I wish I could have been a miner

[History Buff]

I wish I had been a miner.  But when I was born to late it would be great to hear from some guys that had been miners.

[jrdawson]

well i worked at whittle colliery and ellington.
at whittle it was the old type of mining, handfilling, bumping, longwall cutters not like doscos and continuous miners like ellington.
Hard work but an experience.

[History Buff]

Sounds like hard work don't think many young lads today would do it lol. I would like to hear more about those methods and tools you mentioned they sound really interesting and also where you think the future of mining lies or is it dead.  Gasification or something seems like the future of mining to myself.

Living local myself I meet a lot of people daily most of whom seem to have been miners.  This regeneration buzz it seems bypasses a lot of these folk by shame.  Yes I can google the History of mining read a book about it even watch an old movie.  But hearing some of the people talking about it can't be beat these are the men that lived and sadly died doing a job that kept Britain running.  Perhaps your group could or has arranged a event for former miners to share there experiences.  Just a thought.

History Buff

[jrdawson]

I must be in a chatty mood today. This is my third post today.

Mining. I loved the friendship down the mine. Comradeship, all miners looked out for each other.
There must be lots of memories to be told. Lets get a few up.
I trained at Ashington Colliery, befor going to my mother pit, Whittle. What a wet pit it was. The top side was poor condition. The bottom side was brillian conditions.
I worked in all aspects of mining. Handfilling kept me fit. Hard work, but it was good money too.
I went on to train on machinery. Again at Ashington.
Then i went to Ellington.

[History Buff]

You guys have any photos or stories that would be great the worst thing for history is to forget it

[jrdawson]

over the next few weeks i will post a few stories on my time underground. also a story when i got badly hurt and rushed out the pit to hospital.

[History Buff]

Look forward to those stories

[jrdawson]

I began my training for the coal mines in 1977. As i was 22 i had to take adult training at Ashington Colliery. I was to begin work at Whittle Colliery near Alnwick when my training was accomplished. I chose Whittle as it was only about a years wait for face training and a lot of money compared to what iwas actually making at the factory. I actually trained as a motor mechanic but the wages were paltry compared to the factory and of course the wages at the pit were better than the factory.
There was a large group of us from Choppington and Guide Post who began our training. My brother was one of them. I remember my job interview. Chris "Kit" Miller was the manager and a good frien of my father. My father was a long wall cutter man at Longhirst Colliery when Kit Miller was manager there.
He said to me "Youre a big lad Johgn. I bet you can fill coal all day." i smilled had a chat and went for my medical in a van the very next day. It was full of lads i knew,. We went to Seaham and had our medical. Back to Whittle, got our lockers, tally numbers etc. Then Ashington for training.
Well this had to be the best laugh we ever had at this training gallery underground at Ashington. We did training on the surface too. Watched miniong films to give us some idea on the what the job was all about.
I remember training on the underground haulage. Pig Tails, ham shanks, endless rope haulers were all in the training. And one term used on the phone was "A hedgehog is on the rope." This was used to stop the hauler and het it fixed by the right people. A hedgehog ? well that is when the rope splines come apart and they look like a hedgehog. The rope is split and resplined. Pig Tails and Ham Shanks were used to connect tubs to the wire rope.  A hedgehog would stop this rope going through the drum or even break and could cause a serious accident or even kill someone.
We trained on signals too. Especially for the haulage. Imagine you were with a set of tubs and you are by yourself. Youre marra is on the hauler. You see something on the "way" rail track. To stop it you can use emergency lock out. Or Ring once on the bell if you knew it would stop in time. The way could be blocked by a fall of stone. It might be large and take a while to move. Then you would have to secure where the fall was. This hopefully would stop any more stone falling from that spot. Two raps sent the tubs inbye. Three raps, outbye. There weere slightly more complicated ones but would take too much time to explain.
We had visits to the coal face and saw the shearers in operation. It was vey interesting. We travelled inbye by means of man-riding conveyor belts. and of course on our legs, lots of walking to do. The man-riding belts were designated for this use as the belts on the bottom and top were alighted by a platform.
The coal still came out on the top of the belt so as you were coming outbye, towards the shaft, you came out with the coal.
We learned all aspects of mining for our training, but more training was to follow when we were sellected by our mother pit to become face workers, and we had to attend again for to prepare for that part. That is another story i will write.
After our initial training we went to our mother pit, Whittle, and as soon as we got down the mine you saw the difference. Water was a problem, however, we got paid wet money, not much, but it helped the pay at the end of the week.
I went with another lad who had been at the pit many years to get acustomed to the pit and know my way about. He was called "Dicky" and was a conveyor belt operator. what a boring job. Then i went on face supplies, girder leading, and stone dusting.
After i was finished being with diferent people and different jobs i was asked to go on face supplies. I was put on Arthur Collinsons Shift. He was overman. He kept me on it for good. I was as fit as a lop. The work was done very quickl;y as we face suppliers were good at our work. When complete we made our way out of the pit and out of the drift for fresh air. Some lads who smoked hid there tabs at the surface and got them when they got out.
I remember Arthur Collinson saying to us, "You beat me out the pit. Its not right and im overman" He wanted us to take extra supplies in. "On your bike" was my reply. In my mind tho, not to his face. We satill beat him out, but hid so he didnt see us.
I enjoyed the supply work and the money. But this was only the start of my mining career and more to come and train for,

More soon.

[History Buff]

I really enjoyed you story it had a real flavour of comradeship to it seems to me after reading it that you had a really good time though dangerous and hard the work must have been.

Was it the case of you probably went to school with the lads you went down the pit with, drank with them after work and could depend on these lads come hell or high water.

I would also imagine that you become best pals with the lads you worked with after all these same lads would be the ones watching your back maybe even save your life.

I look forward to hearing more of your life down the pit ever thought of getting it all down on paper it would make a very interesting read I had a chuckle at the term wet payment now health and safety would step in and promptly do a safety review followed by a review of the review and on it would go.

Best wishes History buff

[jrdawson]

The lads i trained with i knew and some went to other collieries. It was coincidence. However, comradeship was built up very quickly with miners you met. Still see a few of them today.
I remember in the baths one day and a miner spoke to me. I replied, "Hiya" but i said to myself, "Who is he" What a laugh when i realised who it was. It was that when he had his pit hat on you could see a bit hair and side burns. In the baths he was practically baldy. It threw me. The man i still see today

Yes we had many a pint as at Whittle we had darts competitions etc and met up ar Red Row at the Brick Club. Wish those days were back.

[History Buff]

Apparently it was expected that Son followed Father whom had followed his Father down the pit.

The Gentleman telling me this had not followed his Father down the pit but had joined the Navy aged 15.

Apparently his Father had said "Your not going down the pit lad do anything else"

He went on to explain how he had came to join the Navy seemed causal to me a chat with a fellow and you were in but I guess this was the way things used to be.

He described a time when you left one job and started another the next day.

My own Father had described this as late as the 60s although now it seems like a tall tale.  I don't doubt it for a moment.