Collier Laddie (eBook)

Monday 30 January 1984

Monday morning again. Bobby England’s on dayshift with us this week. He has got his date to retire, in March I think? Soon there’ll be none of the old team left; old Harry Parker died last October; Hughie Ritchie retired last summer, and now Bobby…! The backshift’s tokens were all lifted at the Time Hall and all the miners went back home in sympathy with the men from E21 Face. I don’t know how this will affect us tomorrow on the day shift. This evening I watched a documentary about Scott Lithgow’s shipyard closing down, it reminded me of the pits… (4,000 men went home today, half the Scottish workforce, because of the Overtime Ban). This Government is bringing Scotland to its knees. In a few years I don’t think there’ll be much left up here.

Tuesday 31 January 1984

Arrived at work to find large crowd of workers assembled outside the pit baths. There must have been over a hundred men. The dispute had carried on from yesterday, and most of the miners (Group 1) all went back home. Myself, still being in the Tradesmen’s Union (Group 2) was able to attend my work. Out of about 400 men about 50 were working. Little Hughie Allan took a lot of stick because he worked (he is a Group 1 man). The 24-Hour Warning was put into effect, so I don’t know whether we will be working tomorrow or not.

Wednesday 8 February 1984

Surprisingly, we were all working at the colliery today. The coal cutting machine that had broken down was brought up to the surface, and anyone who was anyone was gathered round it to try and find out what had gone wrong with it. I’m not sure yet as to what was exactly wrong with it! Otherwise, quite a quiet day for me again. There was a pit-head meeting at 2:30pm. The Area Union Executive were there, and Neilly Valentine, the Group 2 delegate from Lugar, was there as well. They told the assembled crowd of miners (about 100 in all) that the Government was out to destroy the mining industry in Scotland, and that the pits that had been closed down were not really exhausted and that they had plentiful working reserves of coal left. Neilly Valentine then gave a rousing patriotic speech about this being a fight to save Scotland’s pits for our children, and so on… He warned us that we could be the next to go, along with Polmaise, Cardowan and Bogside ollieries… Scott Lithgow, Ravenscraig, Bathgate and numerous other firms who had went to the wall.

Monday 13 February, 1984

Routine day at work. Men from Killoch were picketing at Barony today. The men at Seafield Colliery have went on Strike calling for an all-out stoppage in Scotland. I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to find out what course of action we’ll be taking.

Alex Shanks, Edinburgh

Ah wis oan Newcraighall Strike Committee

A single mither wi next tae zero

Gied us a fiver oot o her giro

Men gied us free beer fae Dryborough Brewery.

The right tae work, that wis aa that we asked

Demands which the Tories said went too faur

Fir tellys, holidays, mibbes a caur

Sae judges an lawyers taen us tae task.

Ah wis dragged through the courts, heavily fined

An haen nae previous wis nae defence

Fined twa hunner pound fir a first offence

Aa ah did wis staun oan a picket line.

Ah’ll nevvir forget it, it’s left its mark,

It festers there yet, somewhaur in the daurk.

Billy Hodge, Cumnock

Gaun doon the Pits wis an easy road oot

Ma faimily aa went sae ah went tae

Ah wis deeply involved wi the Strike, nae

Qualms, fir a year it wis ma main pursuit.

We went wir ain road an ah’m proud tae say

The hale community pued thegither

A band o comrades, cared fir each ither

We raised oor ain funds an peyed oor ain way.

Pits huv been the wey o life aroond here

Fowk wha owned pubs earnt money fae miners

Fowk wha hud shops earnt money fae miners

Noo we kin haurdly afford tae buy beer.

We’ll nevvir win back whit the Tories took

The future? This isnae the place tae look.

Monday 5 March, 1984

Lot of work piled up today. The mine car tippler main bearings collapsed, that caused a lot of problems. Went down pit with John Gibson to work on inset level creepers. It was terrible. I had to lie in mud about 8 inches deep and my boots were full of stinking water. Afterwards I felt really disgusted about the conditions we have to work in sometimes. We scraped the muck, which was clinging in lumps to my boiler suit, off with old hacksaw blades, then I had to mix sand with Swarfega to get the dirt off my hands. On the news, Yorkshire Coalfield has called a Strike starting from next weekend. I’ll probably hear tomorrow how this will affect us.

Tuesday 6 March, 1984

Busy again today. Nearly slept in. Windows at Time Office (where we lift our tokens) were closed at ten to seven. John Stirling, the personnel manager, didn’t look too pleased. Creeper chain broke on Bottom Level, spent about three and a half hours down pit repairing it. Heavy, gruelling, dirty work. It would’ve been worse but they weren’t winding coal though because they were replacing the main bearings on the coal tippler up on the pit-head. Fell out with Alex McLatchie the banksman again. I find it really difficult to get on with that guy. Came home knackered at 3pm. Heard that they have called for a National Strike in Scotland from Friday. God knows what’ll happen now. I hope we get working a full week this week or my finances could hit trouble.

Wednesday 7 March, 1984

Got up a bit earlier today. Another gruelling shift fitting chain to inset level chain creeper. I was covered in greasy muck from head to foot. We worked at it for nearly the whole shift. We got it on eventually though. I finished early, at 1:30pm. It took me ages to get cleaned up. Came home and went to bed for a couple of hours.

Thursday 8 March, 1984

Finished creeper job today then spent a slightly easier day on pit-head. No more word yet on whether we are Striking. There’s to be a pit-head meeting tomorrow. I lifted £10 from the bank, but I’ll need to watch my finances for a while.

Friday 9 March, 1984

Had to go down pit today to change piston assembly on inset-dip off-going cylinder. Was cold and wet. Rest of shift wasn’t so bad though. Alex Peters (deputy chief engineer) came in and gave me a row for sitting about at 1:30pm. The men had a show of hands today and voted to work on Monday. I’m undecided though, but I won’t cross a picket line if it comes to the crunch.

Jim Armitage, Fallin

Ah worked as a coalcutting machineman

Ah worked wi ma faither fir fourteen year

But eftir the Strike it suin became clear

There’d be nae mercy fae Wheelers henchmen.

Fifty year auld, an ye’re oan the scrapheap

Ah’ve mind ah walked owre that bing every day

It taen juist three months tae clear it away

Ninety years o toil, gone fae the landscape.

An ah’ve mind this section, that man, this run

The camaraderie, the boys ah knew

A wheen o them’s away, deid and gone noo

Ah’ve mind o the laughs we hud, an the fun.

Ah tried tae write a book, aboot the Pit,

Ah managed twa pages, an that wis it.

Sunday 11 March, 1984

Arthur Scargill was on Weekend World today. He put up a good case for Strike action. I won’t be working tomorrow. Went to cinema at Ayr tonight, an American comedy titled Risky Business was on. It was very good.

Monday 12 March, 1984

My first day on Strike. Got up about 10am. Did some flower order deliveries for Mum. Passed Barony Colliery gates about 2pm. There were quite a few pickets, some police and a TV camera. The dayshift had virtually all worked, but the backshift went home. I don’t think anyone will be working tomorrow.

Tuesday 13 March, 1984

Strike seems to be taking more effect now. I don’t think any pits in Scotland were working today. The television showed scenes from pit gates in Nottingham, Wales and Scotland. There’s some mixed feelings among the men, especially in Nottingham, but they make big wages there so they’ll be the last to come out probably, they’re having a secret ballot there on Friday.

Wednesday 14 March, 1984

The News at One said that the NCB (National Coal Board) had applied for a High Court injunction to prevent NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) pickets from Yorkshire picketing pits in Nottingham. There was a lot of violent picketing at pits in England and at Bilston Glen in Scotland.

Thursday 15 March, 1984

A miner was killed on a picket line in Yorkshire, the cause seems a bit of a mystery though. The NUM says they will carry on with illegal flying pickets.

Wednesday 21 March, 1984

Went up the town to see what was happening. The Working Men’s Club was closed. Seemingly it’s closed Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Stood at Tally’s Café for a while with ‘Cocky’ Whiteford and Big John McKnight. There were a lot of miners gathered at the shelter next to the Pigeon Club, they were waiting for claim forms to help them pay their rent. A car-load of pickets arrived, they were getting a free meal at the Pigeon Club. Nationwide, the Strike is carrying on. There was a family from Yorkshire on telly, they were finding things hard and had to start rationing their food. The police are still trying to stop pickets from leaving one area to picket another.

Margaret Armitage, Fallin

The Fallin weemin...