building pithead baths, the committee has spent large sums for a variety of different purposes ranging from bowling greens to scientific research. A summary of the amount spent under broad headings will show the magnitude of this work. Nearly £5,500,000 has been spent on sports grounds and all kinds of

children’s playgrounds, boys’ clubs and camps, swimming pools, halls, institutes and pavilions. Other pithead welfare included canteens, cycle stores, first aid rooms, convalescent homes, and safety in mines research. Altogether the committee had by the end of 1937, made grants to a total of £16,523,533 and the receipts of the fund amounted to £16,701,774

Florence Pithead Baths 1930The pithead baths which have been provided at the Florence colliery, Longton, the first installation of the kind in the North Staffordshire Coalfield were opened on Saturday 26th April by Viscount Chaplin. Erected at a cost of £17,000 out of money from the Miners’ Welfare Fund, they will supply accommodation for no fewer than 1,428 men.Mr John Cocks in introducing Lord Chaplin announced that the District Committee had funds amounting to £104,000 and it was expected that in the next two years, all the North Staffordshire collieries would be similarly equipped. A presentation to Viscount Chaplin was made at the conclusion of the ceremony.Mr John Cocks of the Shelton Iron Steel and Coal Co and President of the North Staffordshire Coal Owners Ass who presided, was supported by Viscount Chaplin, Director of the old Florence Coal and Iron Company who performed the opening ceremony. There were many others from the coal industry, including a large batch of the Florence workpeople, together with members of their families.

District Committee PolicyThe chairman having extended a warm welcome to Viscount Chaplin said those present might think that the District Welfare Committee had been rather dilatory in getting their schemes going and in spending the money that had been contributed for a period of seven years. But they would realise, if they thought for a moment, that that tremendous amount of money which was at the disposal of the District Committee might easily be frittered away if the method of applying it to the whole of North Staffordshire were not carefully considered and placed upon a sound foundation. It had been the experience in some districts that big sums of money had been spent on building which had been allowed to become derelict and they had been anxious to avoid such a state of things in North Staffordshire. What their District Committee to do was to give them something in the shape of bricks and mortar which would help to improve the social conditions in which they lived and add to the amenities of life in the North Staffordshire coal field.

In 1927 their local committee decided that it would be a wise policy to try to introduce pit-head baths and a sum of £13,000 a year was earmarked for four years making a sum of £52,000. To this sum the Central Committee added a

similar sum making so they had a total of £104,000 which was to be used between now and 1932 on pithead bath installation. The support for the movement had been rather slow and a certain amount of education had to be necessary to induce the men to take the initiative. After all the money to be used was that of the Welfare Fund to which the men contributed and if the baths were to be a success the support of those who were to use them was requisite. The men in that colliery did take the initiative. There was a ballot and as a result 98% of the men voted in favour of the baths.

Viscount ChaplinViscount Chaplin said there were two reasons why he very greatly appreciated the compliment of being asked to come for the inauguration of those baths. The first was that his family had been connected with the Florence Colliery from its inception. He believed he was correct in stating that the third Duke of Sutherland commenced sinking the Florence pit in 1872 and began to draw coal from it in 1878. That was carrying them back quite a long way.

The present Duke of Sutherland would have been there that day if he had not been on his way to India. His second reason was that the opening of those baths, in his opinion marked the beginning of a new era in the mining world of the district. The baths would add greatly to the comfort and convenience of those connected with the Florence Colliery. They were the sign of the co-operation the employers and the employed which was very much needed and cordially welcomed. After all the only sure basis of success and the best in a great industry especially one as important as coal mining was mutual trust and good will between those connected with it. The miners’ Welfare Fund was an admirable illustration of what could be done by a small levy. The baths would be a great saving of labour and worry to the wives in the homes of the men. He hoped that the same system would be adopted in the collieries throughout the district and that the men would faithfully follow the advice given them in the excellent pamphlet which has been printed respecting the use of the baths. It was his great privilege and pleasure to declare the baths open.

Mr Finney, in proposing a vote of thanks to Viscount Chaplin and the chairman observed that the baths were quite in keeping with the policy of the Miners’ Federation. The Federation had been asking for baths a long time in 1911 and before 1911. Now their object had been achieved. He hoped that the baths would be diligently used, not merely because of cleanliness and for the trouble and inconvenience that would be saved in men’s homes, but because of the great

aids to health that they would prove. The motion was seconded by Mr H. Leese supported by Mr S. Haile, and cordially adopted.

Presentation Then the Chairman announced that Lord Chelmsford, as Chairman of the Welfare Fund had suggested that Viscounts Chaplin’s presence that day would be recognised by some tangible appreciation of his services. He had been asked therefore, by the builders to request their extinguished visitors’ acceptance of the pictures which now decorated the walls of their canteen. But added, the Chairman amid laughter they all hoped that Viscount Chaplin would leave the pictures behind.

Col Williamson following, handed to Viscount Chaplin as a souvenir of his visit, a small Wedgwood basalt vase decorated with gold figures. They had all been delighted to have Viscount Chaplin with them because of his long connection with the colliery and because of the esteem they all felt for him. When invited to come he willingly consented. Responding, Viscount Chaplin acknowledged the gift of the vase, ad smilingly declared that he would have great pleasure in handing back the pictures. The company proceeded to inspect the baths and tea was afterwards served in a marquee erected on a plot of ground adjacent to the entrance gates of the colliery.

Mossfield Pithead Baths 1930 Mr. Ben Turner, M.P. the veteran Labour leader who holds the position of Secretary of Mines in the Government, spent the weekend in North Staffordshire, which he visited at the invitation of the local Miners’ Welfare committee for the purpose of opening the newly installed pithead baths at the Mossfield colliery Longton. He was also to open the splendid new pavilion on the Bignall End Cricket Club’s ground, together with the Bowling Green attached, lay down through a grant from the Welfare Fund.

A Famous Pit Pony Many top mining officials attended the opening ceremony, and the chairman, Sir Francis Joseph, C.B.E. made an introduction speech, then handed Mr. Turner an exquisite tea service as a memento of the occasion from the directors of Mossfield Colliery Ltd., and a framed photograph of Boxer, a pit pony which retired on pension last year after 30 years continuous service underground, coming to the surface for a fortnights holiday once a year.Returning thanks, Mr. Turner said, one thing he noticed was that Boxer had been given a fortnights holiday each year “with pay” and it was a reminder to those who controlled the pits that miners might have the same privilege.

Continuing the speaker congratulated the colliery on having pithead baths installed. It had been a dream of such leaders as Mr. Enoch Edwards, one time M.P. for Hanley. Since the war they had developed new ideas about social amenities. They were coming back to the old proverb that cleanliness was next to Godliness and they were realising the miners should be as clean as any other man when leaving his work. So far they had 85 pithead bath schemes in hand and Mossfield was the 16th to be completed. Following the ceremony, Mr. Ben Turner was entertained at luncheon at the North Staffordshire Hotel and afterwards journeyed to Bignall end to open the £3,000 Pavilion and bowling green.

Hanley Deep Baths 1932The new pithead baths provided for the colliery workers at Hanley Deep Pit of the Shelton Iron, Steel and Coal Co. Ltd. At a cost of £28,000 were opened December 1932 in the presence of a large gathering of persons connected with the North Staffordshire coal trade. The baths, which have taken about 18 months to erect, contain 18 cubicles and provide facilities for 2,180 miners. Mr. John Cocks, joint managing director of the Shelton Co. presided over the opening ceremony. The chairman said he was glad to find that pithead baths were becoming more generally recognised as a necessity. The baths they were opening today were the fifth installation to be put into commission in north Staffordshire and others would be erected when the penny per ton contribution fund had further accumulated. These had been allocated from the Welfare Committee to the north Staffordshire coalfield the sum of £209,000, of which £100,000 had been earmarked for the provision of baths.

The baths not only raised the status and self-respect of the men, but also made their home life happier by eliminating the dirt, which pit clothing carried into the homes, and the committee were determined to equip every colliery in the district with baths. In declaring the baths open, Mr. Summers paid a tribute to the staff and officials controlling the company, and said that at the present rates of output at the Deep Pit, the reserves of minerals were estimated to last another 150 years, “so that no one need worry very much.” He knew of the harmonious spirit that existing between the workmen and the management and hoped the workmen would continue to realise that the prosperity of the company was at least as important to them as it was to the owners.The Lord Mayor, in adding his congratulations to the company, expressed the hope that the period of depression with the consequent unemployment was coming to an end. Sir Francis Joseph, seconded by Mr. I. W. Cumberbatch, proposed a vote of thanks to the opener.

Norton Pithead Baths 1932

Another step towards the time when coal-dusted miners will no longer be seen outside the premises of the collieries where they are employed was taken when pithead baths were opened at Norton colliery by Sir John Cadman, the distinguished industrialist, and Mr Huge Leese, President of the North Staffordshire Miners’ Federation.

A brighter future for the coal industry was proposed by Sir John, in an important speech reviewing the industrial trend of today, while Mr Leese, in a further speech, emphasised the value of co-operation between employers and miners in obtaining better conditions in the industry.The new baths have been provided out of the Miners’ Welfare Fund, and have been erected in a site given by the owners.

The opening ceremony was performed in the presence of a large gathering of, representing many sections of local industrial and civic activity.

Great AdvantagesThe advantages obtained are scarcely realised until they have been tried. I speak from experience, as at the Brereton Collieries, which I am connected, we have had these pithead baths going now for more than two years; and I can assure you that the great majority of our men would not be without them. I am sure you will agree with me that I cannot let this opportunity pass without mentioning how much we appreciate the good work put in by Mr Woodland, the architect, and his staff. We must also thank the contractors for their excellent work and their gift of a handsome clock. I must say they would have had a much more difficult task if it were not for the enthusiasm and the help of our staff, headed by Mr Maynard.

I should like to add that as far as possible, all the material for the erection of the Baths was made in North Staffordshire; and I am going to take a little credit for this, as in the early stages. There was a suggestion for placing orders outside the district for articles we make in North Staffordshire. But knowing that we can make anything in our sphere as good if not better than anybody else; I explained this to the powers that be and I am glad to say they followed my advice.

A step forward in Social ProgressSir John recalled that; 90 years ago a committee appointed to inquire into certain aspects of mining conditions made a comparison between the puny, pallid, little weaver and the broad stalwart frame of the swarthy collier as he stalks home all grime and muscle.

The site of a grimy miner may have thought to be pleasant by the people of 90 years ago he said, grime to them meant work, expanding trade, more prosperity

to the country in general. In those days our forefathers were delighted with the palls of smoke that permanently obscured the sun from all manufacturing areas. Today we think differently. We try to abolish smoke because we recognise it as undesirable impurity and an evidence of waste. And when we see a grimy miner, we are less inclined to think of his work than of his wife and the quite unnecessary trouble which his griminess causes at home.

The Baths which Mr Huge Leese and I are having the pleasure of opening today are an indication of the change which has taken place in our view on such matters. A pithead Bath therefore is more than a concession. Indeed its significance is even more important in its general aspects than in those relating to individuals; and it is not making too great a claim to say that, every new pithead Bath is a step forward in the social progress of the nation as a whole.

Ninety Years AgoHow Miners’ Conditions Have Improved

If you were living in 1842 instead of 1932, you would find that the conditions of your life and work were very different from those you now have. Your hours of work would be long: and during that work, you would be exposed to risks to life which would be infinitely greater than those you now run. With regard to that aspect of the change that has taken place in the last century, a committee was appointed in 1835 as a consequence recurrent mining disasters: but they reported that “they have in great measure failed in devising adequate remedies for the painful calamities they have had to investigate.”

They were agreed that different mines presented such various problems that it would be “impossible to lay down any precise direction or form any rules of universal application.” That report, contrasted with the conditions of today, show the progress that science and regulation have already made. To continue the comparison: work in the mines if you set the clock back by 90 years, would be performed by men, women and children; and you might see youngsters of five or six underground all day working a ventilator door, while their older brothers drew heavy trucks of coal from seam to shaft. Away from the mine also life would be very different and I think, very much worse. At home you would have no drainage, no running water and certainly no bath. If you were free of fever of one sort or another throughout the year, you would consider yourself fortunate and if you lived to be 30 year old, would have done very well. If you were unemployed you would probably starve; your children would not be educated; and if you wanted to amuse yourselves in your spare time you would have no cinemas’, no football no dog racing, but of course, the public houses would be open all day and most of the night. Regarding the comparison of today and 90 years ago in every light, there is no doubt that the conditions of today are

infinitely better. In some respects, however, there is still room for great improvement in our modern conditions and circumstances.

INDUSTRY’S DIFICULTIESNeed for United action

The coal industry is passing through hard times. Although every industry has its troubles, the difficulties of coal are peculiar to the industry and are exceptionally severe. In the first place, our ability to produce greatly exceeds the present consuming power of our customers at home and abroad. Consequently everything in the coal industry is organised on too large a scale.

Facilities are duplicated and worst of all, the scramble for trade absorbs energies that ought to be applied more usefully, and depresses prices to levels that bring little or no reward for effort expended. In the circumstances of today, that scramble and the bickering to which it gives rise are as harmful almost to the coal industry as loss of trade itself. The consumption that is available is admittedly inadequate. The best we can do is to so arrange our affairs that what trade there may be is divided evenly and equitably among those who are equipped to handle it.

Improving SituationFortunately, the general situation shows an improvement upon its worst and there is a growing realisation that the problem of coal ought to be visualised as a single problem of all concern to all and not as a great number of problems each differing from colliery to colliery. Where there are now a thousand voices, there must be one voice – that of the industry as a whole.

Here in North Staffordshire you are beginning to understand that and I must pay tribute to my brother Mr James Cadman and those who have worked with him, for the efforts they are making to co-ordinate and embrace under one control the distribution of coal in this area. But we still need and must work for, a nation-wide comprehension and action. When that is attained, we can go forward. And I believe that the future of coal may yet be of a brilliancy surpassing anything we have seen in the past.

POWRFUL COMPETITORSIt may be said that coal now, has many powerful competitors which formerly did not formerly exist and that the progress of engineering science has reduced demand by improving the thermal efficiency of coal-consuming plant. To some extent such statements are true. Nevertheless the world of science and industry is never static, neither can it nor ought it to be static. Flux and change are essential to progress; and the coal industry will benefit much by adapting itself

to change than bemoaning the past, ignoring the present and bewailing the future.

It is true that oil has captured many of the outlets which coal formally enjoyed a monopoly; that has happened because for certain purposes oil is the more flexible fuel. It is true that the development of electricity supply has reduced the consumption of coal for power and lighting .It is true also that boilers and engines are now so improved, as compared with twenty or thirty years ago, that one ton of coal suffices where formerly a ton and a half or two tons were consumed. Even so the field remaining to coal is both wide and open: Every motor vehicle which you see on the road represents a new consumption of coal, every diesel engine manufactured in this country has given employment to some miners; every electrical apparatus represents manufacturing activity; and every economy in fuel; whether by oil, electricity or mechanical improvement leads to a cheapening of cost and thus, ultimately to an expansion of trade.

Share in RevivalAt the present time wherever we look things are bad. But they will not always be bad and when trade revival comes it will be found that a share will be available to coal as well as every to every other British industrial activity. It will indeed be readily available, but non-the less some effort will be necessary for that share to be grasped. It maybe that” everything comes to him that waits” but don’t forget that “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Finally to come back to our present topic, there is another old saying to be borne in mind, cleanliness is next to godliness. A clean and healthy people are necessary to take full advantage of the opportunities which are available. The baths which we are opening to-day are, therefore a step forward, and I am convinced that they will add to the dignity and efficiently of the work people of the colliery and will be a blessing to the families of those employed here to the district as a whole.

MR HUGE LEESENeed for good Will and Close Co-operation

Mr Huge Leese pointed out that 67 pithead baths were opened in the country in 1931, while there were approximately 50 under construction. They would readily see therefore, that North Staffordshire was not the only part of the country which was having the benefit of these facilities. In connection with the work done by the Welfare Committee in their own area, he would like to pay tribute to the Chairman of the Committee Mr Cocks, and to the excellent co-operation between the members as a whole.

Continuing, Mr Leese said he had come to the conclusion that there was no greater welfare in the Miners’ Welfare Fund than that provided by pithead baths. There was no greater boon to the men, from a health point of view; and there was no greater boon to the women in the home, and the families in general.Mr Leese proceeded to describe the home conditions of the miner at the time that he himself worked underground, stressing the great inconvenience to which the miners’, their wives, and family were subjected.

I am sure we are getting away from conditions like that. It has taken us a long time to do it. After the Methodist uniting conference this week someone reminded those present those 54 years ago he had suggested Methodist union- and that they had laughed at him. At Birchenwood Colliery years ago, we were saying that we would have pithead baths. Some of the men said, “Don’t be silly you can’t maintain them, and the men won’t use them.” Yet now like Methodist union pithead baths are an accomplished fact. It was a step in the right direction. It gives you a better chance of raising the standard of your life.There ought to be no squabbling or anything that tends to pull down the conditions or which it will make it worse for industry, and especially the miner. It is bad enough in these days. The Welfare Fund shows what can be done by the miners and owners.

Times are sufficiently bad without making the position any worse and I am one of those who believe this: That the owners and miners have all along not felt sufficiently proud of their occupation. They have not respected their own occupation sufficiently in the past; you are one of the greatest planks in the nation, as owners and miners. We have people saying that we ought to make it easy to produce coal at as low a price as possible, but there should never be any question of producing or selling coal at such a price that there is not sufficient return from the outlay of the owners, and a decent wage and decent conditions for the miners. We should pursue that policy and should not at any time lose a chance of co-operating, as workers and owners- not to exploit the public, but to see that our people get a fair chance and a reasonable return for what they have to do.

Vote of ThanksProposing a vote of thanks to Sir John Cadman, Mr Edwin Dutton described the erection of the baths, as a definite step in the right direction of progress as far as the miners’ were concerned.Mr T.C, Maynard Proposing a vote of thanks to Mr Leese, thanked him for the great help he had himself given in connection with the scheme.

Mr W.H. Rushton proposed a vote of thanks to Mr James Cadman for presiding said Mr Cadman had throughout been keenly interested in the installation of the baths.After the vote of thanks had been recorded Mr James Cadman on behalf of the directors presented Sir John Cadman and Mr Leese with silver rose bowls and Doulton “Drake” Jugs as mementoes of the occasion. After a tour of the building, the visitors had refreshments in the canteen, which forms part of the new building.

Great Fenton Baths 1933  

The new pithead baths and canteen erected at the Great Fenton colliery of the Stafford Coal and Iron Co. Ltd. Were opened by the Secretary for Mines, Mr. Ernest brown, and M.P. in May 1933 in the presence of a large gathering of influential persons connected with the coal industry. On arrival at the colliery premises, Mr. Brown and party, were met by Mr. E.P.Turner, the colliery manager and made a tour of the surface, including the Cardox plant, which is an improved method of shot firing, instead of by explosives.

Long Service EmployeesMr. Brown and the Duke of Sutherland, were introduced to the following long service employees George Beadmore 54 years, James Humphreys 54 years, James Smith 53 years, William Rathbone 52 years, F. Bracknell 51 years, H. Morris 49 years, W. Hassall 49 years, B. Spruce 49 years, and G. Pass 48 years.Mr. Brown remarked that some of the men had been working at the colliery before he was borne as he was only 52 and the Duke remarked that as his age was 44 two of the men had been working there ten years before he was born.

To The Distinguished GatheringIn his opening remarks the Duke congratulated the local Welfare Committee. They had he said, quickly and rightly realised that one of the best uses that could be made of the funds at their disposal was to augment the funds for pithead baths. They therefore decided to contribute an equal amount to that provided by the royalty levy. The men at the Great Fenton colliery had all along been most keen to have baths and in the ballot over 80% expressed themselves in favour, which, of course, meant contributing towards the cost. The baths were the most up to date type and the canteen was the first of its kind in the whole of the country.Unfortunately, he continued, things were not very happy in the coal trade and there was much short-time working, but they were all hoping for better times and the accommodation at the baths could be doubled to meet the demand. The fact that the colliery had had the baths was a sign of the good feeling which existed between the management and the men, not only at the colliery, but at all the collieries in North Staffordshire, due to a large measure to the good

leadership of the men by Messrs. Leese, Hancock, Sumnall and Timmis, their Union representatives. The directors and management were proud of that spirit of co-operation.

Example to Whole CountryReferring to changes in the working of pits the Duke said that North Staffordshire had set an example to the whole country in the mechanisation of mines and the Staffordshire Coal & Iron had played their part. The directors has supplied the plant, the management had made their plans and the men had carried them out with the result that the proportion of machine mined coal in the past ten years had increased from 45% to 99% while the proportion of coal mechanically conveyed from the face to the pit tub had risen from 7% to 96%. In order to work coal it was necessary for miners to become mechanically minded. He added, in conclusion that if prosperity was to return to the coal industry masters and men had to work hand in hand for the common aim.

Today they were opening the 107th pithead baths under the Coal Mines Act of 1926 and now 137,000 miners were provided for. There were 45 more schemes under construction and the programme when completed would provide for 210,000 miners. It was true that North Staffordshire had exceptional keenness, and by the latest instillation 9,000 miners were provided for out of 33,000.Mr Brown concluded by giving figures of the amount earmarked for pithead baths, pointing out how brains plus kindness could work miracles in the coal industry, and urged the miners to make the fullest use of the facilities provided. The old belief that it is a very bad thing for a miner to wash his back because it makes it weak is a fairy tale, he added.

Victoria Baths 1933Mr. Ebby Edwards, general secretary of the Miners Federation of Great Britain, paid his first official visit to North Staffordshire in June 1933, when he opened the new pithead baths at the Victoria colliery of the Norton and Biddulph Collieries Ltd., installed at a cost of £21,000. The baths, which are a further exemplification of the usefulness of the Miners Welfare Fund, will provide accommodation for 1,680 men, bringing the proportion of men thus catered for in the district to about 50%.There was a large attendance at the opening ceremony. Mr. James Cadman, chairman, said they were all gratified when the men voted for the utilisation of the Welfare Fund in the erection of pithead baths and it was a great satisfaction to know that North Staffordshire now had a bigger percentage of pithead baths than any other district in Great Britain.

North Staffordshire’s Record  

Introducing the principal guest, Mr. Cadman said, Mr. Edwards statesmanlike handling of his work had secured the respect and confidence of everybody, and they all wished him the best of luck, health and happiness in the high position he occupied, Mr. Ebby Edwards said he had that day, the honour of opening the 112th installation of pithead baths in the country. It was an achievement of which all sections might well feel proud, but he reminded them as yet only 20% of the workers were provided for in that respect. At the present rate of progress it was going to take 20years to provide for all the workers. One heard of many places, which had no pithead baths because the workers had voted against them. He regretted that very much, and he should like to appeal to those men to reconsider their decision if not for themselves, then for the sake of their women folk. Compared with the country as a whole, North Staffordshire had a magnificent record, and the fact that about 50% of the mineworkers were now provided with pithead baths, was a credit to the foresight and social conscious of the employers and the employees. There was no dispute between the men and employers about pithead baths.

No Stoppage in JulySpeaking on the future of the mining industry, Mr. Edwards said the time had come as Mr. Cadman had suggested, when the industry must be looked upon not as a number of pits, but as a national asset, which it was the duty of the country as a whole to preserve. The great problem was to secure an increase in the demand for coal, and at the same time increase the economic value of the coal itself. Someone would ask,” What about the July situation?” and he would say in passing, that there would be no stoppage in July this year; because he believed the large body of employers, knowing the immense competition in the coal trade of Europe, could not afford to have any crises created in the industry which could lead to a stoppage. He would go further, and say that the wages of the men were so low that there could be no economic salvation in any limitation of the standards of the men employed in the industry. In those two facts he was satisfied that there would be no crises in the industry next month. The time has come when they should be able to implement the machinery, which would prevent any stoppage, and yet do justice to the workers in the industry. Nearly 75% of British coal production was used in this country, and there could be no justification for the employers selling at a price which would not give his men a living wage, and the employers a return on their capital.

Production and PricesWhat was needed, concluded Mr. Edwards, and was a new conception of the industry. The old conception, from the days when there was no limit to demand, was out of date. Today they had not got a demand for anything more than 205 to

210 million tons per annum, yet the country was producing 278,000,000 tons, and had a capacity 300,000,000. They needed to end the over production on a market of depressed prices. To the employers who were asking for a free hand for maximum production without control, and sale at minimum prices, he said: “Can you dispose of coal at less than an economic price and give my men a living wage?”They should have learnt their lesson from the past, and he hoped he had indicated that the Miners Federation did not desire any conflict in the industry. They were seeking to avoid conflict, but at the same time they ask for a humane contribution, that the men should be paid a living wage for the risks they ran in the extraction of coal Mr. Edwards was cordially thanked, and the chairman presented him with a silver tea tray as a memento of the occasion. Each member of the Management Committee of the baths was presented with a clock.

Glebe Baths 1934The new pithead baths at the Glebe colliery, of Fenton Collieries Ltd. Erected by means of a grant from the Miners Welfare fund, were formally opened in July 1934. The baths are housed in an imposing two story brick building on the continental style and the immediate vicinity has been laid out as a lawn with shrubberies, enclosed in a concrete pillar and chain surrounding, giving the frontage a nice appearance.The total cost of the baths and annexes was £23,600 and the men themselves have raised £73 for the canteen equipment. There is accommodation for 1,216 miners and the various departments are designed with a view to affording convenience and comfort to the men who will have to use them.

Over Fifty Years’ ServiceA special interest attached to the occasion, was the fact that the directors have invited Mrs. Gough, wife of Mr. John Gough, of Adelaide St. Fenton, a working miner, who retired eight weeks ago after having been employed underground at the colliery for over half a century, to perform the opening ceremony. Mrs. Gough is 72 years of age and has been married over fifty years.The speech making ceremony took place in a special enclosed area under the shadow of the pit winding gear and here a large crowd of colliery officials and workers, with their wives together a number of specially invited guests assembled.

Sir Francis Joseph Sir Francis Joseph expressed his regret for the absence of his wife, who had gone 330 miles to visit her children in school. Wonderful people these months are he said, and I’m sure Mrs Gough will forgive her absence. I extend an invitation to her and husband John to come along and have tea with us. You

can’t separate people when they have lived together all these years and I pray to God they will that they will be spared to live together for many more years to come.

Out of DebtSir Francis Joseph continued to give a brief history of the colliery, which was very bleak at one time losing at the rate of £500 per week. But they all pulled together with the men co-operating, determined to preserve the continuity of the pit as an important factor in the coal producing industry of North Staffordshire. The result had been that they had succeeded in getting more employment, more security, for the future and brought the colliery into line with the most up-to-date pits, a tremendous achievement.

Wife of a Working Miner He was glad that his fellow directors agreed to his suggestion that the proper person to open the baths was the type who would benefit mostly, namely, the wife of a working miner, and that was why they invited Mrs. Cough, whose husband had had a long and honest career at the colliery and who herself had rendered great service to family life.Mrs. Gough, who was obviously nervous and very shy, said: I have great pleasure in declaring these baths open, and I hope they will be of great benefit to the miners who use them. After Mrs. Gough had opened the main entrance door of the building and the guests had made an inspection, they were entertained to tea, where further speeches were made and Mrs. Gough was presented with a locally made china service as a memento of the occasion. Sir Francis also handed a handsome clock suitably inscribed from the directors to Mr. Gough to mark his retirement.

Pithead Baths now Installed 168More than five million pounds have been devoted from the Miners’ Welfare Fund for the provision of outdoor recreation, indoor amusements and leisure occupations for the 800,000 employed in the mining industry, it is stated in the annual report issued today (19th June 1936)

The mining communities nearly all have their village halls or institutes, sports grounds, of all sorts and sizes, with pavilions, bowling greens, tennis courts, children’s playgrounds and all manner of other things, including, in some places, indoor and open air swimming baths.

Another activity of the fund is to provide pithead baths where the miners change their cloths when going to work wash after work and dry their working cloths. Already 168 of these new installations, accommodating more than 220,000

workers, have been built and 13 more have been started or planned, at a total cost of nearly three and a half million pounds.

The Miners’ Welfare Fund is a national fund providing for the welfare of a whole industry. The revenue of the Fund is derived from a levy at the rate of a halfpenny per ton of coal produced, and a levy at the rate of a shilling in the pound on mining royalties. The receipts amounted last year to £736,588 and during the fifteen and a half years since the Fund was instated they have totalled fifteen and a half pounds.

The annual report issued bears witness to the efforts of the Miners’ Welfare Committee to improve the standard of industrial architecture and to use the building of baths as an occasion for assisting to make the place of work less unattractive than it has usually been in the past.

CONVALECENT HOMESThe health of the miners’ has not been overlooked in other directions also and well over three million pounds have been spent under this head. Fifteen splendid convalescent homes have been established and some of them endowed, at a cost of two million pounds: large grants have been made to hospitals in mining districts: and more than £120,000 has been expended on ambulance and nursing services.

Education too, has had a generous share, more than a million pounds in all having been allocated to this object. In 1926 the Fund endowed a scholarship scheme, of which the annual income of £8,000 is devoted to assisting selected miners and their children to go to Oxford, Cambridge and some other University to take full University courses. The total number of scholarships so far awarded is 124 of which 55 went to young miners, and 69 to children of mineworkers. Finally, nearly £900,000 has been allocated to research work carried on at Sheffield and Buxton by the Safety in Mines Research Board.

In North StaffordshireThe financial position of the District Funds at December 31st last shows that, in North Staffordshire, the total credited was £236,239, of which £8,111 had not been allocated. Recreational schemes, numbering 14, cost £30,817, convalescent homes and funds £99377, ambulances £60, baths (11 schemes) £85,761, baths’ canteens £9,849 mining education £1,111 and general education £1,120. Grants made in 1935 totalled £7,999, recreation £1,120, convalescent homes and funds £1,000, baths £2,540, mining education £250, and general education £50.

Grants from the General Fund to local education authorities to December 31 st

included £28,000 for the provision of a mining school at Cannock £6,000 for a mining school at Knutton. £12,000 for the extension of the mining department of the North Staffordshire Technical College: and £350 for the equipment of mining classes at Tunstall Technical School.

Madeley Pithead Baths 1934Attractive Building

The new building has been erected on an extensive piece of land adjoining the colliery, leased direct to the Trustees by the Marquis of Crewe at a nominal rent. It was built of brick made by the Madeley Collieries, Ltd. The building has an exceedingly handsome appearance for architecture of this type, and this is further improved by the tasteful manner in which the land facing the main frontage has been laid out with grass and shrubs.

With the exception of the lawn, the layout referred to has been done by the Company. Although for the main part the building closely resembles the other pithead baths erected at various collieries in the district, several new features have been introduced.

Bright CanteenA feature to which special attention has been paid is the canteen. The room is crescent shaped, allowing natural lighting from three directions and given a pleasing suggestion of brightness. There are mottled tiles up to the level of the window sills, while the remainder of the wall decorations is in dark green. Chromium beaded tables and attractively designed stools are included in the furnishings and the counter has a rubber tiled top to prevent undue noise and breakages.

“The canteen will be an especial boon to the men on Saturdays. Until now, if a man has wanted to go to a football match, or to go shopping and so on, the best part of the day has gone before he reached home, bathed, and changed at the pithead, have a meal in the canteen, and then set off to enjoy his hard earned leisure without tiresome delay. They will undoubtedly appreciate this.

Chief PointsStated briefly the chief points to which the Miners’ Welfare Committee have given attention in the design of the installation, are as follows:Clean and dirty clothing will be completely separated for the sake of cleanliness:Bathers after washing will not be soiled by coal dust falling or lying on the floor:Separate lockers are provided for pit and clean cloths respectively, heated by the Plenum air system:

There is sufficient seating accommodation and floor space to all men on the larges shift:A first aid room is provided for dressing’s scratches and minor injuries:There is proper ventilation and adequate light:Accommodation and appliances for the cleaning and greasing pit boots:Special taps from which drinking water can be obtained water bottles filled.

800 LockersThere are drinking fountains and separate rooms for the clean cloths lockers and the pit cloths lockers, the shower bath cubicles occupying the space. There are 800 clean cloths lockers and 800 pit cloths lockers and 65 bath cubicles.The Company takes an optimistic view of the industrial future is indicated by the fact that the structure of the building allows for extensions.

The Marquis of Crewe Opens BathsNew pit head Baths were opened by the Marquis of Crewe at Madeley on Saturday afternoon 15th December. The baths - ninth installation provided in North Staffordshire from the Miners’ Welfare Fund – have been erected at a cost of about £13,000Sir Felix Brunner Bart, Chairman of the company, presided, and supporting him on the platform were the Marquis of Crewe; the Mayor of Newcastle, Mr John Bentley and many more distinguished guests.At the onset Mr W. A. Woodland the Architect, behalf of the miners’ Welfare Committee, presented a title deed to Mr Charles Edwards (Trustee of the baths) who received it on behalf of the Trustees.

Advantage of Experience in Other CentresAfter expressing pleasure at the presence of the Marquis of Crewe Sir Felix J. Brunner remarked that they has seen elsewhere how greatly appreciated the installations of pithead baths had been. At Madeley Colliery they had been disappointed to some extent that time had elapsed before installation of this kind had taken place, but as a result of the delay, they had the advantage of the experiences gained in the erection of the other baths in North Staffordshire and elsewhere. In the long run, he thought that this delay would prove to have been well worthwhile.

I think we all appreciate in this country how much the whole community depends on coal mining; there is no member of the community more entitled to the respect of his fellow men, and respect of himself than the miner. Up to now in many ways, it has been somewhat difficult for the miner to maintain that self-respect. That has perhaps being more to urban areas than places like this, his

calling has made it necessary that he should go to his work under conditions that you prefer not to be in. As a result of the installation of pithead baths, such as we have here, that disadvantage of the miners’ calling is entirely eliminated. In fact if he wishes to do so a miner can now indulge in the luxury of wearing good cloths.

The Marquis of Crewe in declaring the baths open said there were special reasons why it was a great pleasure for him to perform this ceremony. Apart from the fact that Madeley was the home of his mother during her girlhood, which of course has endeared it to him, he had been practicably all his life in full sympathy with those who carried on the business of coal mining.

It is just 50 years since I was Parliamentary candidate for a constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire, which was one of those which depended if not entirely, then principally, on the vote and the interest of the miners.

As it happened, after more than a year’s candidature, I was unable to stand at the election because my father died and I was removed to another sphere – dignified, but perhaps in some ways less interesting than the House of Commons. (Laughter)

I think that had I had the pleasure of standing for the constituency I should have won, because the successor who took my place – very good candidate, probably much better than I was – when the election came about in two or three months’ time got in by a majority of 12,000. In those days, with the restricted vote, that was a considerable majority. He was a stranger and I was a local man, and I venture to assume that I should have been elected.

At that time, and in consequence, I suppose, I was on terms of friendship with practicably all the miners’ leaders not merely of Yorkshire but in other parts of England and naturally ever since then I have retained the keenest interest in the mining world.

Fight against NatureAs the Chairman has said, we all feel that the business of underground work in the mines is one in which we must look in the greatest admiration. All that has happened in the interval of those 50 years has, I hope, tended to improve the lot of the underground worker. But, on the other hand, such things as that appalling catastrophe the other day at Gresford which sent a thrill of regret, and of admiration for those who tried to help, reminds us how little the wit of man, aided by all the appliances of science, can do to resist the elemental forces of nature, whether underground, or on the sea, or in the air.

Therefore all people who think or feel are glad to do what they can to make the lot of those who work underground better and easier. One of those methods is the installation of pithead baths.

We have to remember that the practice of taking a bath anywhere but in a tub in a room is a very modern innovation. I don’t think that until I was nearly 30 years of age I never even saw a bath in any form except a tub in the room I occupied. I am glad now to know that baths are installed in most new houses. A tub before a fire in a room is quite a pleasant thing, particularly if you have another room to go into, but in a miners ‘cottage when there maybe one or more of the family working on different shifts, a bath before the fire – though may be comfortable and cleansing in itself – could not be said to add greatly to the domestic comfort of the establishment.

MINERS’ WELFARE FUNDValuable Results from the Contributions

I think, therefore, there has been no revolution on a small scale which ought to add so much to the comfort of the homes of the miners as the installation of these pithead baths. I am quite certain that the wives of the miners’ will be most enthusiastic at the alteration brought about by their general use.

I know that in other mining villages where they have been installed, the installation has created something like a revolution in in the lives of the people, and the way they are able to keep their homes. Therefore, it is an enormous satisfaction for me to be here. These pithead head baths are paid for out of the Miners’ Welfare Fund. No-one likes to be taxed, for, as Burke has said, “To tax and be pleased is as difficult as to love and be wise.” With many taxes, people dislike paying them all the more because they don’t know how the money they produce is going to be spent, and they may not appreciate all the methods in which it is spent. (Laughter)

DEFINITE SATISFACTIONI think there can only be one opinion among those who do contribute to the Miners’ Welfare Fund. Payment for an installation like this does give a very satisfaction to those who pay it, because they are able to see the definite and concrete results of those contributions.

A vote of thanks to the Marquis of Crewe was accorded on the proposal of Mr Arthur Leighton.They regarded Lord Crewe’s visit as a great compliment to the mining industry of this country in general, and to the coal-owners and miners of North Staffordshire in particular. He referred too, to his Lordship’s noteworthy services on behalf of the State.

A vote of thanks was accorded the architect and the builder on the proposal of Mr J Amson (Trustee of the Baths) and Mr Leighton replied. The Chairman was thanked on the proposal of Mr F. J. Hancock (North Staffs Miners’ Federation) who pointed out that the installation was the result of co-operation between the employers and employees. He appealed to the men to make full use of the facilities, and added a word of praise to Mr E. A. Wright for much valuable voluntary work in connection with the Welfare Committee. Reference was made to the generous help given by the Company.

After the Marquis of Crewe had unlocked the door leading to the clean cloths entrance, the party made a tour of the baths, starting at the canteen and finishing at the pit entrance.

Park Hall Baths 1936The pithead baths provided at the Park Hall Pits of the Mossfield collieries Ltd. Longton were opened on Saturday 5th September 1936 at an interesting ceremony, the actual opening being performed by one of the collieries oldest employees, Mr Harold Turner, who has worked at the Park Hall pits, for 23 years, and is the secretary of the Longton branch of the North Staffordshire Miner’s Federation.

Sir Francis Joseph, K.B.E., D.L., chairman of the Mossfield colliery Ltd., presided, and he was supported, among others, by the lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent (Alderman J.H. Dale), Mr John Cocks (President of the North Staffordshire colliery Owners Association) Mr T. Yates (General Manager and Director of the Mossfield colliery Ltd) Mr F. J. Hancock (secretary of the North Stafford Miners’ Federation) and Alderman G.T. Timmis (secretary of the Enginemen’s’ Union)

Sir Francis formally welcomed the visitors and in doing so thanked the Lord Mayor for identifying himself with the many objects which sought to improve the amenities of industrial and social life.

Mr John Cocks speaking as vice chairman of the miners’ welfare committee, said he had considered for the past 40 years that pithead baths should be compulsory at every colliery, and, happily, North Staffordshire had realised the urgent need for pithead baths. The new baths being opened that day were the tenth in the North Staffordshire coal-field, and only about six more collieries had yet to have their pithead bath opening day. Mr Cocks assured the assembly that it was a source of great gratification to the members of the Miners’ Welfare Committee that the baths

were being patronised by about eighty per cent of the employees throughout the coal-field, and also that the baths were being maintained in a high state of cleanliness and efficiency, not generally reached throughout the country.

Efficient and well-conducted pithead baths made for the happiness and contentment of the employees and had also made a large contribution to the feeling of good will that had been established during the past twelve to fifteen years between all engaged in the industry. North Staffordshire was in the van of progress as far as collieries were concerned. In recent years there had been a great transformation in the way of scientific developments with machinery, and the miners’ were now working under much better conditions than their grandfathers. Mr Cocks, in conclusion, congratulated Mr Sir Frances Joseph and his colleagues on the continued improvements they were making in the collieries which had gradually came under their control, and said that what had been done had been of benefit to the community.

Mr F.J. Hancock, chairman of the Miners’ Welfare Committee endorsed what Mr Cocks had said about the benefit of pit-head baths and he added that he hoped before long to see every colliery in North Staffordshire having its own installation.

Introducing Mr Harold Turner, who was to perform the opening ceremony, said Sir Frances Joseph said he had yet to find a man who had lost anything because he was a good trade unionist. The trade unions had been of benefit to the industry, and he believed it to be to the advantage of the workmen to support their union. There was never any bother in the North Staffordshire coal-field because, somehow or other, they realised each of them had a function in life and a particular job to do. They did not set out to fight one against the other but met each other in a spirit of comradeship, realising that they were all part of one machine working to a common end.

Mr W.A. Woodland (architect to the National Miners’ Welfare Committee), then handed over the deeds of the baths to Mr Turner, as representing the Trustees, and thanked Mr Kenneth Yates (manager of the Park Hall Pits) for his assistance.Declaring the baths open, Mr Turner said the employers and the employees of the Park Hall Pits had the upmost confidence in each other, and as a result, the relationship between them was one of good will. As a memento of the occasion Sir Frances Joseph handed Mr Turner a handsome locally made tea service.

Thanks to Sir Francis were voiced by the Lord Mayor and Mr R. Jenkins (representing Mr W.J. Charlton H.M. Divisional Inspector of Mines) and Sir Francis, acknowledging the vote said the management of the Mossfield

Collieries Ltd., wished to satisfy the Government regard to the safety of their pits and to ensure that the lives and safety of the men they employed received first consideration.

Holditch Baths 1937Developments at the Holditch Colliery, Chesterton, during the past twelve months include not only the new Pithead Baths building, which is to be opened on Saturday, but also a new lamp house, planned and equipped in such a way as to make it at least the equal, if not superior, of any in the country.Work on the pithead baths began in June 1937.The scheme, which has cost £23,000, borne by the Miners’ Welfare Fund, is now complete. The new lamp house is an enterprise of the owning companies Holditch mines Ltd. and the Shelton Iron, Steel and Coal Ltd. Both buildings are set back a considerable distance behind the old buildings, which included the lamp house. On the site of the old building in front of the baths, is a large raised lawn; this, together with rockeries, which have been built in front of the company offices, transforms remarkably the approach to the pithead.

The Baths Building The baths are in a two story building, rectangular in shape, 293 feet long and 34 feet wide. At each end there is a single story extension; one is for a canteen, the other for a boot cleaning and greasing room. There is also a first aid room fully equipped for the prompt and efficient treatment of injuries. The company has provided this. The canteen has seating and table accommodation for 66 men, and it will be possible to obtain light cooked meals and various other refreshments there, an undoubted boon of which full advantage will doubtless be taken. The boot cleaning room has revolving brushes mechanically driven and apparatus for greasing boots.Other accommodation provided in the building, apart from its main purpose, includes, cloakrooms, lavatories, drinking water fountains, and lost property office.Bath and locker accommodation for 2,000 men is provided in the main body of the building. On each story are 2,000 lockers. Every man has two lockers, one for his ordinary clothes and the other for his pit clothes. The lockers are of rolled steel, sprayed with aluminium. In corridors running parallel to the locker rooms are the baths, arranged in a double row with an aisle down the middle, 54 on each floor. Most of the showers are divided by brick partitions, but in a few places three or four are together, for the convenience of groups of friends working together in the pit. Each spray is capable of yielding a flow of hot, tepid or cold water. The baths building is air-heated by electrical methods, the effect of which is that the temperature may be controlled at will.

The New Lamp house In the new lamp house, which has been opened now for a week or two, there is accommodation and equipment for 1,400 standard miners’ lamps and 400 cap lamps. It is an entirely new building, modern in style, of steel construction.Above the height of four feet, up to which point there are tiles on the interior side, the walls are of glass. Running all around the lamp house is a totally enclosed glass veranda. The men do not enter the house for their lamps, but are served with them at service windows of which there are five on each side of the house. The advantage of the veranda is that they are under cover all the time they are passing between the pithead and the entrance to the baths, which are connected to the lamp house by a corridor, glassed roofed and walled. Lamps are given out at the service windows on one side of the house and collected at the end of each shift on the other. There is, thus, no clashing of parties of men respectively coming on and off duty.

For Charging LampsFor the lamps not in actual use there are charging stands, each holding 144 batteries. There are four of these for the standard lamps and one (120 batteries) for the cap lamps. The stands are controlled from big panels and switch boards.The size of the house is 85 feet by 47, and the accommodation includes a steaming room for the cleaning of lamps, complete with a fumes extraction tower; a mess room for the staff; an office for the head lamp-man; and a special section for oil lamps. The equipment includes the most up-to-date methods of keeping the lamps completely efficient, a point vital of course, to the safety of the men, the design and equipment of the house are such that the company feel that they could safely challenge any colliery in the country to show a better.

Silverdale Baths 1954 Silverdale baths with 70 open showers and heated clean and pit lockers, providing accommodation for 1,092 men were opened at Silverdale Colliery on Saturday 11/12/1954 by Mr. Harold Lockett, North Staffordshire District Secretary of the N.U.M. The North Staffordshire area manager of the National Coal Board, Mr. R. Bennett, who presided over the opening ceremony, said that in addition to the baths, a new canteen was being provided. Mr. Lockett recalled some of the earlier difficulties in getting pit head baths. With to-days opening ceremony he said the bath’s building programme in North Staffordshire under the old Mines Welfare Scheme was completed.In 1930, Mr Lockett went on it was not a question of men clamouring for baths. Older miners used to think regular bathing would bring on rheumatism. The position to day was very different and there were few miners who did not bath.The Chairman of the National Coal Board West Midlands Division, Mr. Cumberbatch, said the baths were a credit to the people who built them and the men that used them.

The speakers were supported by the President of the National Union of Miners, West Midlands Executive, Mr. A. Badderley. Thanks to the speakers and guests, who included the Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Miss Ethel Shaw was expressed by the colliery manager, Mr. F. Allan and by the Secretary of Silverdale N.U.M. Branch, Alderman D. Whithurst who said that the next thing required at the colliery when funds became available was a miner’s institute. 

Chatterley Whitfield 1938The second largest pithead baths in the country have been erected at the Chatterley Whitfield colliery, Tunstall, and are to be opened on Monday 21st February 1938.The baths have been erected by the Miners’ Welfare Committee at a cost of £36,000 and provide accommodation for 3,168 men. Attached to the building are a spacious canteen and a well-equipped first-aid room. The baths will fill a long felt want and their popularity can be judged by the fact that 99.5% of the men employed at the colliery have signified their desire to use them. All the underground workers, surface workers who handle coal and men employed in the workshops will have the use of the baths and each man will have two lockers, one for his pit clothes and the other for the clothes he will ware when going to and from work. All the latest improvements for the convenience of the miners have been incorporated in the baths, which are undoubtedly the finest of their kind in the country. They are the eleventh baths to be erected by the Miners’ Welfare Committee in North Staffordshire. The cost of the baths is met out of the Miners’ Welfare Fund which is derived out of a levy of a halfpenny per ton on all coal produced and is payable by managers of every colliery.