Banner of Hatfield Main Branch

Hatfield Main Branch of the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers.

The branch organised mineworkers at Hatfield Main Colliery at Stainforth, north east of Doncaster. Originally opened in 1911, the colliery was closed by British Coal in 1993. A group of managers bought the pit and production re-commenced in 1994 but the company closed in 2001. It was bought by Coalpower in 2001 and closed again in 2004. The pit reopened in 2007 and was called Hatfield Colliery. In 2014 the NUM provided a £4m loan to enable coal production to continue. The colliey is now closed.

The banner was probably painted in acrylic on polycotton by John Midgley at Chippenham Studios in 1980 and is 180cm wide and 220cm high. The inscription on the front of the banner, “Their vision is our inspiration”, was taken from an earlier banner, which still exists. The images are of A. J. Cook and Keir Hardy.

The banner is stored at the NUM Offices in Barnsley.

Thanks to Chris Kitchen Jnr, Richard Riggs and Danny O’Connor for assistance and Dave Douglas (ex-Hatfield Main NUM) and Jane Murphy (Chippenham Designs) for information.

Thanks to the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers for permission to photograph and reproduce this banner. Image copyright NUM.

If you have any information about this or any other banner please tell the NUM or Past Pixels.

A minimum of 10p of the purchase price of this card is donated to the NJMC.

Photography by Martin Shakeshaft.
Photography, design and print by unionised labour.
www.martinshakeshaft.com    www.kavitagraphics.co.uk     www.russellpress.com