Tonmawr, Near Cwmafan
This colliery started off as the Blaenmawr Colliery and it is thought that it became Garth (Tonmawr) Colliery in 1929 when it was bought by Garth Collieries Limited, and in 1932 was called Garth or Blaenmawr. In 1935 it employed 45 men on the surface and 150 men underground working the Wenallt seam. The manager was G. Lloyd. On the 4th of September 1942, this colliery had one of the first government canteens in the South Wales Coalfield. It sold hot meals and snacks and had room for 200 miners. In 1943/5 the manager was still G. Lloyd and it employed 160 men underground working the Wenallt and Wenallt Rider seams and 23 men on the surface.
On Nationalisation in 1947 this colliery was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.2 Area, Afan Group, and employed 34 men on the surface and 167 men underground, the manager was still G. Lloyd. In 1954 the manager was still G. Lloyd, and in 1955 out of the total colliery manpower of 205 men, 96 of them worked at the coalfaces. In 1956, 102 men worked at the coalfaces and in 1958, 101 men worked at the coalfaces.
The colliery was closed by the NCB on the 20th of June 1964 due to the exhaustion of its reserves of coal.
- 1930: Manpower: 106.
- 1932: Manpower: 90.
- 1935: Manpower: 195. Output: 50,000 tons.
Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.
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