Fig 1: 1971 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala procession passing through Westgate, Mansfield. Photo Credit – Chad newspaper collection
Nottinghamshire Miners Galas: A Mine-craft the Prequel project case study
The Nottingham Area of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) annual Miners Gala was one of the coalmining case studies for the 2023-24 Mine-craft the Prequel project. The final Gala took place in June 1983.
Fig 2: Original Gedling NUM branch banner at one of the early Nottinghamshire Miners Galas at Basford Hall. Photo Credit – Coal Authority
After the formation of the NUM and the election of a Labour Government in 1945, followed by the subsequent nationalisation of the British coal mining industry in 1947, there was an upsurge in interest in trade union banners in the coal mining trade union movement. Some of the banners around the country celebrated this era as being ‘The Dawn of a New Era’, this following on from the effects of the shattering defeat for the Miners Federation of Great Britain (MFGB), the forerunner to the NUM, in the 1926 Miners Lockout which was only just over twenty-years previous.
Fig 3: Splash Wilcockson aka Mr Spash at the 1973 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala at Berry Hill Park, Mansfield. Photo Credit: Chad newspaper collection
Different NUM Area’s held their own Miners Galas, the most famous of these being the Durham Miners Gala known as ‘The Big Meeting’. The Nottingham Area NUM had its first annual Gala, then known as a Demonstration, in 1950 at Basford Hall and held them continually until the 34th and final one in 1983. The Galas were organised by a sub-committee of the Nottingham Area of the NUM which met periodically throughout the year.
Fig 4: Comedian and TV celebrity, Charlie Williams, with Coal Queens at the 1980 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala. Winner of the 1980 contest was Tracey Seymour (lower right) from the Babbington NUM branch. Photo Credit – Chad newspaper collection
Every Gala would adopt a resolution outlining the policy aims of the area union, VIP guest speakers would be invited, usually being national Labour politicians or prominent coal mining personnel from either the NUM or the National Coal Board (NCB). The Gala would also host the Area final of the Coal Queen competition, Colliery Brass Bands competition and a whole host of exhibitions and family entertainment. However, it was the procession at the Gala’s which dominated proceedings, a parade of miners banners, decoraded floats, colliery brass bands and kazoo bands.
Fig 5: Nottinghamshire Miners Gala at Basford in the early 1950’s Photo Credit – Coal Authority
The first three Nottingham Area NUM Gala’s (1950 -1952) were held at Basford Hall Miners Welfare Grounds near to Babbington Colliery, Cinderhill, Nottingham. In 1953 the Gala was held for the only time at Kirkby-in-Ashfield, the procession going from the Bentinck Miners Welfare grounds to Kingsway Park.
Fig 6: NCB Chairman, Lord Robens, with some disabled miners at a 1960’s Nottinghamshire Miners Gala at Berry Hill Park, Mansfield. Photo Credit – Coal Authority
In 1954 the Gala was held at Mansfield for the first time with events and activities taking place at the Miners Rehabilitation Centre at Berry Hill. All subsequent Nottinghamshire Miners Gala’s would be held at Mansfield, with activities being held at Berry Hill Park as it developed in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. The Nottingham Area NUM moved to its new headquarters there in 1959.
Fig 7: Kirkby Summit NUM members protest against the Kirkby Colliery closure at the 1968 Nottinghamshire NUM Gala. Photo Credit – David Amos collection
Video clip of 1968 Nottingham Miners Gala procession passing through Mansfield. Original footage by Ken Smith of Underwood. (3 mins, 22 secs)
The 1968 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala was dominated by the issue of pit closures under the 1964-70 Labour Government. Various Gala floats had themes demonstrating against the mass pit closure programme and the Kirkby Summit NUM branch protested about the recently announced closure of their colliery by parading with a mock coffin inscribed with the words, ‘Kirkby Colliery – Murdered by NCB promises’.
Fig 8: Bilsthorpe NUM branch delgation passing Westgate, Mansfield, as part of the 1972 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala. Photo Credit.
In an in-depth discussion looking at Nottinghamshire Miners Gala images, Terry Butler and Peter Short, both former Bilsthorpe NUM and UDM branch officials, identified some of the Bilsthorpe NUM delegation in a photo of the 1972 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala. (Fig 8). 1. Bert Tuck 2. Walter Stirland 3. Ray ? 4. Arthur Lyons 5. Frank Burns 6. Unknown 7. Harry Sellors 8. Terry Butler.
Fig 9: Gedling NUM branch delegation at a Nottinghamshire Miners Gala in the late 1960’s. Photo Credit – Roy Palmer collection
Miners son, Roy Palmer b1957, recalled going to the Nottinghamshire Miners Gala at Mansfield in the late 1960’s as a child with his Dad, Arthur Palmer, a trade union activisit who worked at Gedling Colliery. In the photograph collection he inherited from his dad, he seemed to recall that he may be on the one of the photographs with the Gedling NUM delegation but with the march of time can’t recall which one.
Fig 10: Programme cover for the 1981 Nottingham Area NUM Centenary Gala. Photo Credit – David Amos
The 1981 Gala commemorated the centenary of the Nottinghamshire Miners Union. The Nottingham Miners Association (NMA) was formed in 1881 and initially had its headquarters at Basford until 1959 when the Nottingham Area NUM relocated to a new purpose built miners offices at Berry Hill, Mansfield. This building was demolished in 2015 and luxury housing built on the site.
Fig 11: Clipstone NUM Branch delegation on the victory parade through Mansfield following the 1972 Miners Strike. Photo Credit – Chad newspaper collection
In addition to the annual Miners Gala, victory parades took place at Mansfield following the national NUM strikes of 1972 and 1974. Various NUM branch banners were paraded through the town as a symbol of the Nottingham Area NUM branches role in the two successful industrial disputes.
Fig 12: Final Nottinghamshire Miners Gala procession at Mansfield market place in 1983. Photo Credit – Chad newspaper collection
Fig 13: Cancellation of 1984 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala, meeting of Nottingham Area NUM Executive Committee, 1st May 1984. Source – Nottingham Area NUM Minutes, 1984
The last Nottinghamshire Miners Gala was held in 1983 and although one was planned for 1984, it was cancelled as the 1984-85 Miners Strike broke in early March 1984, causing a split in the NUM membership which eventually led to the formation of the Nottinghamshire based ‘breakaway’ miners’ trade union, the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM), in December 1985.
Fig 14: 1992 NUM pit closure protest march in London during the 1992-1994 Coal Crisis. Photo Credit – Chad Newspaper collection
Although the Miners Gala in its original format didn’t take place again, miners banners were still to be seen at various gatherings following the 1984-85 strike. Some of these were new banners commissioned by their respective groups, mainly being NUM pro-1984-85 strike ones or in a few cases for the newly formed UDM. They were usually seen at protests against colliery closures, notably during the Coal Crisis from mid October 1992 to late March 1994 and sometimes at funerals of former miners, especially former trade union representatives.
Fig 15: Bilsthorpe NUM and UDM branch banners on display at the Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum. Photo Credit – David Amos
In September 2014 a Nottinghamshire Miners Banners Trust was formed with view to preserving the remaining Nottinghamshire miners’ banners and putting them on public display. Following disagreements and an abortive meeting in February 2018, no agreement was reached on the future of the banners. However, some branch banners are on display in local venues including both the Bilsthorpe NUM and UDM branch banners at the Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum (Fig. 12), the Ollerton NUM branch banner at St Paulinus Church, New Ollerton and the Creswell NUM banner in St Mary Magdalene Church, Creswell.
Fig16: Ghost of the Nottinghamshire Miners Gala animation by Neil Pledger for the Miner2 Major project. Photo Credit – Neil Pledger
Fig 17: Original photo of the 1964 Nottingham Area NUM Gala as animated in Fig 16 and showing names of people identified as part of the 2023-24 Mine-craft the Prequel project. Photo Credit – Coal Authority.
Fig 18: Nottingham Area NUM banner as seen in Figs 16 and 17 at the 1964 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala. Photo Credit – David Amos
Miners Banners: A History of Coal Mining in 10 Objects
Nottinghamshire Miners Union banners were one of the subjects as part of the 2013 heritage project, A History of Coal Mining in 10 Objects. Blog at https://miningheritage.co.uk/union-banner/
References
A History of Coal Mining in 10 Objects by David Amos, Sarah Babcock & Paul Fillingham, Thinkamigo Editions, 2013.
Banners and Beyond: People, Parades and Protest in the Nottinghamshire Coalfield by David Amos and Paul Fillingham, 2020.
Banner Bright by John Gorman, 1973
Nottinghamshire Miners Centenary: Thirty Second Annual Demonstration and Gala, 6thJune 1981, Nottingham Area NUM.
Websites
A History of Coal Mining in 10 Objects: https://miningheritage.co.uk/union-banner/
Our Mansfield and Area: 1966 Nottinghamshire Miners Gala
Our Mansfield and Area: Nottingham Area NUM
Blog by David Amos
Mine-craft the Prequel project
Posted on 28th October 2024.