Thinking back to 1920s Kiveton...
AFTER 70 years it is difficult to relate to places, people and events of my early years living in Kiveton Park.
I was born in 1907 and departed for the United States in 1926, leaving 19 years of my early life to write about.
When I was 14 I had finished school and I began to work down 'the pit' as a pony driver. This was the future for most of the boys in Kiveton Park.
Life was simple, uneventful and sometimes very boring. As a boy growing up at Kiveton Park, life consisted of home, school and Sunday School chapel.
There were many outstanding families. Let me name a few: Harts, Copes, Goodmans, Kings, Parkins, Harris, Shawcrofts, Turners, Edwards, Scotts, Tillys, Illsleys, Eddishaws, Butlers, Harveys, Huttons and Leeches.
Bill Leech was responsible for making a drift from the Barnsley coal seam to the Hazel seam. I saw the blueprints he used and I thought it was a great piece of engineering at the time.
I remember Leech's shop – buns, teacakes, candles, Fry's and Cadbury's chocolates. There were a few other shops – Emersons clothing store, Joe Lees, Golicks, the Post Office and the Co-operative store.
The miners were paid once a week. My mother would write the order in 'the book' and the groceries would be paid for every Friday.
Easter week found the Mellor family at the Co-operative store being fitted for clothing, paid for by the annual dividends. My mother had some strong convictions, she did not believe in owing a debt.
If she could not pay cash, she would not buy – although I believe she bought a Singer sewing machine one time. It was her pride and joy and, believe me, we dare not touch it.
When I think of Kiveton Park, its mining population and the character of its people, it was rather unusual.
What they lacked in education they made up for in other ways. It was full of kind people. When disaster hit the village, when miners were killed, the people showed compassion and understanding.
The lad who had my job on night shift was killed when he was 16. His name was Albert Woods. I met him five mornings a week coming up Pit Lane about 5.30am. He would tell me how many 'fullens' or 'empties' (tubs) had been left for me at the gate.
I was 19 when the miners went on strike in 1926. The strike lasted nine months. My mother received a 10'- voucher from the Miners' Union.
During this time I went to Sheffield to see the American Consul. He was a tall man wearing a brown velvet jacket and had a strong 'American drawl'.
He said: "What is your trade?" and my answer was "I have none, I work at the pit."
Within two weeks I received my passport and was ready to sail to a new land that I had read and heard about.
–by Bill Mellor, for the Kiveton Wales History Project
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Weather for Dinnington
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
