In 1930 Tom Weaver who lived on Vale Road opposite the Fullerton Hotel was the Check Weighman at Silverwood. This was the year Silverwood achieved a world record output

In 1931 the Silverwood structures consisted of  engine houses,  wagonshops  a coal-washing plant, lamp cabin, offices, electricity generating station, workshops, and a coke works was constructed with  an associated by-product plant and also an associated acid and tar plant . 

During this period the Brickworks were demolished to expand the tip and extend railway sidings.

This was also the year Roundwood Colliery stopped producing coal in June of 1931, this apparently was because of output quota restrictions.

Silverwood  also broke a record by producing an incredible for the time 7,073 tons in one day.

A young John Ford, started work  at Silverwood colliery in 1930 and remained there until 1978. As he was born in 1913 , he would have been 16/17 when he started at the mine. He lived for most of that period at 51 Avondale Road, Masbrough, Rotherham.

Honest Doubt: Being a Collection of Papers on the Price of Modern Politics - Page 246
by Ernest John Pickstone, Benn - 1932 - 248 pages
"At Rotherham Main Colliery work has again been completely suspended. At Silverwood Colliery 3500 men and boys will be unemployed from to-day until Monday ...

Dave Edwards writes:- Apparently Silverwood was closed in 1933 and re-opened in September of that year. This seems to imply that the shaft incident occurred, when the cables in both shafts failed and the men down below had to walk to Roundwood underground and exit from there. It would have been a slow process as the cage at Roundwood was very small.
Dear John The only time the men at Silverwood would have needed to use the Roundwood exit was probably when there was a problem with cage ropes breaking in both shafts i believe it appeared to be hushed up somewhat at the time It would have occurred during the war years I think  1939 to 1945. As you can imagine they would have used the ropes way past there use by dates. In these bad times every ton of steel was needed for the war effort there would have been many tons in those ropes.. There are no more incidents where they would have used Roundwood that i ever heard about ...Iwould be interested to hear from anyone who has information on the above incident. Regards Dave Edwards ex Silverwood PS they didn't call it the MERRY WIDOW for nothing i think the war years was probably the the worst period for fatalities and injuries except for the 1966 mail crash..

The 2nd of April 1934 was the day quite a few dismissals were to take place, This also was the year that the new coke oven plant was installed at Silverwood on the 24 January

 Clifford (Cliff) Hanton [ Born March 12th 1921 ].Started Silverwood 1934 aged 13. and worked at Silverwood all his working life signing up as a Pony Boy in 1934 or 35 age 13 and retiring as an Overman in 1982.During his time underground he worked in several jobs but his main position was as a Mechanic. I still remember being taken to see the first "Joy-loader" when it was on the pit top, as I had drawn a similar machine (probably based on Dad's description). He later got his shot-firer's ticket and moved on to Deputy & Overman. He was the son of John Wm (Jack) Hanton and the nephew of Albert & Fred who you have listed already. His younger brother Jack also worked at Silverwood from about 1938. The Hantons moved from Dalton and lived at 41, West Crescent, Sunnyside; Cliff moved to Bramley for a short time after his marriage but then obtained a house next to his parents at No 43 where he lived until 1966, moving on to Flanderwell Lane where he lived until his death in 1994. [ Submitted by Alan Hanton, and Ian Hanton]

Sheila Khan tells us that Earnest Butler a Silverwood fireman received an award from King George V for bravery in 1935.

The average weekly wage in 1935 for a Yorkshire miner was £2 . 15s. 2d but in real terms by the time a miner finished paying stoppages this would be £2 11s. 4d, this amount was the remainder after the colliery company deductions. This would be further reduced taking into account other items. Sometimes Benevolent funds and Union fees, and in some cases miners were charged a disgusting sixpence a week for the hire of his lamp. In effect his net pay would be reduced by at least another 4 shillings. Add on to that any further cost such as transportation to work, and the miners wage is not looking as good as most people thought

According to the Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory for 1935 the average earned per shift all mine-workers,  was 9s. 1 3/4 pence. Which would indicate a miner was earning £142 .00, but if you then took into account  his deductions, plus non working days the actual annual gross pay was substantially much less than given in the year book. In fact for the preceding year 1934 the average gross earnings in Great Britain was given as £115 11s. 6d. which again taking into account deductions and fees brings the actual figure  down to around £105.00 p. a.  Not forgetting days not worked, and non productive days which again reduces the actual total.

.. Jig Washery at Silverwood Colliery. Cott. Eng., 13, 119 (1936).
 

Bertie Halford worked at Silverwood colliery, and may have been killed in an accident at the mine in the 1930's
A matter was raised concerning a dispute over Non-unionism at Silverwood Colliery in the year 1935, it was to occur again in 1937
Frank Carver followed his Dad Harry into the Mine in 1938, although he started work at the age of 14 he could not go underground until he was 15. So he worked in the blacksmiths shop for a year before going underground. He often said that it was strange to be working with men you had started school with, and some of them kept the nicknames they had at school
In 1938 Silverwood was listed as Dalton Main Collieries Ltd., Rotherham Roundwood & Silverwood Thrybergh, nr. Rotherham manager G Wilshaw under-manager D Tuke with 2,439 men underground and 815 men on the surface.
Around this time the Miners gained a Bathhouse, and at last they could return home clean, Fred Kelly was one of the first Bath House attendants, and later applied for and gained a position as Bath House Superintendent at a mine near Royston. He was to return to Silverwood as a Bevin Boy during the second World War.

Danny Williams started at the mine in 1938, he played football for the Silverwood team, later when he joined Rotherham United as a part time player he would turn up for games still in his grime and pit clothes.

Around this time a young Ralph Law started work at  the mine and was to undertake a very important though sometimes overlooked role which was that of  colliery Blacksmith.

On the 2nd October 1939 there was a "paddymail disaster" at Silverwood Colliery  Thomas Thackery was The First Aid man and received a watch and money for his services during the disaster. Thomas was living at 1 East Crescent Sunnyside at the time.

by National Society for Clean Air - 1939
 

Just prior to the war Wilfred Durham of Thrybergh lost a leg in an accident at the pit before WW2,  his son Earnest [ Ed] Durham is today trying to obtain details of that accident  he writes "I regret I have no better date than "before the war".

Fred Willey started work as a fitter in the late 30's, he would move the conveyor belt underground on night shift ready for the day shift. He then became a face cutter and then a Deputy. He suffered with his lungs towards retirement and worked on the cage, he actually met the Queen on her visit in 1976.