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Post by John on Dec 16, 2015 12:51:40 GMT -5
Sadly the last deep colliery is closing today, the end of hundreds of years of deep coal mining in the UK.
King Coal RIP...
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Post by fortythreesflyer on Dec 16, 2015 21:27:23 GMT -5
Extremely sad, I live in Castleford, West Yorkshire about 8 mile from Big K, that's the last of any sort of industry for my area, mines,chemical plants,Nestles,coke works,glassworks,brickworks and Burberry to close soon. I would like to know where this upturn in the economy is.
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Post by fortythreesflyer on Dec 17, 2015 21:31:46 GMT -5
Please excuse this post, I have just consumed 3/4 of a bottle of jack daniels plus the same of glen moray (single malt) Big K shuts later today I cannot feel anything but deep sadness the amount of coal reserves is unbelievable but it does not fit into the conservatives plans, what the hell is going to happen to our country?
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Post by John on Dec 18, 2015 8:54:46 GMT -5
In a few years time, when you're asked "what was it like "dahn pit" How will you answer them??
It was dark, so dark that when your caplamp failed, it was as close to being blind without being blind. Noisy, very noisy on the face when the shearer was cutting coal, and yet so quiet that the silence hurt when away from machinery. Cramped and tiring after crawling up and down a low face, getting cramps in the legs in the worst possible positions. Wet from continuous drippers from the roof, hot in humid faces, cold in over ventilated faces. Long walks to and from the coal face through weighted roadways to and from the manriders. The fear at the back of the mind from fire or convergence all shift. A ride on the "magic carpet" when there was less chance of being caught by a senior mine official. That damned haulage chain breaking on the face, broken flight chain on the AFC in 36 inch high faces, or a shearer motor changeout mid face. Ripping lip, get under it pretty fast in case you get caught in a fall of rock. That long walk back to pit bottom when the man rider broke down after a hell of a shift. The sweet smell of haymaking coming down the shaft in Autumn, or fogs and smogs in winter. That grand ride up the shaft at the end of the shift. Then that most glorious thing we all loved at the end of a tough shift, a shower, a hot shower!! Then to the canteen for a hot cup of NCB tea, and a few moments to sort the worlds problems out with a couple of mates, then home.
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Post by dazbt on Dec 18, 2015 10:11:08 GMT -5
not much to do with it all, but just a thought;
Son of a Collier
Tell me abart pit granddad whilst yer sat Is it dark as arr cellar or worss than that? Tell me abart that deputy bloke Hez he really got horns or is it a joke? Duzz he bite and shart a lot? Hez hee er gun to fire that shot? Me dad sed he hez
If they hev mashines that are so smart Why carnt they cut coil and lift it art Carnt yer drive em from up ont top Wi buttons that startem and mekem stop Mi granny ses you’d like that part Yer wunt hev to bother bathin for a start Mi Gram’s a reight laff
Mi mam sez that miners are barmy An I hev to be a sailor or goo int army An that she waint let me work darn pit Sez I ent even got ter think abart it But I thort that you en mi dad Liked it an dint think on it bein that bad Mi mam’s mardy
Will you tork to mi mam an sort it art Tell her you’ll luck after me when ar start Am shuer that yer cud convince her that If I wear the booits, knee pads an an hat Ard be safe wi thee darn undergrarnd Goo on grandad try an tork her rarnd Mi grandads a reight good torker
If mi dad werr heer narr heed tell er An heed hev a word wi that manajer fella Bet mi dad wud let mi wurk darn ‘t pit Cos ar reckon he made some money art er it Wished he werr heer to help me narr Wish heed hed time to set that bar Mi dad got killed in’t pit.
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Post by dazbt on Dec 18, 2015 15:58:49 GMT -5
Please excuse this post, I have just consumed 3/4 of a bottle of jack daniels plus the same of glen moray (single malt) Big K shuts later today I cannot feel anything but deep sadness the amount of coal reserves is unbelievable but it does not fit into the conservatives plans, what the hell is going to happen to our country? You need help Pal, anybody that can drink that JD crap really does need to go on some sort of a corrective course and possibly requires hospitalisation, your only hope is to replace the JD reliance with increased consumption of extra replacement quantities of Glen Moray or possibly something even better from ALDI. On the acceptable side of things I can fully appreciate the need to consume something of mind numbing quantity if not quality before your attempting to read some of the more complex opinionated philosophical rubbish posted widely on "the web" these days. Amen to your thoughts on the Big K closure, I worked there on many occasions almost from its start up until well into the second half of the 1990s, a great pit with fantastic prospects, sacrificed !!
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Post by eleceng on Dec 18, 2015 16:43:48 GMT -5
Daz, thanks for the poem. Brings a small tear to the eye especially on such a sad day. It should be published with headlines in the national press. But, alas, it wouldn't make any difference. Coal minings gone forever!!!
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Post by fortythreesflyer on Dec 18, 2015 18:35:40 GMT -5
Daz I normally drink single malt but my daughter gave the J.D for my birthday. Watching the local news Look North and Calandar it brought a few tears watching the guys coming out of the pit for the last time. The mines are dead long live the mines.
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Post by John on Dec 26, 2015 14:18:48 GMT -5
Now deep coal mining is dead in the UK, I'm going to add a new board in the next few days, I'd like all the ex NCB/BC lads to add their history, ie, when they started, pits they worked at training and something about the individual pits they worked at. I'm not sure if we have anyone old enough to have worked for private enterprise, pre 1947. The reason I ask this, is I think we have lost an elderly member of the site, he would be around 85 yrs old, and his history is now lost. Jim never forgot to send me Christmas greetings every year, but not this year, sadly he lost his wife early this year, and he hasn't answered my last two emails. I'm hoping he is away at one of his kids places.
So what each of us contributes to the new board will be "real life" history for future generations, recorded before we leave this world.
Thanks in advance.
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Post by John on Dec 27, 2015 7:33:04 GMT -5
Now deep coal mining is dead in the UK, I'm going to add a new board in the next few days, I'd like all the ex NCB/BC lads to add their history, ie, when they started, pits they worked at training and something about the individual pits they worked at. I'm not sure if we have anyone old enough to have worked for private enterprise, pre 1947. The reason I ask this, is I think we have lost an elderly member of the site, he would be around 85 yrs old, and his history is now lost. Jim never forgot to send me Christmas greetings every year, but not this year, sadly he lost his wife early this year, and he hasn't answered my last two emails. I'm hoping he is away at one of his kids places.
So what each of us contributes to the new board will be "real life" history for future generations, recorded before we leave this world.
Thanks in advance.
Bit of bad news and good news, Jim's in hospital, been pretty ill, and is getting better, just had an email from his Daughter. That's made my Christmas, was getting worried the worst had happened.
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Post by colly0410 on Dec 27, 2015 8:37:51 GMT -5
Glad to hear that Jim is sort of OK. Get well soon Jim..
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Post by John on Dec 27, 2015 9:46:06 GMT -5
Glad to hear that Jim is sort of OK. Get well soon Jim.. Not Welsh Jim (John), this is another Jim who resides in Canada, ex pit elec from Derbyshire. He hasn't made many posts.
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Post by tygwyn on Dec 27, 2015 19:07:40 GMT -5
Glad to hear Jim in Canada is still with us,hope he`s on the mend.
Don`t jump the gun with your new thread,Deep coal mining is dead,look`s like Aberpergwm is resurrected,
New planning application been approved,big plans afoot.
Only thing,its a bit strange in one way,but not another for Walters, The application was lodged in 2014 with a consultation period of 12mths,up around the time the men were laid off and the mine mothballed,new employee`s will have new work contracts,suiting the company i presume.
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dukie63
Trainee
5th Generation Pitman, were did it all go wrong ?
Posts: 8
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Post by dukie63 on Dec 28, 2015 17:09:11 GMT -5
It is Sad that the last deep mine has closed, i left the industry in 1991 after being transfered to the Selby complex when Darfield Main Closed. I couldn't settle at Selby it wasnt the same. Miners had transfered in from all over the place and there wasnt any of the Comradery we had at Darfield Main so i left but still have many happy memories of my time at Darfield Main and have never had a job since where men look out for each other as we did back then.
It really is a Sad day for any ex Coal Miners in the UK
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Post by dazbt on Dec 29, 2015 14:16:48 GMT -5
It is Sad that the last deep mine has closed, i left the industry in 1991 after being transfered to the Selby complex when Darfield Main Closed. I couldn't settle at Selby it wasnt the same. Miners had transfered in from all over the place and there wasnt any of the Comradery we had at Darfield Main so i left but still have many happy memories of my time at Darfield Main and have never had a job since where men look out for each other as we did back then. It really is a Sad day for any ex Coal Miners in the UK Heyup Dukie63, good to hear a proper Yorkshire accent, I agree with you that Darfield was a great pit to work at.
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dukie63
Trainee
5th Generation Pitman, were did it all go wrong ?
Posts: 8
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Post by dukie63 on Jan 2, 2016 17:21:50 GMT -5
Cheers it certainly was, dont see that many of the old un's anymore but lots of the Lads still live in Wombwell, although ito be honest dont get into Wombwell much these days.
We had some real characters for sure, i will always remember as an apprentice getting pillocked into carrying a flow divider off a Mark 2A all way up the heading cos one of the old guys told me i'd break it if i put it on the bottom belt, should have seen em all laughing when i got onto the job totally knackered
That was Charlie Kidd and Mick Rouse, not sure if Charlie is still around but i know Mick passed away some years back.
Another time i stripped off put an old man mask on and hid on the paddy curve until the paddy came passed, when i jumped out Gran Jackson was close to having an heart attack
Then theres the full blown water bag fights riding out on the paddy, and of course the closeness tgat built up between all the lads.
Like i said never had anything close to it, we really looked out for each other back then.
Thanks for prompting so many good memories
PS we must know each other Des Higgs and Mel Hirst were overman on our shift (we had others) while Charlie Rawson and Pete Beard were my last Deputies before i left for Selby
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rob52
Shotfirer.
Posts: 199
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Post by rob52 on Jul 16, 2016 20:35:18 GMT -5
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rob52
Shotfirer.
Posts: 199
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Post by rob52 on Apr 15, 2017 23:53:39 GMT -5
UK Coal The demise of UK deep coal mining: decades of decline Friday 18 December 2015 23.03 AEDT The "Graphical Maps" paint the stark picture of decline"As Kellingley Colliery closes the article shows the decline of the industry from 1960
1960-69 Start of the decline The industry produced 177m tonnes of coal a year from deep mines and employed over 500,000 miners at 483 facilities in the mid-century. But coal was under threat as railways were cut back and moved to diesel and electric power.
1970-79 Strikes and blackouts Deep mine output had slumped to 114m tonnes by the mid-1970s with only 240 deep mines and 300,000 workers. The industry was hit by two damaging disputes in the early years: the 1972 walkout ended in electricity blackouts, factory closures and industry on a three day week.
1980-89 Miners v Margaret Thatcher The steady decline in the industry’s fortunes continued into the 1980s and reached a low point in 1984/5 when the most bitter confrontation took place over wages and pit closures. At this stage there were only 133 deep mines left which produced 133m tonnes of coal with 180,000 workers.
1990-99 Privatisation The pit closure programme accelerated in the 1990s as the deep mines came under pressure from cheap imports from low-wage economies in Russia and Poland. Only 21m tonnes were mined from 16 privatised deep mines using 13,000 staff.
2000-10 Imports overtake UK output The industry was a shadow of its former self by the mid 2000s with a handful of mines producing less than 10m tonnes, less than the open cast mines in this country for the first time. The Selby “superpit” in Yorkshire closed, even as major coal importing facilities were expanded at ports such as Humberside nearby.
2010-15 The end of deep mining: Kellingley, the Uk's last deep mine was closed on 18 December The decline of the coal industry continued. In a symbolic move, UK Coal - which effectively had taken over most of the privatised assets of the National Coal Board in 1984 - split itself between coal and property to regenerate former mining sites. In 2013 UK Coal closed its deep mine at Daw Mill in Warwickshire, followed this year by Thoresby in Nottinghamshire and Kellingley in North Yorkshire. "Sources: Northern Mine Research Society, Government data Rob
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rob52
Shotfirer.
Posts: 199
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Post by rob52 on Apr 22, 2017 19:47:44 GMT -5
National Grid Advise….22 April 2017..... No Coal Fired Generation for 24Hrs in Great Britain for the first time since Industrial Revolution “Britain went a full day without using coal to generate electricity for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, the National Grid says.
The energy provider said Friday's lack of coal usage was a "watershed" moment.
Britain's longest continuous energy period without coal until now was 19 hours - first achieved last May, and again on Thursday.
The government plans to phase out Britain's last plants by 2025 in order to cut carbon emissions.
Friday is thought to be the first time the nation has not used coal to generate electricity since the world's first centralised public coal-fired generator opened in 1882, at Holborn Viaduct in London.“ “1882 - The world's first public coal-fired generating plant is opened at Holborn Viaduct in London 1956 - The Clean Air Act (1956) is introduced to tackle the smog created by coal fired stations. Coal-burning power stations are moved out of cities 1970s - Coal for heating homes is increasingly replaced by natural gas from the North Sea 1980s - Nuclear power grows to around 25% of electricity generation 1990s - 'Dash for gas' as natural gas grows to around 30% of electricity generation, largely substituting for coal 2015 - Renewables account for 25% of power supply 2016 - Government says it wants Britain's last coal power plants to close by 2025“
Rob
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rob52
Shotfirer.
Posts: 199
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Post by rob52 on Sept 23, 2023 7:24:23 GMT -5
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