ACTS OF GENEROSITY AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT:
THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE’S MINERS
The background
In 1919, in his evidence to the Sankey Commission, which had been set up to investigate the chaotic privatised coal industry, Sidney Webb, asked,
“Why do twice as many babies die in a miner’s cottage as a middle-class home?”
One of the outcomes of the Sankey Commission was the 1920 Mining Industry Act which imposed a Welfare Levy on the private coal owners initially at a rate of 1d per ton of coal produced by the coalminers.
The sums raised through this levy enabled the construction of pit head baths, canteens, medical centres, welfare institutes, sports grounds, reading rooms, swimming baths, children’s recreation grounds, hospitals and much more. Most of these facilities were open to non-mining families too.
Details
Here we have three examples, two from 1932 and one from 1933 of donations from the Notts Welfare Trust to Nottinghamshire hospitals serving the whole community.
A 1932 donation of £10,000 donated to the Mansfield Hospital building fund and £700 to the Nottingham Throat, Ear and Nose Hospital. Photograph permission, Newspaper image. Copyright The British Library Board. All rights reserved.
Newspaper image. Copyright The British Library Board. All rights reserved.
Copyright www.mansfieldandarea.org.uk
copyright Marjorie Morley and www.mansfieldandarea.org.uk
A 1933 donation of £5,000 towards building another ward at Harlow Wood Hospital. Photograph permission, www.ourmansfieldandarea.org.uk and Marjorie Morley. Marjorie was admitted to Harlow Wood hospital in 1933 where she spent 3 years recovering from a back injury.
Newspaper image. Copyright The British Library Board. All rights reserved.