Hi there
Miners Voices is an award winning voluntary project dedicated to record the living history of our Coalminers and their families for the education of future generations. Using digital recording technology and the internet, it aims to give the men and women who were involved in the Coalmining industry an opportunity to share their life experiences with the wider community.

On 19th November 1957 an underground explosion occurred in the 6ft section of the West Mine at Kames Colliery Muirkirk resulting in the deaths of 17 men. It was one of the last major explosions in the British coal mining industry. Miners Voices have digitally recorded the memories of the miners who were underground in the West Mine on the night of the explosion and who were involved in the rescue and recovery operation that followed. The recordings are now online at:- http://www.muirkirk.org.uk/minersvoices

Were building a links page for other coalmining and oral history sites and I was wondering if you could send me a brief description of your site and web address to be included in it. I was also wondering if you could include our site on your links page. http://www.muirkirk.org.uk/minersvoices

Kind regards
Johnny Templeton

Hi, my name is David Thomson. My grandfather’s name was Walter Todd. Sadly, he passed away (peacefully), early on Monday morning (5th May 08). The family are looking for information about people who may have worked with him, or stories about him.

He worked in the Mines Rescue Station in Kilmarnock from 1957 to 1969 as an instructor.

After that he moved to Coatbridge from 1969 to about 1984ish. At Coatbridge he was the assistant superintendant.

After retiring he and my gran moved to Cumnock, and then to Hamilton in 1991, where they stayed with their daughter, Nancy.

Would anyone with information please get in contact?

Thanks!

David Thomson

Dear friend
Whilst metal detecting in Clackmannan, Central Scotland my friend found, what he now knows to be a “Miners Check” from Balsover Colliery, it is brass and circular. Both his grandfather and his father were miners in Clackmannan, but the pits closed many decades ago. His father recognised the item but not the pit, but still after looking on the web we cannot understand how it came up here.
Any ideas?

Many thanks,
Mick Mingay

Can you or your members help? Apparently my great grandfather, john Kerr was a contractor in the “Doctor's Pit" in Motherwell. I cannot find any records of this pit anywhere. My great grandfather was a contractor and apparently he stopped 1d (as in one old penny) from every single man's wage and 2d from every married man whom he employed. This was used to pay for a doctor for the single man when he needed it but covered all of a married man's family (wife and children). He also allegedly built a house and brought a Dr Kay/Carr?? from Ayrshire to live in this house and minister to his employees. The foundations of this house could still be seen near Flemington in Motherwell (near to Firpark) in 1960. Taggart's showroom now occupies the site. John Kerr originally came from Benwhat near Dalmellington.

If anyone can give me any info on this I would be greatly obliged

Regards

Mary

I hope you can help I am researching my family History. My Grand farther was a miner in the 1920s/30/40 in Scotland I don’t know the pit he worked at is there any where I can search the roll of employees working in different pits. I know he lived in SHOTTS his name was JOHN MC DOWELL . What would conditions have been like down the pit then and what were the wages.

Hope you can assist
Thank you Jean

From: Jenny
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007
Hope you can help? I was looking at your site came across the name Jean Kolat looking for info on her grandfather
John Mc Dowell. My grans dad was John Mc Dowell and he worked in the pits he would've been in pits at times stated. Too much of a coincidence [my dad was called after him].

Please get in touch.
Jenny

I answered this message on your message board, turns out we could be related and it's all thanks to your site still early days yet but all the information ties in so once again thank you.

Jenny

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