D & N Collieries. Mine Rescue Brigade Badge
This is a 30mm button hole enamel badge, blue / gilt, with embossed two shields and scrollwork
The wording is round the outside blue band in gilt.

Who are D & N Collieries? Only thing that springs to mind is - Durham & Northumberland!

Hi Charles

You are correct - D & N stands for Durham & Northumberland. The two coats of arms our those of the respective counties. Have a look at the "Badges" page of the NMMA web site for an image of their large embossed helmet badge.

I don't know much about the history of this pre' 1947 rescue brigade but assume they were funded jointly by many of the various coal companies in the Great North Coalfield. If anyone has any further information about them it would be good to know.

The enamel type badges are very rare I think. I have only ever seen two of them. If anyone is interested I know where there is one for swap.

Mark

Durham & Northumberland Coal Owners set up their first mines rescue station in 1909, I believe that this was at Elswick in Newcastle upon Tyne. Two other early stations were at Houghton le Spring and Crook in County Durham.

There were also stations at Ashington in Northumberland and Benwell Towers in Newcastle upon Tyne but I am unsure when they were formed.

I remember visiting the station at Houghton le Spring in c1963, the station is still there. In much earlier years the Londonderry Rainton to Seaham Railway passed through the site. A Google search will produce background information on these rescue stations.

Alan Vickers

In my previous posting I should also have included Ashington Mines Rescue Station as one of the original four in County Durham and Northumberland. They were set up following the introduction of regulations in 1910. Elswick (later to be Benwell Towers) in 1909, Houghton-le-Spring in 1913 and Ashington and Crook at about the same time. Of the four only that at Houghton-le-Spring remains operational.

There are photographs of Houghton and Crook stations on the internet, Houghton is a listed building and you can see more detailed information in the listing of the City of Sunderland listed buildings at www sunderland.gov.uk under the Houghton-le-Spring section.

Alan Vickers.

In last evening's 'Sunderland Echo' there was a photo of the Durham & Northumberland Fire & Rescue Brigade at Silksworth Colliery, near Sunderland, in 1903. I presume that this was the brigade from Houghton-le-Spring.

To see the photo go to the newspaper's website at www.sunderlandecho.com/ArticleIndex/Listmonths.aspx click on '2010 February' and then click on '17'. There is a gallery of photos and the D&N Brigade photo is the last one in the sequence.

The complete article is a review of a new book 'Britain in Old Photographs: Sunderland' by Stuart Miller and John Brantingham, published by The History Press.

Alan Vickers.

My last posting omitted two instructions to see the photo, it should have read:

click on '2010 February' then click on '17' then on 'Features' and then on 'Sunderland since Victorian times - in photos'.

Alan Vickers