HOMEPAGE PERSONAL PROFILE HISTORICAL REVIEW HOWEBRIDGE MRS BOOTHSTOWN MRS PURPOSE OF A MRS MOBILE WINDING ENGINE AMPUTATION KIT OFFICERS AND STAFF SELECTION OF RESCUEMEN BREATHING APP PRIME FEATURES OF BA GENERAL CONDUCT OXYGEN RESUSCITATORS HEAT AND HUMIDITY RESCUE COMMS CANARIES AND LAMPS SELF RESCUERS SEFA BREATHING APPARATUS PROTO BREATHING APPARATUS AERORLOX BREATHING APPARATUS SALVUS BREATHING APPARATUS SAVOX BREATHING APPARATUS MINOX BREATHING APPARATUS ANTIPOYS TUBE APPARATUS

The Lancashire Mines Rescue Service HOWEBRIDGE MINES RESCUE STATION. The Photograph on the left above, shows the front view of the Howebridge Station and Superintendent's house in 1910. The shot is due East along Lovers Lane with Leigh Road about 40 yards in the distance. Photograph, above right shows present day view. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOWEBRIDGE MINES RESCUE STATION. The Royal Commission on Mines Report was presented to Parliament in 1906 and in that same year, the Lancashire and Cheshire Coal Owner’s Association held a Special General Meeting in Manchester. The Association at that time was made up of 27 different colliery companies. It was clear that at some time in the future, Mines Rescue Stations would become reality. Accordingly, they passed a resolution that they should not wait for government legislation, but that they should have their own rescue organisation to serve the whole group of their collieries. Not all of the Coal Owners were committed to the idea and disassociated themselves with the project. There were, however, other Coal Owners who, at that time, not members of the Association, who agreed to join The Scheme. A site was eventually chosen that was felt to be fairly central to the then Lancashire and Cheshire Coalfield. This was in Lovers Lane, Howebridge, nr Atherton, about 40 yards from the Leigh to Bolton road (B5215). The Station was officially opened on Thursday, the 2nd. April, 1908 to become the first Central Mines Rescue Station to serve a group of collieries. Mr. Charles Pilkington, a leading Mine Owner and glass manufacturer from St. Helens performed the Opening Ceremony Soon after the Official Opening, man-wearing tests were carried out on six different types of breathing apparatus to discover which, most suited the needs of the Mines Rescue Service. Four sets of apparatus were of the compressed oxygen type, one of liquid air and one of compressed air. The “Proto” Self-contained Compressed Oxygen Apparatus, manufactured by Messrs. Siebe Gorman of Chessington in Surrey, a firm World renowned for it's deep sea diving gear, was chosen. During the early Summer of 1908, 6 men from local pits were sent to the Chessington works to be trained in the wearing, re-charging and re-servicing of the apparatus after use. On their return, they helped with the training of others. Soon after the six men had returned from Surrey, the Station received a call for assistance on the 18th. August 1908, from Maypole Colliery, Nr. Wigan, where 78 men lost their lives in an underground explosion. The Station responded to the call but it was very limited as to what just six trained men could achieve. In the following two years, more men were trained at the Station and it demonstrated the genuine resolve of the local Coal Owners for the Howebridge project, when on the 21st. December, 1910, an explosion occurred at the Hulton Bank Pit No.3 (Pretoria) at Over Hulton and more than 200 trained rescue men, wearing the Proto breathing apparatus, took part. Almost the whole of the underground workings were affected and 344 men were killed with only 3 surviving. The following year, the Government published the “1911 Coal Mines Act”, making the provision of Rescue Stations compulsory for the first time in history, with a limiting radius of action of 15 miles. In 1913, General Regulations were made under The Act, specifying how Rescue Stations should be managed, equipped and operated. There was also a deadline date in 1915, when all collieries in the Country had to be covered. To comply with the 15 mile radius, additional Stations in Lancashire were opened at Denton, St. Helens and Burnley. All four Stations were operational until 1933, when rescue operations, for the whole area were moved to the new Rescue Station Complex at Boothstown. By 1915, there were 46 Rescue Stations covering all the coalmining regions in the Country. By this time, the Howebridge Station had been operational for 7 years and was well established. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------