North
Notts. Area Colliery Checks - Where were they used and for what purpose?
An
un-issued example of a brass embossed check bearing the legend NORTH NOTTS.
AREA COLLIERY ( Actual size 32.5 mm dia.).
I
have recently acquired an example of the above type of check. Although I know
it is fairly common I can't find out where it came from or what it was used
for. I can't find any reference in any of the official Nottinghamshire
colliery listings of a pit by the name of "North Notts. Area
Colliery". I'm sure these checks date from the late N.C.B. or B.C.C. era
and are most definitely not pre 1947 issues.
If
anyone can supply me with any further information about the above check type I would be most grateful.
Submitted By :
Terry Houghton.
Date: August 2003
REPLY
No.1
These
checks were held by the N.C.B.'s Nottinghamshire Area tunnellers who were based
at Rufford Colliery. They were also used by a few other Area officials who
regularly travel between pits as part of their normal work.
The checks acted as the personal checks of
each of the members of the mobile team and were carried by them as they traveled
between pits.
The checks were probably used for several functions
including a wages check.
Normally
on arrival at each of the pits
the members of the mobile team would hand in their personal checks to the time
office where they would be issued with a pair of the standard
"spare" or "visitors" checks which were held at every
pit. Their personal checks would be temporarily hung on the peg of the
pair of "spare" or "visitors" checks of which
they had been issued. On returning to the surface each member of the
mobile team would hand in the second of their "spare" or
"visitors" checks to the banksman before ultimately preceding back
to the time office where they would again collect their own personal check
before leaving the pit.
Submitted
By : Ivan & Caroline Dawson.
Date:
October 2003
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