| Administrative History | Jack Oakes came from Heanor and was a miner in the 1940s.
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| Custodial History | These records were donated to Derbyshire Record Office in September, 2023.
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| Further Information | Jack Oakes Biography
Jack Oakes was born on 2nd November 1925 to Albert Edward and Margaret Oakes (nee Thorpe) in Heanor. He had two siblings, an older brother Albert Edward (Jnr) and a younger sister Jean.
He went to Mundy Street Boys School and left at the age of 14. At school he had become very good friends with Maurice (Mo) Brown who was a couple of years older.
They were friends up until their mid 20’s. Together, they enjoyed walking in the peak district, camping, cycling in the Clarion Cycling Club, bird watching and photography. They were the best man at each other’s weddings.
Jack started work at 14 at I & R Morleys, Hosiery Manufacturer in Heanor.
When his older brother was called up to the RAF Jack took over his window cleaning round.
Jack’s father was one of the partners in Oakes & Quinten Haulage Company and Builders. The family moved to Marpool to a house his father had built. But in 1939/40 the Army requisitioned all the company’s vehicles. The Studebaker DT0 8 was also requisitioned by the Fire Service. With no vehicles the company could no longer continue working. The house was sold and the Oakes family moved to Chaddesden.
Jack was 18 in 1943 and went into the RAF for training. At the end of the training, they all had a choice of which service they would like to join RAF, Army, Navy or to go to be a miner as this was much needed at the time.
Jack had lived around miners all his life. He’d decided that’s what he’d do and he always said ‘he would sooner have hard work than bulls**t!’ He went for training at Creswell in Derbyshire. Although, Jack was not a Bevin Boy as he was not conscripted.
Over a 15-year period Jack worked at Stanley Common, West Hallam and Coppice collieries. He interspersed his work as a miner with working with his father, a builder and learning the building trade.
Jack was very proud that he had canvassed for the Labour Party in the 1945 general election campaign, which they won, although he was too young to vote at the time. He was always very militant and became known as ‘Jack the Red’ at the collieries where he worked. He was blacklisted a few times. He was also a member of the Communist party for a number of years.
Jack married Mary Oakes (nee Disney) from Stanley village in December 1949 at Stanley Church. At first they lived at Dale Road commonly known as The Brickyard in Stanley until they moved to Chaddesden in 1961. They had three children Steven, Sharon and Sally.
For a number of years to make a little more money Jack used to take wedding photos. So, it was extremely disappointing when at his own wedding not one of the photos turned out.
In 1956 Jack was treasurer for the National Union Mineworkers (NUM) at Stanley Common Colliery. He was asked to go as a representative of the NUM on a delegation to Czechoslovakia arranged by the British Youth Festival Committee.
In 1959 Jack decided he wanted a better working life and set up as a self employed builder. This he continued to do into his 70’s.
Jack enjoyed fishing and in the 1970’s was a member of Royal Crown Derby Pub Fishing Club at Chaddesden.
Jack enjoyed his holidays and would take the family away camping and later on in caravans, cottages and guest houses a couple of times a year to numerous places in the UK. He also had holidays in Yugoslavia, Corfu and Austria.
Jack was an avid reader and had a huge collection of books. He had a passion for photography, politics, the countryside and nature. He also very much enjoyed music particularly classical, opera and Country and Western. Paul Wheater Country and Western singer from Yorkshire was his favourite artist.
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