South Yorkshire Times, January 5th 1957

Goldthorpe J.P. in New Year Honours

Announced in the New Year Honours list published this week is the award of theBritish Empire Medal to Mr Martin Routledge, J.P. of “Victoria House” Barnsley Road, Goldthorpe.

Mr Routledge, who is 55, works as an underground repairer at Hickleton Main Colliery. For the past 18 years he has been treasurer of the local N.U.M. branch, on one occasion being returned unopposed as he was undergoing treatment in hospital.

Since 1948, Mr Routledge has served as a Doncaster West Riding Magistrate, and is a member of the Juvenile Court Panel and the Licensing Committee.

A native of Maryport, West Cumberland, Mr Routledge came to Dearne in 1927 after the great stoppage. For 14 weeks he worked at Harworth Colliery and then transferred to Hickleton.

Beginning work at Siddle Colliery, near Maryport at the age of 14, he has been engaged on most underground jobs during his 41 years service in the pits.

Of Mr and Mrs Routledge’s five children, only the youngest son, Martin lives at home. He is employed at a Doncaster garage. The eldest son, Harry, is chief electrician at Yorkshire Main Colliery, and the second son Jack, is a draughtsman with an aircraft engineering firm. Thwere are two married daughters, Ms Mary Charlesworth, who owns a Doncaster shop, and Mrs Jean Froggatt, who works aas a shorthand typist at the NUM headquarters at Barnsley.

A keen worked for theNational Savings movement, Mr Routledge has been Chairman of the Dearne branch for 11 years.