Call Outs (2)
All these incidents happened from 1946 - May 31 1953.
Just an incident which at the time was very disturbing. There were 8 permanent Corps men designated to go through the return stopping with the task set of covering the victims of the disaster with blankets and sand bags. The 8 men were Harry Radford, J Farnsworth, G Street and W Cooper for Mansfield Station and Wilf Wetton, S Evans G Wilson and Ern James.
We were dressed as following each member wearing helmet, flame proof mask, goggles, overalls, Wellington boots with sand bags tied around the boots, shorts under overalls and gauntlet gloves. Also we carried tied into our stretchers 30 blankets and sand bags. We were waiting for word to go through the tunnel when 3 pit Managers rushed past us, they should have been 100 yards behind us the fresh air base. They scrambled through the tunnel just taking with them their oil lamps which was no good for testing the deadly gas Carbon Monoxide C/O. We got all our tackle through the tunnel and were prepared for moving off when we got the scare of our lives, we were all concentrating on what was ahead when the steel door banged to behind us it was the Managers going back. I have worked in the mines and seen some sights but nothing as scary as that.
Back at the station we were discussing about the disaster and I said I don't know about you three but I had a terrible sensation running down my spine, they admitted the same. The first thing I thought when the steel door banged it was 'we're in here and they don't care one bit.'
I was in with a 1st class set of miners and our occupation was completely satisfactory. |
