The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #48050 Message #3743548
Posted By: GUEST,Barnacle (at work)
13-Oct-15 - 08:49 AM
Thread Name: who comes from coal miners?
Subject: RE: who comes from coal miners?
My father was colliery joiner and then shaftsmen at Blackhall Colliery in the South Durham Coalfields. His father was a miner too as was one of my brothers and my brother in law was a colliery electrician.
As colliery joiner, my father made coffins for some of the 83 miners lost when, on 29 May (dad's birthday) 1951, there was an explosion at Easington Collier, two pits away.
He was proud of the work and of the friends he made, disagreed with striking for pay, but supportive of striking for safer conditions. I do remember him collecting sea coal to keep us warm through one of the strikes.
Is that close enough?