Aroundtown Magazine May June 2023 edition

MEETS
Grammar school was
“
beyond my parents’ vision,
beyond their horizon. You
could only get the uniform at
Cole Brothers in Sheffield and
Mum had never even been to
Sheffield in her life.
”
eleven-plus exams and won a scholarship at
Ecclesfield Grammar School. Edith convinced her
husband that Cynthia ought to go, having missed
out on opportunities herself as a child.
“Grammar school was beyond my parents’
vision, beyond their horizon. You could only get
the uniform at Cole Brothers in Sheffield and
Mum had never even been to Sheffield in her life.”
John agreed to let Cynthia go, but she quickly
realised she was different to most of the students
there; they had money behind them.
“One time a school friend invited me to her
house after school to watch Wimbledon on TV
and her mother had left us a bowl of strawberries
and cream each. The first thing I noticed was they
had carpets. Our house had a gas mantle, stone
flag floors, no hot water, no bathroom and just an
outside toilet that we shared with other houses.”
But her humble background had made her
tough. She’d spent her youth playing in the
street with the lads, so was always picked for the
hockey team as they knew she’d get stuck in and
get the ball through. It was at school that Cynthia
realised that if you’re good at something and you
work hard, people will always want you.
Cynthia (r) and her adult neighbour
swapping clothes to joke about how grown
up she would be in her new uniform
The headmaster of Ecclesfield Grammar
could see true potential in Cynthia and in her
final report he said she would make her way in
life as a leader and significant contributor. He
encouraged her to stay on at school for sixth form
but was mindful of her home situation.
Her dad had suggested a job at the coal
board and she started at 15 once she received
the five O-level exam results needed to secure a
job in the colliery offices.
She joined the wages office at Rockingham
Colliery in 1954 and stayed there until the pit
closed in 1979 when Cynthia was 40.
Using her grammar school maths, Cynthia
did all the taxes in her head – which was pounds,
shillings and pence back then. One time, a miner
questioned his take-home pay, arguing he’d
paid too much tax. And Cynthia had an insight
into why.
After telling the miner that if he had a big top
line wage he’d have to pay a lot of tax, her dad
made her go down the pit to the coal face to
spend just a short time in those conditions where
the miners earned their crust.
“I always tried to measure up to my dad
so I didn’t back down or show fear. But it was
horrible. Dad was tall and thin so he had to keep
stooping and bending. Then we got down on our
Still to this day, I have
“
lifelong respect for any
man who ever walked into
a pit. Miners were brave,
strong men.
”
haunches and crawled into this small hole
leading to the coal face where the shearing
machines started and the conveyor belt chains
were rattling.
“It was dark, there was dust puthering up, and
the noise was like hell. Totally constricted space,
it was horrendous and we were conscious of
the ever present danger. Still to this day, I have
lifelong respect for any man who ever walked into
a pit. Miners were brave, strong men.”
When it was announced in 1979 that
Rockingham Colliery was to close, Cynthia
decided to change careers after 25 years in the
wages office. By this time she had a young son,
Kelvin, and needed to think about their future
stability. She knew that other collieries would
follow suit and shut, so there was no point in
her being transferred to another pit. Instead,
she applied for a job at the NCB pensions and
insurance centre in Sheffield where she knew
there would always be a job.
She was appointed insurance office manager,
leading a team of many staff. In her new role,
Cynthia began to use her voice – and inside
knowledge about what miners were like – to
help protect their futures once the pits had shut.
She was invited to meetings with government
ministers about paying out redundant miners and
upskilling them for new careers. Cynthia argued
that the process of endless form filling would
impede miners as so many weren’t used to pen
and paper.
“I think it was the right place, right time, right
temperament. But I did ask why they gave me the
job and they said it was because I make things
happen. It was a fantastic job but also very hard,
stressful and demanding.”
The stress of the job would contribute to
Cynthia having two heart attacks when she
was 50, so she made the decision to take early
retirement in 1990 aged 51 after 35 years in the
coal industry. Her husband Barry, who had also
worked for the coal board as the computer centre
customer service manager, had already retired
and they planned to do a world tour, visiting the
likes of China, Japan and Australia.
Back on home turf and with plenty of free time
on her hands, Cynthia threw herself into various
philanthropic endeavours.
She became a magistrate on the Rotherham
panel until she had to retire at 70 in 2009. During
her twenty-year post, Cynthia dealt with cases
Going underground Rockingham Colliery 1965, Cynthia third from left
Going underground again 1970, Cynthia on right
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