Alex and his twin brother, Ivor, were born in Radstock to Alexander Hann and Nelly Hann, née Martin, on 18th July 1924. School days were followed, almost immediately, by, an RAF uniform and time in service in India, Malaya and Indonesia. After the war, Alex returned to Radstock, and followed his father underground.

In 1953, Alex married Audrey Presley, and settled down to family life at one of the mine manager’s cottages at Old Pit Road, Westfield, on the site of the Old Norton Hill colliery. It was from there that his family grew, with the arrival of sons, Simon and Jeremy, and from there, that his particular interest in mine safety developed.

Keen to advance himself, he studied hard; eventually becoming a certified Mine Manager. And, like many miners before him, Alex joined the Mines Rescue Service.

Following in the footsteps of Mr Riley, G.G. Phillips, Harold Senior and Fred House, Alex become the fifth and final Superintendent of the Somerset Mines Rescue Service in 1961.

He regularly lectured on safety at the Mining Institute at Old Mills, and it was here that he introduced his invention, the Koncap, a device that could be used in the classroom for the training and examination of miners in recognising the presence of firedamp (methane gas). Its predecessor, the Clowes Cupboard, could only be viewed by one man at a time; the Koncap allowed a whole class of men to see the effects of firedamp on the flame of a safety lamp, an advance welcomed countrywide.

Alex continued as Superintendent of the Mines Rescue Service until it was disbanded in 1974, with the closure of the last Somerset Mine, Kilmersdon Colliery at Haydon. During that time, he was involved in the rescue work that followed the Aberfan disaster in October 1966, and started his own business, Gasex in 1968.

The new company traded in mine safety equipment and design, and was expanded in 1973 to include a private, independent Mines Rescue Station that covered mines in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.

1968 also saw Alex invest his own money in a private venture to develop a new mine, at Hunstrete, Marksbury.

Unfortunately, this was less successful than the Koncap. So, with the closure of the Somerset collieries, Alex spent an increasing amount of time in Cornwall, training miners in rescue work for the Cornish tin mines. Alex remained actively involved in mine safety through his working life, work in which he was eventually joined by his sons.

A long-standing supporter of Radstock Museum, in retirement, Alex has been generous with his time and his stories, sharing his knowledge and experience for the benefit of future generations. From oral history interviews to TV and radio appearances, Five Arches articles to talks on the Mines Rescue Service, Alex has helped shape our understanding of the Somerset coal industry and the people who work in it.

A highlight of each passing year was the annual get together with old friends at the miners’ reunion at the Museum. His last outing came in March this year, when he attended the Museum’s Bygone Days talk on the history of the Mines’ Rescue Service. In typical Alex style, he followed the speaker by saying a few words to those who attended and offered a short recitation. Held in high esteem by those he trained, many of whom stayed in touch long after the Somerset and Cornish mines had closed and they had themselves retired, Alex will also be missed by his many friends at the Museum.

Alex is survived by his sons, Simon and Jeremy. Today, the family business has been split in two: Simon deals with the provision of breathing apparatus and compressed gasses, while Jeremy runs Gasex Ltd from the old pithead baths at the former Ludlows Colliery in Radstock. The latter continues the family link with Mines Rescue work, contracting to several mining companies in UK and Ireland, training their teams in all aspects of Mine Rescue work, as well as training general industrial customers for working in confined spaces.

Following a family and close friends cremation, there will be a Thanksgiving for Life service at St Nicholas Church in Radstock to which everyone is welcome. This will be held on Monday, 24th June at 11.30 a.m.

Julie Dexter