THE KLONDYKE PIT 1952 - 54 - Craigmillar Archives Trust

THE KLONDYKE PIT 1952 - 54
I LIVED IN BINGHAM AT THIS TIME and left
school on the Friday and started work on the
tables on the Monday day shift 6-2pm. After
about a week I moved up to the bashing on - as
it was called - on the tumblers.
There I met a man (I say man
because I was just a 15 year old
kid), called ‘Sporter’ who took me
under his wing, so to speak, then
it was on to the Snibbling where
we had a very happy time trying
to be the best at this. I progressed
to Underground training out at the
Lady Victoria, this during 19521953.
ON COMPLETION OF THE
TRAINING I was allowed
underground. My first job there was with an
old man - he must have been old because one
day he asked my name. When I said ‘Joe’, he
said, “No, not your first name, your surname,
so I said ‘Gibson’. He then asked for my
mother's maiden name, so I told him Scott. He
then proceeded to tell me that he had worked
with my grandfather at the number 10 pit
years earlier. I could hardly believe it. He said
I was Joe Scott's double and that's what made
him curious.
MY NEXT JOB was with someone
called Neill Craig (whose brother
had the band in the Catholic Hall
where we used to go dancing). He
did the splicing of the ropes, I did
the carrying. Life was hard in these
days, although I never got to the
face, I met a few characters - 2 of
which were the 2 Poles, Norbert
Juresinski and Frank Smelenski.
We used to race each other up and
down each day from pit bottom to
the run which was 24South.
I left the pit in 1954 and joined the Army, I
remained in the Army for 23 years and I am
well and truly retired. I would like to hear
from anyone during this time in the pit to get
in touch if they wish.
THE PITS
THIS LADY WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE
JEWEL COTTAGES before the development of
Craigmillar. Most other family worked down the
mines. Whilst working, they wore moleskin
trews called "bow yanks", which had braces
round the legs to stop the
rats running up them. Often
they would return home
with their trousers "stickin'
to them" with the dirt. The
women never washed their
men's backs, because there
was a superstition that they
would wash their strength
out. The miners were
known as "black backs".
IT WAS COMMON FOR WOMEN TO SMOKE
PIPES in these days. I recall my auntie
smoked a pipe. She also worked at the mines
on the pit face, where she sorted out the
different sizes of coal.
IF ANYONE WAS KILLED IN
THE PIT. it was closed; news
got around quickly. There were
accidents every day from falling
coal. There was a special
ambulance for the pits that used
to take the injured away, but
there was no special doctor, he
was your own.
I REMEMBER THE GENERAL STRIKE OF
MINERS CARRIED THEIR LUNCH TO WORK 1926. Soup was made at the Jewel in a big
in "tammy cans", but they never had meat
vat. During the strike there was sometimes
sandwiches as they went off very quickly.
friction between the police and the strikers.
One day my brother and two others tried to
I REMEMBER THE NIDDRIE & BENHAR
throw the gaffer off the coal-bing. They were
COAL COMPANY miners got a ton of coal for
arrested, but the union (federation) bailed
half a dollar (half a crown or 2/6 - 2 shillings & them out after 2 days.
6 pence= 12½pence). They were able to get it
cheaply.
COKE - THE REAL THING
WE MADE OUR WAY OVER THE
FOOTBALL PITCH towards the railway
siding and there was one wagon there.
The snow had stopped falling and the only
sound was the crunch of our footsteps on
the snow. We climbed
through between the old
railway sleepers and on
to the track next to the
wagon, where I got the
bag from my sister and
managed to clamber on
top of the wagon which
was covered in snow. It
was flat and smooth and
I thought, "This isnae
coal!"
until I managed to break it, allowing me
to fill the bag then drop it down to my
sister on the ground. I climbed down and
got a hold of the bag on to my shoulders,
with my sister helping, by holding the
bottom of the bag. We
then made our way back
over the football pitch.
We were freezing and
the gloves I wore were
in shreds as the scraping
of the coke had torn
them into pieces.
AT HOME MY FATHER
MANAGED TO GET THE
FIRE STARTED and we at last got some
heat into the house. I was about nine
SCRAPING THE SNOW away, I suddenly years old at the time and my sister was a
year younger, with our wee brother was
realised it was coke! Hard packed and
only months old, which meant we really
frozen solid with the cold, I scraped and
needed to keep the house as warm as
scraped at the hard surface of the coke
possible.
A NEWCRAIGHALL MEMORY
David Thomson
I WAS THE SON OF THE
COBBLER at the Klondyke pit. All
the kids at that time played in the
streets or went up to the pit head
baths for a shower,
this was because
there were no baths
or showers in the
miners' houses.
road so that I could see my dad
mend the miners' tackety boots.
The houses were small affairs, a
bedroom and a living room, the
coal cellars were all
outside, in my dad's
case it was down the
stairs.
I SEE THE SCHOOL
SEEMS TO BE THE
EVERYBODY IN
SAME, alas the
THE VILLAGE at
that time knew all the kids and all village is no more than a housing
scheme now.
the kids knew the adults.
I USED TO GO ACROSS THE
BRIDGE which crossed the main
DUGS!
DUGS! CRAIGMILLAR DUGS IN PARTICULAR.
his business, since back in the '60s, you didn't
There was a time when all my mates and me
need to chaperone your dug everywhere. As we
had our own dugs! Mine was a red-haired
lived on the top landing of number 8 Craigmillar
cross-breed Terrier we called Rusty. And a
Castle Terrace, Rusty had to go down the stairs,
friendlier, happier dug you never met before.
out the back-green, do his “doings” and then
Like most terriers, he was intelligent, quick,
he'd bound through the stair and cross the road
sometimes disobedient and lots of fun. My
to stair number 5, barking quite happily. He'd
brothers and I loved our dug! And why not - he bound up the steps and into the stair and five
was a kid, one of us! It was the same for my
minutes later, come bounding back out, with his
pals' dugs! They were just like their masters
buddy, Pal, following at his tail. Pal was my best
too! Sometimes, I watched him from the living mate, Mikey's dug. Older than Rusty, he was a
room windows at the front of the house, so it
black and white cross-breed with a very uneven
was from there, I discovered my dug had an
temper. I tell you, the amount of times Pal
early morning ritual he shared with his pals!
nearly had my hand off - and I was just being
friendly! Anyway, the pair of them, crossed
IN THE MORNINGS, we let Rusty out to do
over to the evens side of our street and headed
for stair number 4. A few short barks later,
they'd be joined by Shep, my mate Brian's dug!
Shep was a short-legged, long-haired golden
collie, yet another local beast with a uneven
temper. He'd bare his teeth for the least
infringement, so you had to be careful with
him.
AND SO THE TRIO, WOULD BE OFF along
the street to stair number 10, to pick up my
one-time girlfriend, Georgina's dug, Rex. Rex,
was a deep-coated black and tan mongrel with
a terrier's face, and was a very friendly dug.
Once Rex joined the trio, all four scampered
off, noses to the ground as if following an
animal spoor on a hunt … and the last you'd
see of them, was as they belted up across the
plantations at Craigmillar Castle Terrace, into
Craigmillar Castle Road, and up the Castlebrae
toward either the “Danger” woods, or Hawkhill
Quarry. 2 to 4 hours later, they'd wander back
for their dinners (one would imagine) and wait
patiently at their own homes for their young
teenage masters to return from school.
AND THEN WE WERE ALL OUTSIDE playing
in the streets, backgreens, park and or woods,
or up to Arthur Seat, animal and humans alike.
That was the joy of having dugs in Craigmillar.
YEARS LATER, THE CORPORATION
CLAMPED DOWN on letting your dug run free.
I remember Councillor Winnie Black
campaigning to have them rounded up, because
they did travel round the area in packs, and
had argie-bargies amongst themselves, with a
fight every so often. Just like us kids. We were
all a wee bittie feral I suppose. But it was her
sister, Helen Crummy who didn't like dogs …
and she was the killjoy behind getting
DREAMS
THE ANCIENT GREEKS used to maintain
that "The Gates of Dreams " existed in
Hades. If you passed
through the Ivory Gates
your dreams were
delusions, but through the
Horn Gates were true
dreams. Whether they
existed or not doesn't
really matter as I suppose
the intention was to show
that dreams only come true when there is
a real substance to them, and you work
at making them a reality. If, on
the other hand, you hope that a
particular dream will come true
but do nothing to make it so, it
will evaporate slowly like the
puddle on the ground. When we
are young, we dream of
changing the world, owning our own
house, being rich and all without a
thought as to how this will happen.
I REMEMBER MY OWN YOUTHFUL
DREAMS. The main one was that I was
going out to Africa as Mary
Slessor the Second! I read
everything that had been
written about her, but then
the War broke out and by
the time it was over, the
world was a different place
and missionaries had
become a dying breed.
Would I have made my 'Horn Gates' if
circumstances hadn't intervened?
I suppose I'll never know the
answer to that.
I REMEMBER TOO, that as a
twelve year old pushing a yellow
barrow, property of E & D Dairy
Company through the streets of
Craigmillar, I would talk to a younger
sister who kept me company on the dark
winter mornings. I would talk about my
dreams for the future, my hope for
changes - especially when we arrived at
the gates of Peffermill House.
THE BARROW WITH ITS NOISY
RIMMED WHEELS was left at the
beginning of the drive and the milk
bottles carried up to the door, where the
manservant was standing waiting to
accept same. No loud noises were
allowed on these visits, as these would
disturb the slumbers of the owners of the
house.
could weave about Peffermill. The
chestnut trees in the autumn provided us
with a veritable store of conkers, and in
the spring, the daffodils grew in profusion.
I HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS with
that younger sister, discussing my plans
for the future - the countries I would visit,
the adventures I would tackle, but she
never shared her dreams with me. Her
silence was complete, because she was a
figment of my imagination and there was
no substance to her. She was a dream
that would never be realised. As I grew
older, other girls would sometimes say
IMAGINATION ALWAYS RAN RIOT on that I should count myself lucky. Yet I
these visits. How many people had trod always felt a slight regret that still
this path over the past three hundred
persists, that Gates of Horn would always
years or so, and was there really an
remain closed, and my destiny would be
underground passage to the Castle for
forever the Gates of Ivory.
mysterious messengers to travel, and if
Charlotte King
so, why? The surrounding woods even
lent themselves to the stories that one
THE PITS IN 1974
ONE MINER STARTED
WORK in about 1974; his
start was delayed due to the
1974 strike. This was a big
turning point for the miners
as a substantial pay rise was
awarded. After a medical, he
started as a trainee with a
view to eventual
management. This involved
a 10 day induction course
which gave an insight into
mining. He then worked on
the surface for 3 months,
loading up belt rollers and
loading mine cars etc.
During this time he took ill
and diabetes was
diagnosed; this had not
shown in the mining medical,
in which case he would not
have been allowed to start in
the first place. However he
was sacked, but he took his
case to the union, won and
got his job back. although he
was not allowed down to the
pit face. This was not suitable
as it would make it impossible
for an eventual management
post. He took his case back to
the union and had to prove
plenty of work - trainees,
were being taken on on a
regular basis. Now it is just
ticking over. I think
production has stopped and it
is being developed at present.
ONE OF HIS FIRST JOBS
was stone-dusting. This is a
precaution which is taken
for fire prevention and it is
a typical job for starting
mine work. After this, the
next step is "supplies"
which has a better wage.
Then you can move down to
the face; this involves facetraining. Previously,
there were already diabetics management just sent you
down the mines - eventually down 'cause there was a great
he won and was allowed down demand for face-workers.
Face-training lasted for 60
the mine.
days and you were assigned
AT THE TIME HE WORKED to a man who taught the
various mining techniques.
at Monktonhall there was
ARCHITECTURE
WALKING UP HAREWOOD ROAD TO
MITCHELL ST (now Peffer Place) one full
moon, on a cold and frosty
evening, on our way to the
local pub, Oman's, for a pint,
we crossed over the railway
lines which lead into the
brewery, when we came across
a old man who was leaning on
the railings. He was mumbling
away to himself, "Aye, the
castle's well lit-up the night!"
WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER
thinking of what he was saying,
and I said to him, “Eh? Ye
cannae see the castle frae
here, auld yin! Be it
Craigmillar or Edinburgh
Castle!”
He replied, "No' them! The
McLaughlans brewery castle!"
PUZZLED WE LOOKED UP towards the
brewery building and there high up on the
gable end, was the
McLaughlan brewery logo, made
up of white enamel bricks in the
shape of Edinburgh castle,
within a circular outline.
WHAT THE OLD MAN WAS
ADMIRING was the moonlight
shining on the logo and it had lit
it up just like a big neon sign
that appeared to light up the
whole of the gable end! We walked
on to the pub after admitting to
the old man, that although we
had walked up this road
numerous times, we had never
really noticed it in all those
times we had passed the
brewery. Kind of puts
Craigmillar in a different light,
doesn't it? I mean you look at
it, but do you really see it??
CONKIES
“Are you comin' tae play
Cowboys and Indians up the
'conkies'?”
“Aye okay, lets go. You be the
Indian an' ah'll be the cowboy.”
“How?”
“B'cause ah've goat mah
burthday present guns and
holster - so let's go!”
“Heh, youse guys! Come awa'
ower here an' huv a gemme ae
fitbaw!”
“Aye awright!”
TO LET YER READERS KNOW
where all of this exchange was
placed - it was at Harewood Road
at the bottom of Harewood
Crescent, or Harewood Football Park, as
it was in the 1940/50s. There used to be
And at that short command, we slapped
a large wooden-built green-painted
our beam-ends as though we were on
horses and galloped up the slight slope of hut,which was used as the changing
rooms for the football teams
the 'conkies'.
and other community events for
local people. The Family Circle,
“Bang bang, yer deid!”
forerunner of the later
“Naw ah'm no'! Ye missed me.
Craigmillar Festival Society
An' anywey we've jist stertit an'
(CFS) also held their weekly
you didnae gie me a chance tae
meetings there.
hide!”
Behind the hut, were these
Och aye, awright then! You run
raised earthen banks which
and hide then.”
sloped down on both sides of the lines of
the football pitch. These raised banks,
earned their name because of the old
man who was the Park-keeper (parkie) at
the time. He had a large thin protruding
nose, and when anyone was referring to
the size of his nose, they would say,
“Jeez, whit a conk oan him!” Hence the
'conkies'!
THE END OF THE "CONKIES" Came in
the early 1960s when two large
caterpillar bulldozers with large earthmoving scrapers removed the "conkies"
and flattened the whole area out. The
large green wooden hut was demolished
too, and when it was done, the work-men
stood back and said “Right … there yese
go, bairn's!”
NOT LONG AFTER, the Craigmillar
Hearts Supporters Social Club got
permission to build their club on the land,
but they had to include dressing rooms
and showers for the football players, who
still used the pitch. The irony of the
Hearts Club in Craigmillar is, that the
majority of its members AND committee
… were all dyed-in-the-wood Hibbies! It
was burned down and demolished in
2007.
WEE ‘ANDRA’
WEE ANDRA was a wee cheery man, a character
always whistling or singing and ready to tell a joke.
He lived in Niddrie and though his legs were stunted
and he walked with a swinging gait, he would stop
and have a blether with anybody.
MY DAD WAS A PAL of Wee Andra and they would
talk for hours about horse racing, then because
they liked to have a wee bet now and again,
would put their tanner doubles on with the
street bookie who stood in the back-green
area of Wauchope Place. You would think they
were betting in hundreds of pounds and still
looking for that horse called "Koodadunnit"
ANYWAY, WEE ANDRA'S PARTY PIECE in
the local pub – the White Hoose (especially
when he was skint) - was to challenge anyone to
sit on a chair and he would lift them up! Grown men
would scoff and take up the bet, but Wee Andra's
strength was in his arms and his low centre of
gravity. He could lift the person up, just by holding
the leg of the chair and win his pint!
ONE NIGHT THE PUB WAS BUSY and Wee Andra
was in the company of four of his pals. He caught the
barman's eye and held up his hand to buy his
round of drinks and the barman delivered six
pints of beer. Wee Andra was quick to count
his change and said to the barman that he
had been over-charged for five pints.
THE BARMAN SAID, “Aye, but you held up
yer right hand!”, knowing full well that Wee
Andra had six fingers on his right hand!
Wee Andra gave the barman such a mouthful
that he never tried that one again!