Bronze Age Gold from Wales

The Dinas (Rhondda) Rescue Team with the superintendent of Dinas Mines Rescue Station, John Henry Thorne (in suit), after a practice. Note the lead-filled dummy on a stretcher (known as ‘Dai Lossin’ after a famous South Wales Echo cartoon character), the small electric inspection lamp and the U tube ‘water gauge’ used to check mine ventilation. The men shown are most probably one of the volunteer colliery based rescue teams after completing their training. Each trained colliery team seems to have had a 'graduation' photograph taken in front of the famous green doors of the station. During its early years the station trained in the region of 5-600 men per annum. John Henry Thorne was one of only two men to be awarded the Edward Medal in silver twice for gallantry during rescues. Thorne was Superintendent of the Dinas Mines rescue Station from 1911 to 1950 and supervised the training of the rescue teams from the Rhondda (and other) Collieries. He was regarded as probably the greatest exponent of mines rescue in the country. He was born in Ecclesfield in 1880, and took charge at Dinas in 1911 at the age of 30, and finally retired in 1950 at the age of 70, passing away 5 years later in Blackpool.