Mining Memorial June 2022 Update

Derbyshire County Council has just released a press release announcing new funding, a new crowdfunder and a call out to find relatives of the final 13 miners as part of the commemoration which is targeted to be completed this autumn. Read more below.

 

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Can you help trace the relatives of 13 miners who tragically lost their lives in the 1937, 1938 and 1973 accidents at Markham Colliery?

We would like to get in touch with the relatives of the men who are set to be commemorated with a life-size steel figure as part of the ‘Walking Together’ mining memorial.

The memorial, led by both ourselves and the Markham Vale Heritage Group, will eventually feature 106 life-size steel figures stretching between the village of Duckmanton in Chesterfield and the former pithead.

Each figure is part of a walking trail that symbolises a miner’s journey to the pit and back home again and represents the 106 men who lost their lives in the three accidents at the site.

There are now 93 figures in place with the council continuing to work alongside partners to fundraise to see all 106 figures installed by the project’s 10th anniversary in autumn 2022.

Can you help trace the relatives of:

  1. David Bann, 54, Contractor
  2. Alfred Garland, 52, Timber Drawer
  3. Robert Gregson, 36, Contractor
  4. John William Hadley, 31, Contractor
  5. Joseph Hibbard, 51, Timber Drawer
  6. Joseph Lilley, 30, Road Repairer
  7. Felix Linathan, 48, Contractor
  8. Mark Richards, 31, Ripper
  9. Samuel Edward Salt, 41, Deputy
  10. Clarence Silcock, 42, Ripper
  11. Fred Taylor, 53, Contractor
  12. Redvers Baden Whitehead, 37, Shot-firer
  13. Matthew Williams, 36, Contractor

Our Cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said:

“We would really like to trace the relatives of the 13 remaining men we will be commemorating as part of our Walking Together mining memorial.

“The memorial is a permanent tribute to the 106 men who tragically lost their lives in three accidents at the site in 1937, 1938, and 1973.

“We have now commemorated 93 out of the 106 men with a life-size figure and we’re hoping to install the remaining 13 by the project’s 10th anniversary in autumn 2022.

“The site is now home to 70 businesses and many new jobs have been created but it’s important that we don’t forget the site’s mining history and the incredibly brave men that worked there.”

 

If you are a relative of any of the miners or have any information, please email trudi.saxton@derbyshire.gov.uk

A grant of £17,830 has been awarded by Viridor Credits Environmental Company through the Landfill Communities Fund to support and install a further 8 figures.

And a further grant of £38,950 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to cover the cost of one figure and fund several activities including engagement workshops with the local community, a commemorative publication, Heritage walking tours of the site and more.

If you want to contribute, a Go Fund Me account has been set up to help cover the cost of completing the project.

The Walking Together memorial has been designed by Cheshire-based Artist Stephen Broadbent and is supported by the Markham Vale Heritage Group. Anyone who would like to join the MVHG please email frances@beam.uk.net

The Markham Vale Business Park is being developed by us and HBD (formally known as Henry Boot Developments). The memorial acts as a permanent reminder of the site’s significant mining heritage.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a figure can contact Head of Markham Vale, Peter Storey, email peter.storey@derbyshire.gov.uk or by calling tel: 01629 535417 for more information.