National Coal Board

The National Coal Board (NCB) was the Statutory Corporation created by the government to run the nationalised coal mining industry in Britain.

It was appointed on 15 July 1946, being made solely responsible for managing the coal industry and running it on business lines, except that the Minister of Fuel and Power, after consulting with the board, might give it directions of a general character.

1947 1 January: On vesting day the productive assets of the 800 or more private colliery undertakings and the service contracts of their employees were transferred to the National Coal Board, as were the coal deposits and other assets of the Coal Commission and the functions and staff of the district selling schemes.

The coalfields (each colliery had its own manager) were divided into 48 geographical areas under the control of an area manager. The areas were grouped into 8 geographical divisions under a divisional board which reported to the National Board.

Subsequently the Board acquired other responsibilities, notably that for the coal survey from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in August 1947, and that for miners' hostels from the Ministry of Labour and National Service in the same year.

1950 Coal mining employed over 700,000 people but successive governments reduced the size of the industry. Closures were originally concentrated in Scotland, but then moved into North East England, Lancashire, and South Wales, and then into all the other coalfields in the 1980s.

1951 The Board took over some of the functions of the Miners' Welfare Commission, and in April 1952 it acquired responsibility for opencast coal mining from the Ministry of Fuel and Power.

NCB developed and patented the principle of the Anderton shearer loader, which was the forerunner of the modern shearer. Licences for its manufacture were given by the NCB to Eickhoff GmbH, British Jeffrey Diamond and Anderson, Boyes and Co.

1954 Decided to set up Central Engineering Establishment to develop mining machinery

1973 NCB formed two holding companies, NCB (Coal Products) Ltd. and NCB (Ancillaries) Ltd. to handle two major aspects of its work not directly related to deep and opencast mining.

1974 NCB constructed a £2million mine near Barnsley to be known as Royston Drift. Work was due to start in the summer and full output of 400,000 tons was the aim of production by 1976-77. Estimated life of the mine was expected to be 30 years.

1977 The Coal Industry Act 1977 gave the board new powers in respect of the acquisition, treatment and sale of petroleum and of working minerals other than coal or petroleum which were discovered in the course of prospecting for or working coal and petroleum.

1987 the NCB became the British Coal Corporation.

With the passing of the Coal Industry Act in 1994 the industry-wide administrative functions of British Coal were transferred to the new Coal Authority, with its assets being privatised, most notably its English assets being merged with RJB Mining to form UK Coal plc.

By the time of privatisation, only 15 pits were left in production.

1997 British Coal Corporation was wound up

Sources of Information

[1] Wikipedia
[2] National Archives

Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

National Coal Board

See Also

Sources of Information