South Yorkshire Times, March 2.
Retiring Gift for Pitman
One of five brothers who, with their father, and between them a total of 200 year service on the coalface at Cadeby Main Colliery, has retired.
He is Mr G.A.Bright, of Clifton Street, Denaby, who worked his last shift on Monday. Mr Bright, who began work at Cadeby in 1912, said “until they installed the conveyors, my brothers, Albert, Jim, Tom and Fred, my late father, Mr George Bright, and myself, always worked together on the same face.” “I am the first of the brothers to retire,” he added.
In 1914 Mr Bright join the South Wales Borderers and as a Lance Corporal saw action for two years on the Somme, until he was invalided out after being gassed in 1918.
He returned to work on the coalface at Cadeby, and was transferred to a haulage in 1961, following an injury to his right arm.
One More Fight.
During his Army career, Mr Bright won the Welter Weight title in the Divisional boxing championship in 1917, but did not continue to box after the war, except for one instance during the 1926 strike, when, he explained things were so bad that I went in for an interclub boxing competition at the Denaby Labour Club when the prize was a bag of flour.”
To mark his retirement, officials and men of the pit where he served from 1939 to 1942 on the N.U.M. Branch Committee, presented Mr Bright with a silver watch and chain, which was handed over by the deputy, Mr Bryn John, at Conisbrough Northcliffe club on Friday.
Over 200 men were present in the club where Mr Bright has been a member for the past 30 years