William Garside Phillips
William Garside Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Hyde, Manchester, England |
| Died | January 1, 1929 (aged 79) Ansley Hall, Warwickshire, England |
| Other names | The Field Marshal of Warwickshire Coalfield |
| Occupation(s) | Mining executive, community leader, Justice of the Peace |
| Years active | c.1858–1929 |
| Known for | Managing director of Ansley Hall Colliery; Founder of Warwickshire School of Mining; Chair of Atherstone Rural District Association |
William Garside Phillips JP (13 April 1849 – 1 January 1929) was a trailblazer in mining education, served as managing director of Ansley Hall Colliery, and held the position of chair for the Atherstone Rural District Association from 1907 until 1929. He was famously dubbed The Field Marshal of Warwickshire Coalfield.
Family and personal life
Phillips was born in Hyde, Manchester, to parents John Phillips and Eliza Wilde, coming from a lineage strongly connected to the coal mining industry. In 1871, he wed Emma Grundy, and together they had five children: Annie Mary Helps, Edith Tew, Gertrude Tremlett, Joseph Herbert Phillips, and Coningsby Wilde Phillips. The family moved to Warwickshire in 1879.
Death
Phillips passed away at Ansley Hall on 1 January 1929. His funeral was marked by a procession featuring over one hundred wreaths, many contributed by large organizations. In tribute, his family gifted a West Window crafted by Karl Parsons to St Lawrence Church in Ansley in 1931, alongside an oak screen, choir stalls, and electric lighting. The dedication ceremony included an address by the Bishop of Coventry.
Mining
Starting work at the Hyde and Haughton Collieries at just nine years old, Phillips rose to management by age seventeen and obtained his Mine Manager's certificate after attending evening classes following long shifts of thirteen hours. In December 1879, he assumed the role of managing director at the Ansley Hall Coal and Iron Company's colliery in Warwickshire, which was then facing serious difficulties. Under his leadership, it was developed into one of the most advanced and prosperous pits nationally. Notably, he introduced electric haulage underground nearly four decades earlier than common practice. His expertise earned him the title “Field-Marshal of the Warwickshire coalfield.”
Mining roles
- Chair of the Warwickshire Coalfield Wage Board
- Chair of the Warwickshire Coal Owners’ Association
- Founder of the Warwickshire School of Mining
- President of the Chesterfield and Midland Institute of Mining Engineers
- President of the Warwickshire Mining Students’ Association
- Warwickshire representative for the Mining Association of Great Britain
Community
Phillips led the Nuneaton division of the Conservative and Unionist Party but chose not to stand for election as MP for Nuneaton. In 1904, he generously provided land for establishing Ansley’s village school, which opened in 1906. Appointed a Justice of the peace for Warwickshire in 1906, he served on the Atherstone bench. His additional leadership positions included:
- Chairmanship of the Nuneaton Conservative Party
- Chair of Ansley Parish Council
- Chair of the Atherstone Board of Guardians
- Chair of the Board of Guardians Vaccination Committee
- Chair of Atherstone Rural District Council from 1907 to 1929
- Vice-chairman of the Nuneaton Gas Company
- Founder and president (1900–1929) of the Ansley and District Agricultural and Horticultural Society
- President of the Nuneaton Town Cricket Club
- Trustee for the Charity of St John Twycross and John Perkins