Traditionally, colliery branch banners were marched on picnic day in a parade.
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Traditionally, colliery branch banners were marched on picnic day in a parade.
Traditionally, colliery branch banners were marched on picnic day in a parade. It took six men to march a banner; two pole bearers and four rope bearers. Banners were manufactured at great cost using expensive materials and craftsmanship. Many of the banners that survive have been recycled and repainted over the years due to the high costs of commissioning a new banner.
Woodhorn Museum cares for many of the remaining Northumberland colliery banners which are displayed on rotation in the Cutter Building.
Woodhorn Colliery banner.
Red silk with gold fringing. Obverse view showing images of above and below ground colliery scenes.
Woodhorn Colliery banner.
Red silk with gold fringing. Reverse view showing a simple image design overlaid with text; breastplate armour above a heraldic shield, text reads NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) ‘the miners shield and armour’.
Ashington Mineworkers Federation banner.
Blue and red silk painted with gold braid fringe. Obverse view; central image panel shows a family group, dressed in 1950s style clothing with arms outstretched in celebration, in the foreground facing a (unidentified) colliery scene. On the horizon the sun is rising. The words ‘Nationalisation’ hover over the scene. The top scroll, in green and gold, reads ‘National Union of Mineworkers’. The bottom scroll reads Ashington Mineworkers Federation’.
Ashington Mineworkers Federation banner.
Blue and red silk painted banner with gold braid fringe. Reverse view; central image panel shows the five Ashington Federation collieries: Ashington, Woodhorn, Lynemouth, Linton, and Ellington. The top scroll, in green and gold, reads ‘National Union of Mineworkers’. The bottom scroll reads Ashington Mineworkers Federation’.
Bedlington ‘Dr Pit’ banner.
Yellow and red silk painted banner with gold braid fringe. Obverse view: central image within a shield shows a stylised mining family in 1940s fashions in the foreground, facing rolling hills and a rising sun. Colliery buildings can be seen on the horizon. An angelic being with outstretched arms and wings and wearing a sash which reads ‘Labour Party’ sits atop the sun rise. The family stand in a line, father and mother with outstretched arms in welcome. The top scroll, in blue and gold, reads ‘National Union Mineworkers’. The bottom scroll reads ‘Bedlington Dr Pit Branch’
Bedlington ‘Dr Pit’ banner.
Yellow and red silk painted banner with gold braid fringe. Reverse view: an imagined sky scene, a miner, wearing a helmet and safety lamp, walks with his arms outstretched up a set of steps emerging from the clouds, towards a sunrise. Additional details include two safety lamps hanging from the foliage and two roundels at the top right and left corners of the panel show male portraits. The top scroll, in blue and gold, reads ‘National Union Mineworkers’. The bottom scroll reads ‘Bedlington Dr Pit Branch’