大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the site by the 大象传媒's Peoples War Team in the East Midlands with Ron Hacketts permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

Looking through Mansfields special anniversary 1891-1991 the one event that revived memories for me was the one when I came into contact with Field Marshall Montgomery.

I worked at Mansfield colliery from 1939 until 1943 and I can recall helping buy a Spitfire for the war effort for which I contributed 1s 6d from my wages. The plane was named the 鈥楽herwood Forester鈥�.

I left Mansfield colliery in 1943 and was called up for the Army and I met Mr Joe Cordon. We were both 19 years old at the time. Mr Cordon, a miner like me, had worked at Sherwood colliery. We joined the Royal Armoured Corps (Tank Crew) ready for the invasion of Normandy. One day we were called into a field and we had a morale speech by none other than General Montgomery. This would be around April 1944, D-Day was 6th June 1944.

When the war was finally over and I came out of the army I was working for Norwest Construction Co. laying pipes and telephone cables. I was working with some of my relations including Rudolph Florence who too lives in Mansfield. We had laid pipes up Thorsby Colliery lane on the right hand side of the road until we had got to the top. Then we had to cross the road into the offices. On the 16th October 1947 some cars came up the lane and pulled up outside the offices. To my surprise and amazement who should get out of the cars but Field Marshall Montgomery who had arrived on a visit to go down the mine.

On returning to the surface he made a speech to reporters in which he said: 鈥淣o doubt some of you were with me in the war and I have learned to have a very great opinion of the fighting value of the miner. He is a very fine chap鈥�.

I returned to the mining industry at the end of 1947 and worked at Blidworth and Rufford collieries until I retired in 1983

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