1900 - 1994

Silverwood Mine

Hollings Lane

Thrybergh

Facts, Stories and Features

GEORGE MOSLEY

BY IAN BRAMELD

My Uncle George Mosley was born in 1900 and became a miner when he left school, I'm not sure what year he started at Silverwood, but he eventually became an underground worker there.

George was named after his father who can be found age seven in 1881 with his family as follows.

Joseph Mosley Head M Male 35 Ecclesfield, York, England Engine Tenter
Maria Mosley Wife M Female 33 Ecclesfield, York, England
Harriet A. Mosley Daur Female 12 Ecclesfield, York, England Scholar
Sarah Ellen Mosley Daur Female 11 Ecclesfield, York, England Scholar
Mary A. Mosley Daur Female 9 Ecclesfield, York, England Scholar
George Mosley Son Male 7 Ecclesfield, York, England Scholar
Janet Mosley Daur Female 5 Ecclesfield, York, England
Florence Mosley Daur Female 3 Ecclesfield, York, England
Joe Mosley Son Male 5 m Ecclesfield, York, England
Census Place Ecclesfield, York, England
Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 4617 / 25  Page Number 43

By 1901 George above was married and living at Treeton, and his son George [ My Uncle ] was one year old.

George Mosley 27 Yorks Eccles Field W Riding Of York Treeton Colliery Engine Fitter
Sarah E Mosley 27 Derby Hatfield W Riding Of York Treeton
James Mosley 3 Yorks Treeton W Riding Of York Treeton
George Mosley 1 Yorks Treeton W Riding Of York Treeton.

My Uncle George like many young men enlisted in the forces during the first world war and can be seen on the photo above which was taken in 1918, he is the marine on the right .

After the war he married Florence Shirtliffe who was the sister of my mother. George Mosely was born in Canklow, Rotherham. His wife, Florence, (Florrie) was born in The Ickles which is almost adjacent to Canklow which was within the parish of Whiston was originally developed for housing pit managers and deputies.  That would have been Rotherham Main Colliery I think.
George and Florence lived at 59, Wordsworth Drive, Rotherham. At some stage he arrived at Silverwood and worked there until his untimely tragic death at the mine.

Rotherham Advertiser 1947

FALL OF COAL AT SILVERWOOD COLLIERY

Mr. A. P. Lockwood (Sheffield and District Coroner) held an inquest in the Grapes Hotel, Dalton, on Thursday, on Wallace Theodore Beavis (60), of 17, Beaconsfield Road, Rotherham, and George Mosley (47), of 59, Wordsworth Drive, Rotherham, who died in the Silverwood Colliery on February 10th.

Harry Chesworth (36), collier, of 29, East Vale Drive, Thrybergh, said he had left Beavis and Mosley to get a full tub, and was about seven or eight yards away when suddenly there was an extraordinary big bump, bigger than he  had experienced in that district before. He could not recall feeling any wind and found himself in complete darkness. The first thing he did was to shout for help but he received no reply. Then he realised that something else had happened and he was cut off from the other two men by the coal. He managed to pull a lump of coal away and clambered over the top. He heard Carlin, a pony driver, shout for help and told him to keep on shouting so that he could find him. Carlin was fast when he found him. He called for Beavis and Mosley, but hearing no reply made his way to fetch help.

William Percival Mulling, deputy of 19, Silverwood Cottages, Thrybergh, said he made an examination of the place where the men were working at about 4.30 p.m. There was plenty of timber set and the face appeared to be normal. At the time of the bump he was about 600 yards away but felt a terrific bump and a rush of air. It .was a much bigger bump than he had experienced before, previous bumps being mild. He. was the first on the scene after the bump, arriving at about 7.35 p.m. He found the whole face of coal had come forward about two yards and face timber had been knocked out.

Dr. H. E. Willett, head of the Mining Research and Safety Departments North-Eastern Division of the National Coal Board said he had made an Investigation and came to the conclusion that the accident had occurred through a pressure bump which was due to the squeezing of the coal between a strong roof and a stronger floor and having the effect of catapulting the coal from the coal face. witness said that in his opinion the abnormal pressure on this occasion was 'due to a small roof failure, the roof being displaced by a fraction of an inch, perhaps only one-tenth of an inch, simultaneously with the displacement the bump would occur.

The jury returned  verdicts, of "Accidental death."

My Auntie Florence Mosely is still in my memories and I can still recall seeing her walking down Doncaster road to visit us as she always did once per week on her half day off from Muntus' stores.  That was when I first learned of my uncle's death when I was only about 7 or 8 years old.

© Ian Brameld.   2007

Many thanks to Ian for adding  George's story here