Good afternoon Fionn,

I have just found this site showing emails from people seeking information on this disaster. The pit was actually in Bridgend, Moodiesburn. Bridgend had all the miners houses, called "the miners rows" my father and family lived in one. He actually worked in the pit but thankfully was not there on the day of the disaster. I was 9 at the time, family name SOMMERVILLE .

I am very interested in one of the contacts who sent email, a Bill Somerville date 22/6/2009. I realise this is 5 years ago but no harm in asking if you still have contact email for Bill. He is a long lost cousin of mine whose family emigrated to America or Canada many many years ago.

I live in Australia with my husband these 30 years.

I look forward to hearing from you,

My father, Bill Somerville, was a miner in Auchengeich in the early 1920's. He had 3 brothers, James, Alexander and Matthew and a sister Kate. I believe that Peggy Somerville and Katie Somerville shown in the photo on page 2 were married to my father's brothers (my uncles) and Katie Barr was my father's sister (my aunt). Unfortunately, I have lost touch with the Somerville family in Scotland

My father, my mother (Margaret nee Laidlaw) and my brother Matt emigrated to Canada in 1929 where my sister and I were born. Just prior to emigrating, my father worked in the Auchengeich Coke Ovens as did my grandfather, James Laidlaw.

I hoped that perhaps Caroline Chamber (nee Somerville) or anyone might have some information on this family group in Scotland

Thank you

Bill Somerville

Thanks for the email and contact. My father did have two brothers living in America and Canada. Bill is talking about my relatives although he has missed my dad, John. But the names he mentions were my Uncles and Aunt. I will certainly reply and give him my home email. Thanks for passing this on I'll certainly be in touch with Bill and can give him lots of information on the Somerville clan.

Regards
Caroline

Thank you for forwarding the request from Christine Harris.  I did contact her and she indeed is my cousin.  We have exchanged a number of family photos.

Regards....
Bill Somerville

Fionn
It is 50 years since the Auchengeich pit disaster where my father Mathew Cannon lost his life. I was eighteen months and my brother was four, I was looking for information on memorial services but noticed on your site that his name is spelt incorrectly it reads Mathey Cannon instead of Mathew Cannon.

Frank Cannon

Hello
My mother's father's brother John Shevlin was killed in the disaster and I would like to purchase a reliable publication for her on the disaster. Have you any suggestions?

Many thanks
Christine

I would contact the Black Gold Project it is the main official centre-point for the creative works designed to highlight and mark the 50th anniversary of the Auchengeich mining disaster.
From the site:- Scottish author Stephen Hamilton Nicol is delighted to be a part of the Black Gold project and has been entrusted to write the official Black Gold book.

Stephen says: "My part of the Black Gold project is to construct a book in memory of the people who died and for those who suffered. One thing is for sure; those who lived and worked in the mines worked hard and lived hard. In memory of those people they can and will be guaranteed that I will be applying those attributes to give the people involved in the Auchengeich mining disaster the very best as they deserve no less."

Hi,
Just to let you know that one of the women in the photo on page two "the women who could only wait and pray" is my Gran Margaret "Maggie" Steel. She is the one at the rear of the group and holding something in her hand. The woman behind her is very likely my mother Betty Beattie. Both of their husbands worked in "The Geich" My grand-dad Jock Steel worked in the engineering shop and my dad Sam Beattie was, I'm sure, a lift or cage operator.

We lived in Bridgend Village at the time of the disaster at the entrance to the pit, facing the pit village. I still live only half a mile away in Chryston

I can remember going to the pit head at the time with my family, although I was only seven and my Gran telling me to hush every time I asked her why we were here.

Bridgend now has a new village (all-be-it private housing) and a lot of the families live within a mile radius of Auchengeich.

Janice Swinton ( Beattie)

Hello there just wanted to let you know my father-in law survived the Auchengeich pit disaster in 1959 - Billy Quinn he is 76 and alive and staying with us in Sydney Australia

Sean Cunningham

I went to your site to read about the Auchengeich Disaster of September 1959. I was only eight years old at the time, but I clearly remember my mother coming into the bedroom I shared with two of my brothers to tell us she had some bad news. I lived in Lennoxtown then, and we had three fatalities, all from our street:-

Mr. McElhaney
Mr. McKenna
George McEwen, 20 years old and the youngest casualty, he lived directly opposite us.

George's mother, Lizzie, never got over that. I think she visited his grave every day as long as she was able to climb the hill to the Campsie Cemetery, where the men lie side by side. Many years later I regularly contributed my photos taken around the Scottish Coalfield for publication by the N.U.M., in fact I'm proud to say that most of the images on the Scottish Area Banner are based on my pictures.

Now living in New Zealand, I plan to produce a small sculpture which I hope to send home to Lennoxtown in time for the 50th anniversary of the 'Geich' disaster.

Congratulations on this great website. The miners are a special breed. Their sense of community, and their solidarity with other workers at home and abroad should never be forgotten.