THOMAS HENRY WILLIAMS (1887-1964)

[brougham peter]

My grandfather, Thomas Henry Williams (born 19 April 1887, died 30 December 1964), lived in Ripley, Derbyshire in 1911 and moved to the Barnsley area at some point before 1923. I believe that he relocated to Staveley in 1927. I don’t know where he lived or worked after that, but I know he lived in a large house (that may have been NCB property) in Mansfield, which I visited in the late 1940s or early 1950s. It had a long drive and was quite close to a fire station. When my wife and I lived in Sheffield in the 1960s, we both met people who had known “Tosh” Williams as a very senior official of the NCB in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire coalfield. I assume that my grandfather retired in 1952 at the age of 65.

Since I live in Australia, any information about Thomas Henry (Tosh) Williams’s working life would be much appreciated.

[KGarrad]

I found this short note, on http://www.dmm.org.uk/news19/9341207a.htm.

It's a report on the Official Inquiry into an explosion at Gresford Colliery.

Mr. W. J. Charlton called the witness who had been referred to as "Bladder" Williams. He gave his name as Thomas Henry Williams, and said he was a fireman and had worked in every district in the pit. He said when he fired more than 50 shots in a shift he had been working overtime. He had not charged more than one hole at a time until he got to 14's, and there the men humbugged him so much that he charged up to six before commencing to fire. Witness made further complaints about the men always "wanting something" in that district. These men deliberately stopped him from stone dusting. Witness added that when he was in his prime he could get coal without shots.

[brougham peter]

Thank you for the information about the Gresford incident. However, I am fairly certain that the T H Williams mentioned in the report was not my grandfather, since (a) there is no evidence he ever lived or worked in the Gresford area and (b) as a colliery electrician at Ripley in 1911, it is surely unlikely that he would have been working in 1934 as a shot-firer (T H) or fireman (Thomas Henry).

   

[KGarrad]

Hmmm!
The problem is that the combination of names isn't exactly uncommon!