O/T - Any ex-miners on here

I'll throw in a few bits about my old man...

When did you work down in a coal mine? Mid 1950s to Mid 1970s when my mother made him give it up. Worked at Sam Foxes after that

Which coal mine did you work in? Most of the time he was at Elsecar Main but others included Dodworth one near Donny

How long did you work down the mines for? Around 25 years

Did you like your job? He never really talked about it. Had some good mates from the pit he knew all his life.

What did you used to take for your lunch? Usual snap tin stuff, bread dripping etc. Always remember that before going on a shift he’s chew on a raw inion to keep his ‘passages open’

Do you think you got a good wage for the work that you did? Think it was decent enough. He didn’t complain

Did you work with many other people? He was a ripper so worked in a team of three. At one time the others were Anton and Eduard. They were all Polish. Like all the Poles in Barnsley they’d been deported to the gulag or used as slaves by the Germans. Hard though mining was it didn’t compare to the abuse they’d suffered as teenagers the hands of the Soviets and Nazis.

Did you work with any animals? He said the pit ponies were always stealing his snap. I doubt this - he loved animals and was feeding them.

Was your job dangerous, why? Very. A ripper team would move the coalface forward by blowing away the rock above and then shoring up the roof. They did this with explosives. When I was very small I remember a dull purple van (NCB ambulance) drawing up outside our house and my mum going to pieces and rushing out. There’d been a rock fall and he’s been buried, but was ok. Remember the blue scar on his head.

What tools/equipment did you use? Explosive charges among other stuff

 

You are right about the conditions in the coal prep plant they were very dusty in some areas & wet in others & to be honest I preferred working underground , as for bonus well I have never been in favour as it is a tool which divides the workforce & I would much sooner have seen the money on your basic rate , incidentally my dad was president of the union at Elsecar for years , small world .

 

I mentioned it in a previous post. That I failed the x ray when the bus came round. And I would probably have stayed underground ( only serving as an apprentice) given the difference in wages. I remember the union secretary as he lived on the same street as me in Jump. Can't remember other reps names TBH.
When I became a rep at YW. I always fought vehemently against bonuses. As you say divisive. And easily manipulated by the management.

 

mate... a lot of people here feel for you....

 

it's that long ago mate and remember I'm now in my 70's that I can't remember all the men I worked with but Tommy Gibby rings a bell was he sumat to do with the union or a charge man on the face?.

 

My daughter is a teacher and was doing something similar with her class. During the prep she found out about the Huskar Pit disaster at Nabbs wood Silkstone where 26 children lost their lives.
Huskar Pit Disaster (engole.info)
She was quite moved by the story because she discovered that two of the youngest kids (the Burkinshaws) were her great, great great uncles. As a singer/songwriter she was prompted to write and record "I saw a Light" with her band "Broken Flowers". The only good thing to come from the disaster was it was instrumental in bringing about legislation regarding children working in the mines. The children were amazed to learn that in the 19th century 7 year olds were working in the pits as 'trappers'.
BTW The ex Spurs manager from Higham, Keith Burkinshaw, was the great, great nephew of those two boys, George & James Burkinshaw, who drowned.

I Saw A Light - Lyric Video - YouTube

Look at the picture at 5:10. It's heart breaking to think those kids being down a mine in complete darkness drowning.

 

Shame it’s going South

 

Hence. Was , Mate. Still a few good uns though. You are a dying breed.

 

My Dad worked at Dodworth after Redbrook and he once took me and a few mates down Redbrook and worked on the coal face, probably operating an AB Shearer(?). He used to help other miners with their maths to make sure they got paid the right amount. He was a member of the Union but not a charge man. Unfortunately he died in 1994 aged 71 from lung problems. David Gibson

 

.