Section 1 – Before the Strikes
Object 1 – Miner’s lamp
This pit lamp belonged to Granville Crabtree, who worked as a winder at Askern Colliery. His father Ellis Senior Crabtree, and two brothers Ellis Junior and Sidney Crabtree also worked at Askern; between the four of them they worked at the pit from 1923-1983. It was common for families to have several members and generations working in the same mine, with sons following in their father’s footsteps.
This lamp is an Eccles Protecter Lamp Type 6. It is a type of safety lamp, so-called because it has several safety features. It is lockable, to prevent it from being opened underground where the flame could then be exposed to dangerous flammable gases. It also contains an internal flint so that it can be relit underground without the need to open the protective glass case.