its not safe doon pit lad

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:27 pm

the good old days ?

http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/h005.htm

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:36 pm

just been looking at the names on the st hilda pit disaster and by the names you can see some whole familys must have been wiped out even a 9 year old kid
http://www.dmm.org.uk/names/n1839-01.htm

brian c · Post by **brian c** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:39 pm

Not very user friendly.

Its amazing the number of pits that are listed within 5 miles of Harton.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:10 pm

I've been informed by Bill Griffiths in Seaham that an old miner showed him newspaper cuttings about an accident there in 1952. Apparently a cable slipped and the cage fell 1400 feet to the shaft bottom. No one inside was hurt. This seems incredible.

Does anyone have details?

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:04 am

There were a lot of mine disaster burials in Trinity Church cemetery (alas no longer there). As jimmy said, whole families were lost; some as young as eight years old. Their names are listed somewhere on the web.

captain beefheart · Post by **captain beefheart** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:26 am

This web site is facinating, you can see how dangerous a job was down the pit, one of the most bizzare fatalities was at whitburn when a deputy got lost in the maze of old workings underground and apparently dies of starvation, despite a lengthy search they could not find his body for a long time.

Strike · Post by **Strike** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:50 am

Aye, the pit has always been a dangerous job and usually claimed at least one life every year, never mind all the disasters. It was a bloody awful job, but despite that the sense of being in a team and working together was something I now miss, and never appreciated at the time. Does anyone out there have any memories/memorabilia of the 'Zulu Pickets' from the 84/85 Strike, or any photo's to share?

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:32 pm

Hi Strike, Love the name,
yeah I was on the picket lines and travelled all over the country,
I was at Orgreave when the riot was on and I was on the picket lines when the scabs started to go back to work in the north east,
I enjoyed the strike apart from the result and losing a years wages.
The only items I have are a Coal not Dole sticker and an enamel lapel badge for Horden Colliery.

robpapE2 · Post by **robpapE2** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:45 am

Yes Jimmy that's why many dads didn't want their sons to go down the mines..I know that my grandad worked there as well as Westoe and Boldon Colliery too.
He was the ideal height for that type of work ..namely short (or c**k height ) as it was known in less polite circles

Jarrow Pete · Post by **Jarrow Pete** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:45 pm

captain beefheart wrote:This web site is facinating, you can see how dangerous a job was down the pit, one of the most bizzare fatalities was at whitburn when a deputy got lost in the maze of old workings underground and apparently dies of starvation, despite a lengthy search they could not find his body for a long time.

When I started my apprenticeship at Whitburn Pit and was doing my underground training was often told about this, and also how thirst and hunger had driven him mad so that he had even drank the oil from his safety lamp.During the last six monthes of your time ,apprentices were sent on selected jobs on there own, the first job I was sent to was to repair a pump deep in these old workings where he had been lost.My father who also worked at Whitburn told me to take a piece of chalk and to mark the props on the way inbye so I could find my way out. When I entered the old workings every prop and girder had chalk marks on going back years so every one else who had gone to the pump in the past had the same idea.

Delilahcat · Post by **Delilahcat** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:13 pm

I'm into the family history stuff and when tracing my mam's family through census records discovered my grandfather was down the pit at age 12. His family were originally farm workers and probably saw the pits as a better option. Imagine kids today with the lives they lead having to go down a mine.

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:37 pm

i know of a few kids who could do with been sealed up in a mine

Cisco · Post by **Cisco** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:45 pm

I did'nt work at the pit, but I had a lot of friends who were involved in that strike, my mates older brother went to jail for being a picket another lost his job for hitting a scab when they went back, both worked at westoe.
Jarrow Pete will know the first one I mentioned.

Every worker in the country should have walked out and supported them,
a blind man could see what that evil cow was up to, she was punishing the miners for what happened under Heath and wanted to destroy the unions.
We were once a mighty industrial nation and look what we have now, nothing but call centres and part time jobs.
All through one mad womans spite.

Cisco

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:58 pm

And now Cisco they are unveiling a statue of her tonight.

Would they have a statue of Hitler up in Germany?

To me it is the same thing.

Cisco · Post by **Cisco** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:39 pm

Baldy I think she done more damage to the working class people in this country than Hitler ever done.
As for the statue I think it's an insult, but what can you expect from this government, Tony Blair's hero.

Cisco

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:56 pm

At least her statue will serve some purpose?

It will keep the vandals busy for a while, so they will be leaving other people alone.

Cisco · Post by **Cisco** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:08 pm

That's a good way of looking at it Baldy

Cisco

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:11 pm

I'd be quite happy to sponsor them

Cisco · Post by **Cisco** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:12 pm

Cisco

brian c · Post by **brian c** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:19 am

Cisco it wasn't only the miners, it was the steel industry, shipyards and just about every other heavy industry.

"That'll teach the bug gers to vote labour"

I for want can't wait for her to d1e-

1 - so I can go to her funeral to make sure she's dead

2 - so I can p1ss on her grave.