SIR,
I was a miner in the Yorkshire pits for 33 years and have now retired.
For the past several years by way of a hobby I have been an avid collector of colliery checks, tallies or tokens.
These were brass discs and were embossed with the individual colliery name and stamped with the miner's number.
They were used as a safety measure to record an accurate account of men underground at any one time.
Unfortunately though, I have very few from the old Forest of Dean pits and I am particularly seeking checks from the following collieries;
Eastern United, Northern United, Cannop, Princess Royal, Foxes Bridge, Trafalgar, New Fancy, Lightmoor, Bilson, Flour Mill, Hopewell and Parkend.
Are there any fellow ex-miners who could help me obtain these?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Bill Bennett
(Rotherham, South Yorkshire)