Gallery
Thurcroft Pit Firefighting Team 1957
Joe Rollett was the Fire Officer and the Landlord of the Rising Deer in Brampton. Ralph Helliwell was the Foreman Electrician on the pit top. Joe Hudson looked after the cricket pitch on the Colliery Sports Ground for many years. Mr Kelsall was the Mechanical engineer. Bernard Cartwright used to be the Banksman. Jim Lovely left farming to work on the pit top in the lamp room. Imgram Little was remembered for living in a wooden house in Carr.
Back row left to right
Ralph Helliwell, Bob Moss, ?, Charley Kiddie, Dick Pickering, Ken Phillips, Joe Hudson, Ingram Little,
Harry Sparrum
Second Row left to right
Stan Phillips, Johnnie Helliwell, Tony Oxley, Terry Crofts, Brian Thorpe, Bill Lovely, D. Staley, Ken Bennett.
Third Row left to right
Mr Gale, D. Cauldfield, Arnold Challener, Brian Sanderson.
Front Row left to right
Cyril Staley, F.O. Brian, Mr Kelsall, Mr Parker, Mr Quinn, Joe Rollett, Albert Brierley, Albert Cartwright, Jim Lovely
David Page, October, 2007
Thurcroft Colliery Quiz Team
Thurcroft Colliery Team travelled to London at the weekend for the final stages of the National Coal Board's safety quiz competition confident of an all Yorkshire Final.
But after watching Doncaster Area's Highgate Colliery fall in the first semi-final, they went out in the other semi-final by one of the biggest margins in the contest.
In its first year the crack South Yorkshire squad had been unbeaten - winning through pit, area and regional rounds - when it took the stage against Westoe Colliery, North Durham.
But the Westoe team were appearing in their second semi-final running and were used to the big-night atmosphere at the plush Cafe Royal in Regent Street.
Answering questions about safety from the pit top to the coalface they piled up an incredible 200 - 0 lead before Thurcroft could get off the mark.
Then the Yorkshire squad fighting to the last seconds, snatched 40 points in the last two minutes, but went out 240 - 40.
The sporting losers gave Westoe a standing ovation.
Afterwards a member of the Thurcroft team, colliery fitter, Bob Moss, still cheerful, commented: 'Just getting here was enough reward for us. If you have got to lose, this is where you do it'.
And team captain Keith Philips - whose wife had to stay at home because she was expecting their fourth child - said : 'We've had a great run and aim to be back again next year.'
'Whether we win or lose doesn't really matter as long as we are getting people to think about safety. That's the main thing.'
Also in the Thurcroft squad were faceworkers Albert Cloke, Bill Hutchinson and John Smith. John was reserve on the big night.
The questionmaster was Hughie Green of Opportunity Knocks and Double your Money fame. He refused a fee, so the N.C.B. gave a cheque to the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Disabled instead.
Afterwards he and N.C.B. Chairman Lord Robens mingled with the teams at a buffet, posed for photographs and signed autographs.
Preparing for the semi-finals the Thurcroft Team had worked on safety one day a week at the pit. But on top of that they put in hours of work at home - 'shut up on our own away from the telly', as Bob Moss put it.
They also played practice matches with a Derbyshire team and Blidworth Colliery.
'But it was not enough' , admitted Bob. 'I don't think we could blame lack of experience, or big-night nerves, because we tried to put that out of our minds. Westoe were just faster at answering the questions'.
'It's a pity they couldn't win the final'.
In the final Westoe looked like getting off to as slow a start as Thurcroft - and were soon trailing 85 - 0. But they fought back dramatically, only to lose 95 - 90 in the last seconds.
Left to right: Bill Hutchinson, Bob Moss, Albert Cloke and Keith Phillips, taken early 70s
Thurcroft Colliery Quiz Team at another venue with their wives
Sent by Bob Moss, November, 2007