Back-breaking work in the pits of the area - in this case, Walsall Wood Colliery. Photo from Brownhills and Walsall Wood on Old Picture Postcards by Jan Farrow.
This is a brief enquiry on behalf of reader Iris Taylor, who contacted me some time ago for information about her father, William Victor Whittaker who worked the Aldridge pits. Iris asked the following:
Hello,
Thank you for replying so quickly! Briefly, my father William Victor Whittaker worked as a miner, but when and where is unknown to us. I was hoping to find out these facts so it probably would be employment records, but apparently very few such records exist for this area at least. We know he had a brother, John Thomas who died in a pit accident age 15yrs (early 1900’s) at Aldridge pit. I imagine my father worked at a local pit, as he was born in Shelfield. The Pelsall History Society have been very helpful,but, I’m not sure which area Aldridge pits would be linked to? I remember as a child going with my mother to an office somewhere (I think Walsall Wood) to collect a allowance.
Thank you,
Iris.
Now I’ve tried a few sources without much luck, and I think it’s probably time to throw it out to the readers. I’m hoping someone more connected with mining or genealogy can help, please. I’m not unaware of the possible connection to John Bernard Whittaker, lost in the Grove Pit Disaster in 1930. Whittaker doesn’t seem too common a name locally (and I’ve often wondered about Whittaker Lane in Stonnall) and the ones I’ve come across all seem to be miners.
Lets see if we can turn up the goods for Iris… you know the drill. BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com, or comment here. Cheers.