South Yorkshire Times, December 2nd 1944
Club for Manvers Officials
Bid For Closer Co-operation
Mr. Max Woosnam at play in the inaugural snooker match at the club, against Mr. E. Woffinden (right).
Manvers Main Operational Officials Club at “Dunholm,” Carr Road, Wath, opened on Friday by Mr. Max Woosnam, Vice-Chairman of Manvers Main Collieries Ltd., and President of the club, was described as somewhere where underground officials and staff could mingle socially in such a way as to produce a better understanding of each other’s problems in order that they could work better together.
In opening the club Mr. Woosnam was supported by Mr. P. H. Lloyd, Managing Director) and also present were Mr. G. J. Phillipson (chairman), Mr. A. T. Thomson and Mr. F. W. R. Moberly, Admiral Sir Thomas Spence Lyne K.C.V.O., C.B. D.S.O. (Chief Welfare Officer), Mr. E. Woffinden (Stephenson Clark and Associated Companies Ltd., Sheffield) and Mr. A. Wild (Chairman of the club) presided and a large number of the Club’s 90 members were present.
Company Thanked
The Chairman said that the company had considered the formation of such a club as the Manvers Main Operational Officials’ Club a number of years ago, but there was the need for suitable premises. At long last the Company had found ideal premises. The amenities they had, including a snooker table and various games, were such as to ensure that social intercourse could take place. On behalf of the committee, he wanted to express their best thanks to the company through their Chairman, Mr. Phillipson for the very generous offer in the use of the premises. They had with the Mr. Woosnam, Vice-Chairman of the company and also President of the club, who would officially open the club. Mr. Wild thanked Mr. Woosnam for his interest and the gift of the snooker table.
If he were allowed a minute for every 100 miles he had travelled to open the club, said Mr. Woosnam, he would have two minutes in which to speak. He had been connected with Manvers Main ever since it was formed, and had been a member of the Board of Directors for the past 16 years. The people who ran Manvers Main had shown what a colliery “could be, can be and was.” The club was one evidence of the motive behind the management and board of the company, a progressive outlook in difficult times, to go to this expense, but that did not matter. Their first consideration was to get their men to keep together, work together and to fight for their industry, their company, and their country, by getting to know each other better so that they could understand each other’s problems and work as one team. A beautiful shell did not make a club. A club was the members themselves and the communities, and himself since they had elected him President. “Let us make of this club what indeed we think and know was behind the company’s mind in getting it us. We shall only get out of it what we put into it.”
Mr. Woosnam said he lived in the South of England and probably did not see the problems at first hand. He saw that people were putting forward all kinds of cures for the trouble in the industry; nationalisation, mechanisation and so on. But this was what he thought; “Effect the removal of the coal industry from the arena of politics. Take that away. Give back the management to the people who have been and will be managing it under any system at all. Give back the authority and I believe that we should regain the confidence of the men, the consumers and the public.”
They, the officials, could bring in young people into the industry in friendship and community, to direct those below them and advise above them for future years.
Referring to the billiard table which he has presented to the club, Mr. Woosnam said he hoped that it would give members as many happy quarters of an hour as it had given him in pre-war days. He asked that he be allowed to present a cue to the winner of any snooker competition which the Committee should think suitable. He thanked the members for having elected him President of the club and, declaring the club open, said he hoped to have the opportunity of spending man happy hours with them there. The vice-chairman of the club (Mr. H. B. Kearsley), on behalf of the club, thanked Mr. Woosnam for the gift of the table, which was very much appreciated and for his kindly interest in the formation of the club.
Two Sets Of Officers
Mr. Lloyd welcomed members and guests. Before he did so he said he would like to explain what was in the minds of the directors when they embarked on this project. The officials could be divided into two parts. First, there was the staff, which, as in the Army, told the people underground what had to be done in a general way. Then there were the underground officials. They were not going to get the coal trade right until the underground officials were able to take full control and to impinge upon the men the operations of the staff.
The company asked themselves how best they could help those officials. They wanted to try to uplift them and give them a position which they ought to have. Someone, and he did not take the credit, said “Let us give them the best we can lay our hands on. Give them something of which they will be proud. Don’t make it a club for underground officials only, but one where the officials can intermix with one another. Bring in the staff.” It was their intention to open the club at Barnburgh first, but unfortunately, they had difficulty in building it. They had to get the permission and had not been able to obtain that from the Ministry.
“Dunholm” originally intended as a school for officials, run jointly by Manvers and Amalgamated Denaby Collieries Ltd., was suggested as ideal. It was a pity not to use it when the school was being held for only a month of the year. In view of the fact that they had to attain their object which was the intermixing and uplifting of their officials, they had to see that the club was run as they wanted a club at Manvers run. He wanted everyone present to be proud of it. He was proud of it himself.
Mr. Woosnam completed the opening ceremony by playing the first frame of snooker, in which he beat Mr. Woffinden in a black ball game. A competition for two tickets at Saturday’s representative match at Sheffield, was won by Mr. T. Grundy and Mr. A. W. Law.