1980s Silverwood Colliery Promotional Film

I uncovered this film gathering dust on VHS and can't quite remember where I got it from.
It's a corporate video produced in the late 1980s to promote Silverwood Colliery. I'm guessing it was made in around 1989 or 1990, ahead of the pit closure programme of the early 1990s that eventually saw the pit cease production and close down for good.
Once you get past the corporate speak it gives an interesting view of the pit above and below ground, and provides a nostalgic look back on the coal mining history of this area.

[@TheHalloweenmasks]

I am from a coal mining family, there was nothing that I wanted more then to follow in my farther and brother`s footsteps. By the time I left school, the strike of 83/84 was over with and pit slaughter began. The disappointment was beyond description.

[@TheHalloweenmasks]

@@andrewh5457 The Tories closed 56 deep mines in South Yorkshire, how many did labour close? When all said and done, all parties are controlled by a parallel government.

[@louisgoldsbrough95]

That's my grandad! At 3:59 the deputy giving orders, ha! Wish he was alive to see it!

[@samotoole7239]

Bless him RIP X

[@TheMcmunro]

I stumbled upon this. Very sentimental. Reminds me of my Grandad.

[@gm7uac]

I worked at Silverwood for 15 years, my dad did 36 years and my grandad 51 years. fantasic people and place to work, when the lights go out in the UK just think of the great resource the tory's (Maggie Thatcher ) shutdown.

[@andydevey173]

Tony Lawson (TL) was manager there from 1990 to 1994 his name was on the colliery sign featured in the film. Pete Dawson and Bill Cook were undermanagers and Terry Bow deputy manager can be seen on the film. I was appointed deputy manager there in late 1991 when Pete Dawson had already left to work at Bently colliery. This makes the film date either 1990 or early 1991. Regards Andy Devey

[@brianknowles1727]

Andy that's a name I know from sharlston

[@louisgoldsbrough95]

Did you know Nigel Pugh? He was my grandad.

[@philglover2973]

I did 25 years I'm proud of it

[@gordonevans7781]

I am from a different pit Littleton pit Huntington but that film brought back so many fond memories 87-93

[@eamo106]

This film was made post the Miner's strike, probably late 80's . I (Eamonn O'Neill) was a Technical Assistant initially initially (ie a Uni Graduate trainee manager) , and was made acting Undermanager as Ron Turner, Undermanager was long term sick. You may not remember my name , but I had a distinctive red and yellow Ford Capri !! My main task was to install a new Longwall with transfer of 'new generation chocks'. Then came the Miners strike. Mr Law ( Derek?) was the Pit manager, A Deakin the Area manager, we as manager trainees were charged to keep the mine open until the end of the strike . So we were put on shifts in the 'Power House' 2 x 3 per day , we also went down the mine to start pumps and keep it from flooding. Would go down by winders 'amateurs' and walking in 2-3 miles , crawling through the Faces and getting out alone. It was scary but we did it for the sake of the mine and miners . Imagine going through a face to half way, hearing the creaks and groans, seeing it flooded , 18inches of clearance, your belt and battery taken off to escape, knowing noone within 3 miles to help you. Back up, pray, Back up and pray On the surface the strike was like a bit of a holiday at first ,we had good relations with our colleagues on the picket line, they understood we were keeping the mine operational. On night shifts we would walk up, meet the pickers and help them to fill their bags. We would borrow packed meals for the Police and give them to pickets, indeed the SY police would help us . Then months in it started to change , Maggie and Arthur got serious. We got flying pickets from Barnsley and Army troops disguised as Police ( No numbers and they marched too well) , after that was Orgrieve ..Everything changed , Mood, stakes. I was on duty (12-8am ) when the SY Police came in with the first scab. He was a minor coal processing plant worker, told me he had been offered a package. Well strike over, return to work . It was never the same. All knew impending doom and retaliation coming . I left for the Oilfield Years later I met Maggie's right hand security manager, understood much and games played. If ever there was a confrontation and each party cut off its own nose to spite its face, this Miners strike was one. I don't know all but I know much from the coalface and a prime example where politics was put ahead of national interest. Eamonn [e-mail]

[@user-zj4gz9tr8s]

miners strike 1984 to 1985 . remember like yesterday .

[@eamo106]

Post 1989 as it says in the monologue , Bill Cooke is seen (Undermanager ?) I left the pit in mid 1985, to the Oilfields. Brilliant Coalfield brothers. Tories already had a plan to close all pits since the end of the Miners strike, this was the first SCAM Video !

[@michaeljohnwilcox]

My Dad worked at Silverwood for years on the coal cutting machines until he retired when the pit shut down. Funny really that I live on the new Woodlaithes estate nearby. The area looks completely different now. Love these types of videos. Ta

[@deanstanley5799]

My dad did to Eric Stanley did he work with your dad Dave Wilcox by any chance?

[@emjackson2289]

Whilst the loss of jobs is/was bad, the loss I think of skills training and skills themselves is/was even worse. How many mechanics and sparkies etc. etc. did the NCB/BCC train? Loads I'm guessing and much like HM Forces - for all their faults - they can do it en masse and to some extent, not needing to worry about expenditure whereas UK PLC so often has too many small and small-to-medium firms that can't afford to stop their work in order to train people. Fascinating video, thanks.

[@ykdickybill]

I loved Maggie fighting for the Falkland Islands but hated her for closing our pits !

[@andrewh5457]

But do you hate labour for shutting more pits than the tories.

[@gb5uq]

Incredible that no sooner had British Coal produced a series of promotional films aimed at enticing men to go into the mining industry, than they closed all the pits. Now we're left sitting on a thousand years of coal reserves and we import low grade crap from abroad. You couldn't make it up. Utter madness

[@danc101]

It became cheaper to import it get it out of the ground. Anyway, there is hardly any demand for coal in the UK anymore.

[@Isochest]

@@danc101 There is strategic value. I have a coal fire burning here now providing 6kw of heat for my family

[@thomasdonald3291]

they will be open again soon

[@theatlanteanlads8298]

He said Silverwood 23 times. Drinking game there, every time he says Silverwood take a swig

[@jamesfordjhfcontractingltd1627]

Good old Maggie she did the right thing shutting these money pits down

[@PJToxophilus]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry

[@zerofox7347]

Anyone know how they got off the conveyor at the other end?

[@user-zj4gz9tr8s]

we jumped off lol...

[@golfr604]

Look at the community loss in money just that one pit alone generated , 400,000 a week lost from the local economy , and they wonder why areas suffered ......big big loss to all the family's , communities , and all the businesses that worked with the mines.

[@daleskidmore1685]

M&Q Act: 45 fps for coal, 35 fps for men.

[@fodacofo]

used to live near silverwood pit, used to see big wheels on the way to to woods

[@bigmull]

My Grandfather was a Pit Deputy at Silverwood.

[@EyefilmsUk]

Being a dirty job is never an excuse to close an entire industry. Nor is it being dangerous for that matter. As for costing us millions in losses - Silverwood was the most profitable and productive colliery in Europe. It broke it's own production records two years on the trot before it was closed in 1994. In fact the government had ploughed millions of pounds worth of expenditure into developing a new coalface which it then stopped with no warning before it announced the closure of the pit.

[@project182r3]

Who told you Silverwood was the most productive colliery in Europe? Thoresby, Daw Mill, Big K we’re all more productive - I suspect Welbeck probably was too. Thoresby was overall the most productive pit in the UK’s history.

[@project182r3]

To elaborate on this - Thoresby produced almost 2.5million tonnes per year 91,92,93

[@lincolnengland5005]

''and a bright future''......I think Thatcher would disagree with that........

[@jacklav1]

Quality video.

[@wiking08]

Can anyone tell me if Paddy Burke is in this video ? There's a very short clip of a man, and I'm sure it's Paddy, pls correct me if I'm wrong ☺

[@EyefilmsUk]

Possibly. Paddy did work at Silverwood, but I'm not sure he was there when this was made (early 90s). What time reference are you looking at?

[@philipatkinson7039]

Are you on about frank from rawmarsh.

[@lewislong7749]

Lots of angst and sentimentality over what happened to the industry. Given what’s happening to the planet, I wonder how many ex miners accept that it’s a good thing that we’re no longer mining coal. I’m an ex miner (Notts) but first and last in my family so I didn’t have quite the same passion about it.

[@TheEcholima07]

But we’re still using loads of coal in Steel making. And in general house use. We just produce even more Co2 by transporting it over from other countries in massive cargo ships burning lots and lots of fuel. Closing down local industry and relying on importing it from abroad produces even more Co2, as well as impacting the local economy.

[@markbeale7390]

@@TheEcholima07 that's dead right ✅️

[@user-fl2nt8zc1p]

Scabs don’t care

[@Unbiased321]

"The coal industry, nationalized in 1947, was losing money at a horrendous rate; the government subsidy had risen to $1.3 billion a year." Quotation is from Commaning Heights PBS documentary about the British coal industry. It is also mentioned in more detail in the book: The Thatcher Revolution. They were so inefficient that other Brits payed taxes to keep these companies alive. So she reorganized the British economy on a scale never seen before so it could be more efficient.

[@barnabyhills4078]

I would sign up anyway I love coal (hence channel contends)

[@Unbiased321]

@EyeIndependentFilms The British governments subsidies of the coal industry had risen to an alarming $1.3 billion a year by 1982. It did this because if the plants and pits all over Britain was on the whole...let me repeat that because this doesn't usually sink in... ON THE WHOLE inefficient and outdated. So, the plants that weren't inefficient made it just fine without the governments money and nowdays you are buying energy from other countries at a much cheaper price for your country.

[@tur74d56]

And then Thatcher came along and put a stop to it

[@andrewh5457]

After labour had closed more pits than the tories.

[@adamramoth]

even if they open em up again, it'll take a generation to set up, just isnt practical any more. The pits cost us all millions in losses and people are still suffering from the effects back in the 80's. A dirty dangerous job. As we found out at Lofthouse many years ago.

[@scottaner500]

it needs to come back to the uk

[@paulcoster8374]

thatchers revenge for 1974 deninis made millions

[@Unbiased321]

Because they needed 1,3 billion pounds a year to pay their bills.....That's not a good sign for a company if you need government money to stay alive :P I just wished Thatcher had handled the banking crises as well so the banks would have been closed down that weren't efficient.

[@Peter-lm3ic]

A great shame that coal the UK's greatest asset is still no longer mined in any quantity! What a waste!

[@barnabyhills4078]

contence

[@55pepperpot]

load of rubbish, look at it now. filled in and leveled.what future now?

[@Brill39e]

..'its not a Good Sign for a Company if you need Government Money to stay alive'..................NOT UNLESS YOU'RE A BANK, OF COURSE........

[@scottaner500]

it needs to come back to the uk