ONE PAPER ... ALL THE NEWS from Dewsbury, Batley, Ossett, Mirfield, Liversedge, Birstall, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton & Spen Valley
Friday January 24, 2020
No. 929
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WHERE SHOULD WE REMEMBER? Dewsbury and Thornhill groups at odds over plans
Combs Colliery in Thornhill
to create a fitting memorial to pit disaster victims By Zoë Shackleton News Reporter zoe@thepressnews.co.uk
CAMPAIGNERS in Thornhill say they are willing to join forces in order to create a permanent memorial to the victims of a mining disaster – but only if it’s in the village. It was announced last week that community group Dewsbury Forward want to build a lasting tribute in memory of 139 men and boys who lost their lives after an underground explosion at the Combs Colliery in Thornhill in 1893. It was proposed that a mining wheel monument alongside a roll of honour for those who died would be installed on Longcauseway in Dewsbury town centre, opposite the United Reformed Church. However the group was met with strong opposition from people in Thornhill who believe the memorial needs to be in the village where the pit stood and 110 of the dead miners are buried. Shaun Maddox, a 51-year-old construction manager who has lived in the village all his life, started a petition to “urge Kirklees to
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rethink its location”. Over 360 people have already signed. He said: “It’s the history of Thornhill, those lads came from here, they didn’t come from Dewsbury. They walked up this street (Valley Road) to go to work. “It’s like a kick in the teeth to the history of Thornhill. “When this disaster happened Thornhill had their own council so we weren’t part of Dewsbury then anyway, it wasn’t until 1910 that it was amalgamated with Dewsbury council. “I don’t want to lose the history of the village because we’re quite tight up here.” Paul Ellis, president of Dewsbury Chamber of Trade, says the group has been working on the project for the past 20 years. They have submitted a funding bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to finance the work, which they say could cost up to £40,000. But the Thornhill Community Group claim that last week was the first they’d heard about the project. And Paul Hinchcliffe, an ex-miner who lives on Wells Road close to the former pit
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KEEP IT IN THE VILLAGE: Residents Shaun Maddox, Paul Hinchcliffe and Simon Reed are spearheading efforts to create a memorial to the 139 who died in a mine explosion in Thornhill
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