Hi,
Has anyone got any information regarding Jean Wright, Nellie Kirkham or Dorothy Stone and their general history, occupations and places of residence during WW2. They all caved with Bob Leakey during the initial breakthrough in Mossdale if that's any use.
I know there's loads by Nellie Kirkham online but various people including John Beck (RIP) have looked through Doug's catalogue for stuff about her during ww2 and couldn't find anything. Unless someone out there has found something........
Thanks
Andy

Worth trying someone from Peak District Mines Historical Society as they have loads of stuff on Nellie.

Doug Nash was her literary executor so all her books and papers passed to him.  When Glebe Cootage was sold, after John Beck died, all books, papers, surveys, etc. were passed to the British Caving Library.  BCL tried to ensure that all the mining stuff we could identify on the first pass through the material went to PDMHS.  I understand that all original material was then passed to the Derbyshire Record Office but the PDMHS Librarian will have kept a record of it.

It's possible that more information may emerge from papers from the Glebe Cottage collection, which have still to be transferred from the storage facility to BCL to be checked.  If I do find anything I'll let you know.

The best source for a general overview of Nellie Kirkham is the obit Doug did for the PDMHS Bulletin: http://www.pdmhs.com/docs/default-source/bulletins/bulletin-7-4/bulletin-7-4---miss-nellie-kirkham-(mrs-j-h-d-myatt)---an.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Whilst going through some of the scanned Kirkham papers, I've spotted odd mentions of her activity during the mid-1940s (relating to Ecton Hill, IIRC) but the bulk of the material was 1950s onwards. Another suggestion I can make is get in touch with her nephew Len Kirkham ( of the Crewe) and see if he can give you more information about what she was doing during the war.

Nellie & Dorothy's names appear on one of Leakey's grassington moor surveys from 1941.

& the Leakey archive is at the BCL.

The BSA publications would be a good place to look too, they are mentioned in article here (but not on same trips):
https://hinko.org/hinko/Dowloads/BCRA/BCRA%252028-3-2001.pdf

As she also wrote a sci-fi novel (Unrest of their time - 1938), I found that Nellie married James H.D. Myatt in 1928 & was living with him in Staffordshire during 1939 census.

There's a great photo by Bob Leakey of a group of cavers setting out on a trip, including Nellie Kirkham, from 1940 on a BSA Easter meet in Yorkshire in the BCRA Cave Studies Series 18 - 'Eli Simpson at the BSA': http://bcra.org.uk/pub/cs/index.html?j=18

It's not the only great photo, especially if you're into Derbyshire or Yorkshire caving history - there's some absolute stunners in it, including the Derbyshire Pennine Club with a rowing boat in the Speedwell streamway. Also one of Nellie and Simpson in the canal in the infamous 'tar box' boat.

My memories of Nellie are pretty vague now but I'm sure she had money from her fathers pottery and that at some time she had illustrated books. She seemed to know everyone I knew in Derbyshire and countless others.

The brief biog in the Eli Simpson mag states: "A talented Potteries eccentric, artist and designer who became poet, playwright, novelist and latterly local historian".

From everything I've read that she's written, and what others have written about her, I'm sure I would have got on well with her. She sounded like an extremely interesting person

Some time ago I had an enquiry from a friend who, knowing my research interest in genealogy, asked me to have a look at Nellie's family. I give below the brief details that I sent him:

"Here is a potted genealogy of Nellie and her family. She was born in Stoke-on-Trent 28th August 1896, she married James Harold Douglas Myatt, a dental surgeon, in Stoke in 1928 and she died on 28th May 1979. The couple had no children. She had one sister, Daphne Gwynn Kirkham, born Stoke in 1900. She never married and died in Stoke-on-Trent in 1989. Nellie?s father was Harold Gwynn Kirkham, born 1863 in Stoke, one of 2 sons of William Kirkham. William was an earthenware manufacturer, presumably a successful one as the 1881 Census shows him as an employer of 72 people; Harold inherited the company. The other son, William Reynolds Kirkham, disappears from the UK records after 1891 until his death is recorded in Stone on 20th December 1945 so I assume that he must have gone abroad for some time. As probate of his will was granted to a solicitor and a pottery works manager I assume that he had no family. So there we are."

Bingo! http://www.thepotteries.org/mark/k/kirkham.html

Seems they became portmerion, who I think are still active in the potteries.
https://www.portmeirion.co.uk/ At least I think I?ve seen signs off the uttoxeter road.

I believe she attended Queenwood Ladies College in Eastbourne. Dorothy Pilley - climber and Winifred Ellerman (Bryher)- writer were also pupils.