Arthur Bernard Clifford

By 1912, at the age of 18, he was appointed Assistant Instructor to his father in North Staffordshire and had become an expert in the use of Proto breathing apparatus.

In 1914 Arthur was engaged by the Anglo America Oil Company and travelled to Potrero Del Llano in Mexico, where he applied his expertise in breathing apparatus at a huge oil well fire.

He returned to the UK in 1915 and promptly received a telegram, thought to be from either Sir Robert H Davies of Siebe Gorman or Professor John Cadman, suggesting that his talents would be of use at the Western Front in Ypres.

The Great War had, by this time, stalled into a stalemate position on the Western Front and both allied and German armies had adopted the age old tactic of tunnelling under the enemy lines to plant high explosive charges. Whilst mildly successful this constant process of blowing mines, and being countermined by the enemy, resulted in many casualties from the combustion gases produced in the explosions. It was recognised that modern breathing apparatus, in trained hands, could effect many rescues of the sapper miners so a call was made to find a source of such apparatus and personnel. (for more detail, see also Mines Rescue and the Great War)

Within a few days of receiving the telegram Arthur, with the rank of Lance Corporal in the Royal Engineers, accompanied Corporal Ellison to France . He assisted in the establishment of the 1st Army Mines Rescue School at Strazeene and later in Armentieres. His task was to train sappers and miners to use the Proto breathing apparatus in the tunnelling operations which occurred between 1915 and 1918. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for "Services to the Army in the Field" and became a Sergeant with the Royal Engineers.

In 1918, when most of the tunnelling and mining operations had ceased, he was sent for by the Home Office to return and assist with, and later take control of, the recovery of the Minnie Pit (Podmore Hall) which had suffered an explosion on January 18th resulting in the loss of 155 men. Recovery of the pit took some 19 months and ranks as one of the longest operations of it's type in the world.

Arthur, like his father, possessed the 'Staffordshire Knot' medal, his bearing 5 bars for his involvement in rescues at Jamage Colliery 1911, Norton Colliery 1912, Silverdale Colliery 1913, Crackley Colliery 1914 and the Minnie (Podmore Hall) Colliery 1918

Arthur, known to his friends and colleagues as 'AB', moved on in 1921 to establish Rescue Teams in the Forest of Dean where he became one of the countries leading Instructors in Mines Rescue. In 1922 he compiled a book called The Rescue Man's Manual, this being probably the first printed reference manual for the mines rescue industry. This book covered the subject of how we breath, use of breathing apparatus and the gases found in mines before and after disasters, together with the Do's and Don'ts of mines rescue.

As a keen photographer he also produced, in 1937, a series of underground photographs, taken mainly in the Lightmoor Colliery, which he used as training aids. Such underground photography was unusual given the obvious dangers of using flash gun to illuminate the subject matter.

He continued as Superintendent Instructor and took on the role of Civil Defence Instructor during the second World War. He remained active in rescue work throughout this period and was involved most notably in the flooding of the Arthur & Edward (Waterloo) pit in 1949. He retired in 1959.

His cluster of 5 Military medals shown here.

L to R - 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939/45 Defence Medal and Meritorious Service Medal