Notts Communists
Sir: I must be one of the 'paternalistic employers' — Ferdinand Mount in his re- view of Scargill and the Miners (Books, 5 January) — having been successively Secret- ary, Deputy Chairman and Chairman, East Midlands Division (including Notts of course), National Coal Board, from 1946 onwards.
At no time were any steps taken 'to keep out troublemakers' from the Dukeries', Notts, or any other pits. The large, new pits of Calverton, Cotgrave and Bevercotes in Notts were developed and manned in the Fifties and after: older, i.e. sunk pre-1946, pits were expanded and mod- ernised. There were steady intakes of manpower from other coalfields as well as local recruits.
From 1946 there was always at least one full-time Notts Area NUM official who was an overt Communist Party member: out of five such full-time officials in the Fifties and Sixties two were Communists includ- ing at one time the President: in the Seventies and early Eighties when there were four one — who was the General Secretary until his early death — was a leading Communist. In the Fifties and Sixties the General Secretary of the North Derbyshire area NUM was a Communist, and of the four full-time officials there were two overt Party members (including him). At a number of collieries well-known Communist party members held offices as NUM Branch (or Lodge) President, Secretary or Delegate. Their political alle- giance was no secret.
All this during the period when, accord- ing to Mount, Frank Watters had York- shire as the target and indeed there was a comparatively 'peaceful path' in the East Midlands.
W. L. Miron
Briar Croft, School Lane, Halam, Newark, Notts
Previous page
