Australian Relatives visit Originals grave
RELATIVES OF ORIGINAL RENSHAW
VISIT FROM AUSTRALIA
JUNE 5th 2016
In April 2016 the chairman of Maltby Miners Memorial Community Group received a phone call from Mr John Nash, who works at Clifton Park Museum in Rotherham. John explained that three ladies from Australia were visiting Rotherham with the express intention of visiting the grave of their relative Mr ORIGINAL (REG) RENSHAW. Reg Renshaw is one of the brave volunteers who lost his life in Maltby Colliery in the explosion that occurred underground on July 28th 1923. John knew that The Maltby Miners Memorial Community Group had been involved in the erecting of a memorial and wanted to know if the group could assist in any way.
The chairman subsequently met up with John at the museum. He told him that the ladies in question are CHERYL TROUSDALE, DIANE RENSHAW and MARYANNE SNEDDON, and they would be visiting Maltby on the 5th June 2016. It was arranged that the chairman should meet the ladies at the museum and escort them to Maltby, where they would meet a number of the memorial group and be escorted around interesting sites in Maltby.On arriving in Maltby the ladies were taken to Wetherspoons (Queens Hotel) and there they met up with members of the group. We had an informal lunch at the Queens and got to know each other, after which we embarked on our tour of Maltby.
The first place the ladies wanted to see was the former home of Mr Renshaw, which is No 14 Farquhar Road in China Town (Admirals Estate). We took the them there and they were pleasantly surprised to see that the house was still extant and still lived in. They spent a very happy hour looking around the house and the estate itself, and took numerous photographs of themselves (and us) posing around the exterior of the house. They were slightly mesmerised by the fact that were now treading the same path that their relative trod almost 100 year earlier.
We then took the ladies to the cemetery on Grange Lane to show them the tomb of the unknown miner and Reg Renshaw's grave. The mood in the cemetery was very sombre as they reflected on the past and what might have been had the explosion never happened. They laid wreaths at both graves then, after another photo session, we moved on.
Moving further afield we then arrived at old Maltby, where they were shown what the village was like prior to the opening of the colliery. We took in St Bartholomews Church, the Church School, the White Swan and all the other places of interest in that area. After even more photographs, we ventured to our next destination.
The next port of call was the model village where it was explained to them that this was the first housing estate built to accommodate the ever increasing number of families moving into Maltby in order to mine the coal from Maltby pit. They were shown the site of the original Crags School, the Church of Ascension, the parks, bowling green’s etc. and lastly the Maltby Miners Institute (Stute), where we decided it was time for some liquid refreshment. More camera work took place and we then travelled to the final destination – the piece de resistance on Limekiln Lane.
We arrived at the Limekiln Lane Memorial and the ladies were quite astounded at the tranquil beauty of the area. They could not believe that 800 yards directly below where they were stood was the scene of a terrific inferno that claimed the lives of the 27 men whilst they were attempting to extinguish the gob fires that were burning and threatening the very existance of the colliery. It was explained to them how the memorial came about and how, underneath that massive stone, a coin is buried to assist each victim in his onward travel. We showed them photographs of the opening ceremony and presented them with a DVD which records the event. They were also given underground drawings of the area which also depicts the exact spot where Reg's body was found. We finally explained that on July 28th each and every year a service is held and floral tributes are laid at the memorial to honour the memory of the 27 men who perished in the explosion. They were also informed that a march by local school children takes place every year. The march starts at the Stute and finishes at the graves of Mr Reg Renshaw and the Unknown Miner. Floral tributes are laid at the graves, together with illuminated homemade miners lamps. After a short service, we all retire to the Edward Dunn for refreshments and a photo show. Once again, numerous photographs were taken at the memorial and a few tears were shed.
The tour was now complete and the ladies made their way back to their hotel in Sheffield to prepare for the rest of their British tour. Before leaving they made it very obvious to all our members that the day had been the highlight of their visit to Britain and they were extremely grateful for the hospitality and friendship they had received throughout the day. They have promised that they will do their utmost to return in the not too distant future so that they can participate in the July events. We are now regularly in touch with them via social media and they follow all our activities with a great amount of interest.
A good day was had by all concerned.
Bill Spilsbury (chairman MMMCG).
