A History of the World - BBC

Ten of Staffordshire's museums have joined forces with the BBC, the British Museum and 340 other museums across the UK to take part in the 'A History of the World' project. The history of our county, region and country will be told through a range of objects ranging from rare and fascinating items to everyday objects that have helped to shape the world in which we live. Every object has been selected for the story that it can tell and the local, national and global significance that it has.

In Staffordshire the story of the County is told through 10 key objects; a first edition copy of Dr Johnson's dictionary, a Davenport dessert plate used by Queen Victoria, an 18th Grenadier's mitre worn by a soldier in the South Staffordshire Regiment, a snuff box presented to Prime Minister Robert Peel, a Wedgwood plate made for Catherine the Great, a massive Victorian beam engine used to pump sewage, a revolutionary set of mine rescue equipment, one of the earliest Staffordshire made porcelain teapots, a beautiful Arts and Crafts embroidery made in Leek and our very own tin of Evo-Stik which helped to revolutionise DIY!

We have decided to show a Proto Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

 The 'Proto' self-contained breathing apparatus was widely used by rescue services across the country, including the Hednesford Mines Rescue Station who used this model when attending local and national underground incidents.

The apparatus was manufactured by the Siebe Gorman Company, from circa 1914 - 1972. It consisted of a divided rubber breathing bag containing 'Protosorb' which absorbed the carbon dioxide released from the body during exhalation, passing the air back through the oxygen supply, therefore making it possible to re-breathe. The Protosorb was changed each time the apparatus was used. The 'Proto' also consisted of a metal cooling unit, supply tubes, a nose clip and mouth piece worn at the front, with the oxygen cylinder located at the back and attached to the wearer with leather straps and a belt. When in use the oxygen supply lasted up to two hours but this could be controlled by the wearer by filling the bag with oxygen and then turning the main valve to the stop position - this was known as the 'entrapped procedure'.

One of the main benefits of the 'Proto' was that it allowed the wearer to move around without restraint or connection to a separate air supply as long as it was within the time limit of the oxygen cylinder used. The apparatus got very hot during use and was bulky, very heavy and unpleasant to work in, especially in confined spaces such as underground tunnels.

Hednesford Mines Rescue Station

Coal mining was a dangerous occupation and as the industry grew during the nineteenth century so did the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. In 1911 the Coal Mine Act was passed, which made coal owners responsible for establishing a mines rescue station within a ten mile radius of each coal mine throughout the country. They were also responsible for supplying and maintaining all rescue apparatus and arranging regular first aid and rescue training for all staff and volunteers. Hednesford Mines Rescue Station was opened at the derelict gasworks in Victoria Street in 1913 to provide a rescue service to the Cannock Chase Coalfield and surrounding area.

The station was opened by Jonathon Hunter, the managing director of Cannock and Leacroft Colliery and he invited Joshua Payton, from Leacroft Colliery, to take on the role of Superintendent at the station. Joshua Payton (known locally as Jos) had narrowly escaped injury in a coal mining accident a few years earlier which unfortunately killed a fellow worker. At the inquest Jos had impressed management officials by putting forward safety procedures to prevent similar accidents occurring again. He went on to train in first aid and served in Cannock Fire Brigade, later going on to study at the Mining Department of Birmingham University before being offered the role of Superintendent at Hednesford Mines Rescue Station. His two sons Ernie and Albert also studied at Birmingham University and became part of the Hednesford Mines Rescue staff.

The volunteer teams who trained at Hednesford Mines Rescue Station consisted of local miners who attended regular training sessions to learn first aid techniques and become competent in the use of rescue equipment. A replica coalface and dark, narrow roadway were constructed inside the building to reproduce the cramped underground conditions.

Training sessions included wearing the 'Proto' while carrying and moving debris in cramped conditions and carrying a life size dummy through a dark, narrow passageway, recreating an underground rescue attempt in an underground roof collapse situation. When the lease for the Rescue Station in Victoria Street ran out in 1971, the rescue team were re-located to the pithead baths at the Valley Colliery. But with the demise of the coal mining industry and many coal mines closing down, the Hednesford Mines Rescue Station finally closed in 1991 but the commitment and bravery of the volunteers should never be forgotten.

HMS Thetis Submarine Disaster - 1st June 1939

 HMS Thetis was a 275ft long submarine built by the 'Cammell Laird' company in Birkenhead, Merseyside and launched in 1938. However it experienced problems during its first dive on 1st June 1939 and dramatically sank 160ft below the surface of the water, trapping all 103 people on board including official crew members, catering staff and employees from the 'Cammell Laird' company - approximately twice as many people as the vessel was built to carry.

By the time help arrived it was evening and too dark to rescue those trapped so attempts were delayed until the next morning. Although the vessel had a supply of 36 hours of air on board this was reduced to about 18 hours because of the excess number of people and the overnight delay meant the air supply was quickly running out. During rescue attempts the following day, four men were successfully rescued. A further failed rescue attempt resulted in a man dying from 'the 'bends'. The total loss in the disaster was 99 lives. It took several months to raise Thetis from the sea. Admiralty divers removed most of the bodies from the submarine. However there were still bodies remaining in the steering compartment of the submarine to which they were unable to gain access as they found the way blocked.

The Admiralty contacted Joshua Payton, superintendent of the Hednesford Mines Rescue Station to enquire if an operation could be mounted to remove the final bodies. It was because the mines rescuers were trained to use the 'Proto' breathing apparatus that allowed the wearer up to two hours of breathing time whilst undertaking hard physical work. In November 1939 six men, (Tom Forsyth, Harry Wall, Jack Calow, Les Hyden, Harry Saffill and Charlie Holgate) were selected from various Cannock Chase Collieries, to travel to Holyhead in North Wales where 'Thetis' was in dry dock. There wearing the 'Proto' 2 hour apparatus, under the supervision of Joshua Payton, in very unpleasant and difficult conditions they retrieved the final 25 bodies from the ill-fated submarine.

One of the leather straps on the apparatus on display is stamped 'Thetis' and was used by a member of the Hednesford Mines Rescue team during the recovery of bodies at Liverpool bay in November 1939.

Lofthouse Colliery Disaster - 21st March 1973

 Hednesford Mines Rescue Station was the first to successfully trial and train with the 'Proto' breathing apparatus under water in the early 1970s under the leadership of Jack Craner who was superintendent at that time. In the early hours of March 21st 1973, thirty miners were working 300 feet below ground at the Lofthouse Colliery in Wakefield, when a sudden inrush of water from old mine workings flooded the area.

Although most miners escaped, seven men were reported missing and it was hoped they had managed to find an air pocket underground and could be rescued. Several attempts were made to rescue the trapped miners in the following days, including courageous attempts by a Hednesford Mines Rescue diving team using the 'Proto' 2 hour apparatus.

The conditions underground were extremely difficult with thick mud and poor visibility but the team made repeated attempts to rescue survivors, sadly without success. The team from Hednesford Mines Rescue Station were however praised for their bravery and for their unwavering determination to reach those trapped in such dangerous and difficult conditions.

You can find the 10 Staffordshire objects at the following museums: Borough Museum and Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme http://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/

Claymills Pumping Engines Trust, Burton-upon-Trent http://www.claymills.org.uk/

Nicolson Institute, Leek http://www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/

Museum of Cannock Chase, Hednesford

Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent http://www.stoke.gov.uk/

Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum, Lichfield http://www.samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk/

Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/museumandgalleries

Staffordshire Regiment Museum, Whittington http://x.staffordshireregimentmuseum.com/

Tamworth Castle http://www.tamworthcastle.co.uk/

Wedgwood Museum Trust, Barlaston http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/

To find out more about 'A History of the World' visit the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/historyoftheworld/.

All ten objects can be viewed at www.bbc.co.uk/stoke or seen at the 10 participating museums. BBC listeners and viewers will be asked to suggest further objects and can actively participate by uploading photographs of their own objects that have a local or global appeal.

All images belong to the Museum of Cannock Chase and were taken by Leanne Hulley 2010.