Believed To Be Llay Main Wrexham Manager's 1940 "midget" Miners Lamp Number 1 For Sale

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YOU ARE offerDING FOR A LITTLE WELSH ABERDARE "MIDGET" MINE OFFICIAL'S LAMP.

I BOUGHTTHIS PARTICULAR "MIDGET"FROM A WELSH ANTIQUE DEALERA COUPLE OFYEARS AGO ANDIT CAME TO ME WITH NO PARTICULAR HISTORY ATTACHED. SINCE THEN I HAVE TRIED TO PIECE TOGETHER SOME OF ITS STORY FROM THE FEW CLUES PROVIDED BY THE MARKINGS ON THE LAMP.

I NOTICEDWHEN I BOUGHT ITTHATTHE "MIDGET"WAS WELL MARKED EXTERNALLY WITHA TYPICAL SET OF COLLIERYINITIALS, "L.M.", ANDA NUMBER "1" BELOW THOSE INITIALS.

ALSO, INSIDE THE LAMPWASTHE DATE OF MANUFACTURE, 1940. THE BOTTOMHALF OF THE LAST NUMBER, "0", OF THAT DATE IS PARTLY OBSCURED BUT I HAVE SINCE CHECKED IT AGAINST OTHER THOMAS & WILLIAMS MIDGET DATE STAMPSAND ONLY THE "0" OF 1940 IS A SATISFACTORY MATCH FOR THE LAST NUMBER.

THE FULL NAME BEHIND THE "L.M." COLLIERY MARK WAS QUITE EASY TO TRACE. THE ONLY COLLIERY OF THE 1940'S ERATO BE FOUND WITH THOSE INITIALS WAS LLAY MAIN, NEAR WREXHAMIN DENBIGHSHIRE, NORTH WALES, A 2OTH CENTURY MINE, PRODUCING ITS FIRST COAL IN 1923 AND ITS LAST IN 1967. IN IT'S DAYLLAY MAINWAS THE DEEPEST PIT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE BIGGEST PIT IN WALES. AT ITS PEAK IT EMPLOYED 3,000 MEN.

I ALREADY KNEW THAT NUMBER "1" ON A PIT LAMP WAS ALWAYS THE NUMBER RESERVED FOR THE COLLIERY MANAGER. I ALSO KNEW THAT THESE LAMPS WERE WITHDRAWN IN THE EARLY 1950'S FOR SAFETY REASONS. THAT MEANT THE LAMP WASUSED FORTHELAST FEW YEARS OF PRIVATE MINE OWNERSHIPAT LLAY MAINAND POSSIBLYALSO THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF THE NATIONAL COAL BOARD IFTHE OLD COAL COMPANY MANAGER, MAJOR T W MOTTRAM, M.C.,DID NOT TAKE HIS LAMP WITH HIM WHEN HE LEFT LLAY MAININ 1947.

IFMAJOR MOTTRAMLEFT THE LAMP AT LLAY MAIN IN 1947, MR G CROWTHER, THE MINE'S NCB MANAGER APPOINTED IN 1948 TO SUCCEED MAJOR MOTTRAM, WOULD HAVE USED IT TOO, AS THE MIDGET WAS STILL THECURRENT OFFICIAL'S LAMP AT THAT TIME.

MAJOR MOTTRAM, WHO MANAGED LLAY MAIN FOR 19 YEARS, FROM 1928 TO 1947,HAD SERVED IN THE TRENCHES OF THE GREAT WARAS AKING'SOWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRYMAN, WINNINGTHE MILITARY CROSS FOR GALLANTRY.

BACK IN THE 1880'S HIS FATHER, HARRY MOTTRAM, HAD WON THE ALBERT MEDAL FOR GALLANTRY IN THE COAL MINES AT THE BADDESLEY COLLIERY DISASTER IN WARWICKSHIRE. HARRY MOTTRAM WENT ON TO GAIN A KNIGHTHOOD AND BECOME HIS MAJESTY'S CHIEF INSPECTOR OF MINES.

MAJOR MOTTRAM HIMSELF WAS WOUNDED IN AN ATTACK ONTHE HINDENBURG LINE,DURING THE BLOODY BATTLEFOR BULLECOURT, IN JUNE 1917,AT WHICH TIMEHE WAS A CAPTAIN WITH THE 2nd/5th K.O.Y.L.I.

AFTER WORLD WAR 1 HE SERVED AS A TERRITORIAL ARMY OFFICER IN THE 4TH BATTALION ROYAL WELCH FUSILIERS AS WELL AS BEING COLLIERY MANAGER AT LLAY MAIN.

WHENMAJOR MOTTRAMCAME TO THE NEW LLAY MAIN COLLIERY IN 1928, AS A MINING ENGINEER FROM THE YORKSHIRE COALFIELD, LLAY MAINHAD A BAD REPUTATION FORACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. THE LOCAL SAYING WAS, " JOIN THE NAVY AND SEE THE WORLD. JOIN LLAY MAIN AND SEE THE NEXT WORLD." T W MOTTRAM HELPED TURN THAT AROUND AND EVEN UNDER PRIVATE OWNERSHIP THE PIT DEVELOPED A GOOD NAME FOR WORKING CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS.

AN INTERESTING LITTLE BIT OF WELSH MINING HISTORY.

AS WELL AS HAVINGTHIS 8 INCH (20.2CM)APPROX "MIDGET" UP FOR sale THIS WEEKI HAVE A MAMMOTH (FULL SIZED) 11 INCH(28CM) APPROX VERSION OF THE SAME LAMP. I HAVE SHOWN THEM TOGETHER IN ONE PHOTOGRAPH BUT THEY ARE FOR sale SEPARATELY.

ACTUAL POSTAGE WILL DEPEND ON THE FINAL sale PRICE AND THE BUYER'S CHOSEN METHOD OF POSTAGE SIGNED FOR & INSURED POSTAGE WOULD RANGE FROM UPWARDS.

I WILL BILL THE BUYER WITH THE EXACT POSTAGE COSTS AFTER CLOSE OF sale.

PLEASE PAY WITHIN 3 DAYS OF THE sale CLOSING.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE offerDING.

This item has been shown 256 times. Believed To Be Llay Main Wrexham Manager's 1940 "midget" Miners Lamp Number 1: $360