Senghenydd Mining Disaster 439 Killed - 14 October 1913

Senghenydd Mining Disaster (South Wales) - 14 October 1913
The explosion killed 439 miners and a rescuer, is still the worst mining disaster in the United Kingdom

South Wales Miners Pageant - May Day 1939

South Wales Miners Federation May Day 
Pageant of South Wales

Orgnised by the South Wales Miners Federation in association with the Labour Research Department

1st May 1939

Ystradgynlais Miners Support Group - LGSM

Miners Strike - Hayes Middx - Kent NUM

Les Sweeting was the key Kent NUM liason person for picketing aWest Drayton coal yard

Heart of the matter - Kent Miners TV programme

Hillsborough and The Miners Strike

The recent revelation that Police colluded to ensure the prosecution and jailing of miners during the 1984-85 miners strike, comes as no surprise to those active at the time.

The only surprise is that it has been revealed in our lifetime, a fact only due to the tireless efforts of the Hillsborough campaign for justice, which highlighted the establishments successful attempts to hide the truth of what really happened to 96 innocent Liverpool supporters killed at Hillsborough on 15th April 1989

Not only were the 96 football fans who died, defamed but the Tories and their establishment friends attempted to vilify the whole City of Liverpool, that rallied to support the families. 

The Hillsborough Inquiry, highlighted establishment collusion and police collusion at the highest levels and it soon became evident that the same tactics used to marginalise the Hillsborough families, had also been used extensively during the miners strike.

During the Miners  strike 11,291 people were arrested, of whom 8,392 were charged, we now know many of those charged were totally innocent.

COHSE activists at the time feared that the sequestration and imprisoning of miners was simply an attempt by the establishment to smash a democratic and free trade union in Britain.

COHSE had always had a strong bond of friendship towards the miners and a "debt of gratitude" had grown over many years, not least because the miners had often taken action in support of nurses and NHS staffs pay and they campaigner alongside us to defend hospitals from closure.

So it was that a "middle of the road" union like COHSE would play a critical role in ensuring, that to the surprise of Neil Kinnock and Labour Party apparatchiks a resolution at the October 1985  Labour Party conference was carried calling for a future Labour Government to investigate the jailing of miners and a full scale amnesty. 

The Labour Party leadership were sure of victory so it was to their great shock to find that the decisive vote in favour was cast by COHSE. 

To COHSE's great pride and the Labour Party leadership's shock.

Of course the Blair government did nothing about the Amnesty or for that matter Hillsborough, but the truth has finally begun to appear and those of us who stated that the jailing were a simply political act have been vindicated. 

Unfortunately many convicted and framed miners lost their pensions and employment, many died not knowing that their innocence would one day be revealed.

We salute those brave striking miners once again for their courage and fortitude against overwhelming forces.

NOTE:Hillingdon Miners Support Group raised over £12,000 pounds (about £50,000 today) during the 1984-85 miners strike.

Miners from Kent slept at the Hillingdon TUSU in the High Street, West Drayton. Special recognition should go to Mothers Pride Bakery workers, and the Bakers Union who organised a very effective 50p a week levy.

Hillsborough: The London Borough of Hillingdon made a donation of £10,000 to the Liverpool Mayors Hillsborough Appeal, one of the largest donations made to the appeal. Having have had at least one of it's young residents killed at Hillsborough, The Hillingdon Labour Group felt honour bound to move a resolution to make the donation, which secured the support of just one Liberal councillor (The others abstained), this was enough on the "Hung Council" to secure the donation was made. The Conservative Councillors to their utter shame opposed, referring to the anti Liverpool fans statements in the press.

Below: NUM Coal not Dole snowman, Hayes, Middlesex 1984

The Blantyre Explosion Scandal - Never Foget - Never Forgive

The Blantyre Explosion (Scotland)

by Jimmy Connell

22nd October 1877

At this time High Blantyre was ‘a maze of dirty and intricate ways and byways’ with a mine slightly to the south of the village. It had five pits and was producing an extraordinary 900,000 tons of coal.

The mine was known to be very gassy but complaints by miners a few days before the disaster were fobbed off by the foreman, Joseph Gilmour. He told the miners, “There'll not be a man fall in this pit, I'll guarantee that”.

Explosion, 8.45am

On the fateful day the shifts went down the mine as normal at 5.30am. There was nothing unusual as the men carried out their backbreaking work in the low tunnels or ’stoopings’. At 8:45am the history of Blantyre changed as there was a loud explosion and flames shot from No. 3 and No. 5 pit shafts.

Women and off-duty miners hurried to the scene and soon 7 bodies were hoisted from No. 2 pit but it was No. 3 pit that concerned them. At midday the mines inspector went into the pit and found roof falls and a clear smell of firedamp.

The main shaft had to be cleared and men worked in teams until they broke through at 10pm. Four miners were found but they were so seriously injured that they died later.

“... bodies and body parts were intermingled with all sorts of debris and strewn all around. Pit props had been blown away and stoppings blasted out, everywhere were bricks, smashed timbers and sleepers, twisted rails and hutches smashed and piled together making progress through the mine extremely difficult. At the end of No. 3 some survivors were emerging, some terribly injured, most badly burned and all deep in shock. ” Eye-witness

Rescue

Work continued throughout the night and into the next day and despite very poor weather, sightseers arrived from Glasgow and Hamilton. The crowd around the pithead was so large that a hundred police were on duty to control it.

It was to take a week before the bodies were removed entirely from the mine which caused great distress for the families and incensed the villagers. Eventually it was revealed that there was a death toll of 207 resulting in High Blantyre having 92 widows and 250 fatherless children.

Blantyre entered the history books as having the worst ever Scottish mining disaster. The inquiry into the disaster failed to identify the precise cause but it was likely due to a sudden release of methane gas from a small roof fall being ignited by a naked flame.

Widows, and their treatment

Six months after the explosion, thirty four widows, whose husbands had been killed in the disaster, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

They had previously received letters from the colliery, owners informing them that they must leave their tied cottages. Having failed to do so, William Dixon Limited had raised summonses against them.

When asked by the Sheriff why they had not vacated their homes, the Sheriff asked, “Are you not getting enough money from the relief fund?” Each widow replied “I have not the means to pay a rent with. ”

The Sheriff stated that it was out of kindness that the company had allowed them to remain in their houses for so long.

One widow claimed that they had a cruel way of showing their kindness and that the firm should have carried out the evictions on the day of the explosion as the public would have taken her by the hand.

Eviction of Widows

The Sheriff stated that he could scarcely agree with her and suggested that both the firm and the public had been extremely kind and generous. He then decreed that the thirty-four widows and their children should be removed from their homes in two weeks later, on 28th May 1878.

The evictions were carried out and replacement miners were allocated their homes. No-one knows what became of these unfortunate widows and their children.

In all probability they had to seek accommodation in the Poor House. The ejection of the Blantyre widows was a sad and disgraceful end to the tragic story of the Blantyre explosion.

Lesbian & Gay Miners Support Group 1984-85

Before the miners' strike it would have been very hard to imagine a miners' minibus running around Dulais Valley in South Wales with the slogan on its doors and dashboard saying, This vehicle was donated by the Lesbians' and Gay men's miners' support group.'

In fact by February 1985 there were eleven lesbians' and gay men's miners' support
groups all over the country. Six of them replied to our survey.

By December 1984 the London group alone had collected over £11,000 by a mixture of pub, club and street collections, benefits, parties and other events. The highlight event was undoubtedly the 'Pits and Perverts' gig at the Electric Ballroom where Bronski Beat headed the bill; it raised £5,650. At the benefit David Donovan, a South Wales miner, said: 'You have worn our badge, "Coal not Dole", and you know what harassment means, as we do.

Now we will pin your badge on us, we will support you. It won't change overnight, but now 140,000 miners know that there are other causes and other problems. We know about blacks, and gays, and nuclear disarmament. And we will never be the same.' The existence and activity of the various groups proves that many lesbians and gay men do support the miners. As the Southampton group remarked in their response to our survey:

'Our best personal experiences were meeting miners who came to the city from Abercynon. After coming down here repeatedly and meeting politically active socialists, seeing them collect money, food and clothing and generally working in support of the strikers, their attitudes were forced to change just by their own experiences, because they know we are just ordinary people, and people who support their struggle .. . They've had to change a lot of their attitudes and as is said so often, things will never be the same again.'

Formation and Activities

The Lesbians' and gay men's miners' support groups responding to our survey were formed later than the other groups were. The London group was the first to be set up in July 1984, and started with 11 members. Six months later it had grown to 50. Responding to our questionnaire they said that the formation of the group was 'one of the most important positive developments in London's Lesbian and gay community in 1984.'

The Lothian Lesbian & Gay Miners Support Group was set up two months later in September 1984 with 12 members raising £40 a week for the White Craige strike centre in East Lothian.

Lesbians Against Pit Closures, London, followed in November 1984, involving more than 20 women. They collected £50 a week for the Rhodisia Women's Action Group, Worksop, and said: 'Women's activities in the strike are obviously a major influence on us.' The lesbians' and gay men's support for the miners has received a fair amount of good coverage in the left-wing and trade union press. At the lesbians' and gay men's 'fringe meeting', attended by some 250 people, at the October 1984 Labour Party conference, the NUM. who dominated the conference, sent the

following message of support:

'Support civil liberties and the struggle of lesbian and gay people. We welcome the links formed with South Wales and other areas. Our struggle is yours. Victory to the miners.' And the Notts Women's Support Groups, to whom the London Lesbians and Gay Men Support the Miners Group gave £250 in December 1984, wrote:

'I am writing on behalf of the Notts Women's Support Group to express to you our gratitude for the support and solidarity you have shown in forming the Lesbians & Gay Men Support the Miners Group. We also extend to you our total solidarity and support in your struggle against all forms of oppression and prejudice on the grounds of sexuality. Our struggles are part and parcel of the same fight. In particular

we are deeply grateful that you have consistently kept us informed as to your activities and have materially contributed to support groups in order that the dispute can continue to victory.'

Article:

Labour Research Department "Solidarity with the Miners

NOTE
Hillingdon Miners Support Group raised £12,000 pounds (about £50,000 today) during the 1984-85. based at the West Drayton Hillingdon Trades Council Offices above a bike shop on the High street.

Steve Clare Secretary

Mothers Pride Bakery, Bakers Union members gave 50p a week levy

Dickie Bond

Cecil Bond, Cyril Bond, Dick Bond or more commonly know as Dickie Bond, was a leading member of the Communist Party in Uxbridge, his union the Electricians Union and later Pensioners Federation.

Born in Cowley, Uxbridge on Good Friday, 13th April 1900 he lived in a small cottage in Clements(?), in Cowley.

His father who could not read or write was a farm labourer toiling long hours in the fields for low pay for a farmer called Richardson.

His mother worked in the kitchens of Cowley House for Countess of Essex and Dickie recalled sitting at the back step of the House do living off left overs his mother could spirit away “When I came home from school I used to wait and see if she had brought any scraps from the kitchen….that was how it was, that's why I am a socialist"

He attended the Hillingdon Road School and greatly enjoyed it, Aged 12 his family moved a few miles down the road to Uxbridge.

In his early years Dickie attended Friends Meeting House and it was here he meet sympathetic educated people Dickie considered the Quakers a "very intelligent people" and his socialism grew from that.

In his Youth Dickie was a very keen sportsman, particularly cycling and he was proud to represent the British Workers Sports Federation in Moscow Workers Olympics in 1929 and again at the Paris Workers Olympics in 1930 The Federation had been established in 1923 under the auspices of Clarion Cycling Club, Labour Party sympathisers and trade union officials. Its goal was international unity and peace through sport.

Dickie recalled that during the general strike of 1926 how he use to act as a cycling courier between Uxbridge Strike Committee headquarters at the Uxbridge Labour Hall in Villiers Street and the TUC strike committee headquarters at Southall Labour Hall (where a young Sid Bidwell, later MP was also active) and Labour hall at committee. Dickie stated that Southall was always the strongest area trade union wise because of the commitment of the Railwaymen.

He recalled that the Uxbridge strike committee was lead by a “fine man” called Tom Dubberley the local leader of the railwaymen (NUR) .

Politically, Dickie Bond had originally joined the Uxbridge Independent Labour Party (ILP)an ILP who he recalled had about 20-30 members. The Uxbridge ILP held open air meetings at the traditional Saturday night meeting and speaking spot by the pump at the back of St Margaret’s church, Uxbridge and he recalled speakers such as Fenner Brockway entertaining the crowd.

Dickie recalled that a policeman would often be present at these open air meetings to take the names of speakers, and when he was asked for his name on one occasion he replied “That book must be full of my name”.

Their was also a small branch of the Social Democratic Federation in Uxbridge run by Albert Notley (Life Assurance salesman) and a Mr Barr a watch repairer).

Unemployed, Dickie became active in the National Unemployed Workers Movement and became Secretary of the Uxbridge branch and was involved in a Hunger march from Southall Labour Hall to Hyde Park with banners stating "Work or Full maintaince". the march started with 30 or 40 mostly from Hayes and Southall but picked up groups of unemployed along the way... "we shouted to passers by join the march..join the march and some did".

Dickie was also involved in the Uxbridge League Against Imperialism (LAI) (Reginald Bridgeman head of the national LAI was the local Labour candidate).

In 1929 Dickie joined the Communist Party in 1929 (after his visit to Moscow to participate in the Workers Olympics of 1929), Dickie spent the subsequent years until his death selling the Daily Worker and later the Morning Star regularly outside Uxbridge Underground station, “The Star is my bible”.

During the Thirties, Dickie found it hard to secure long term employment as an electrician because of his political views he was regularly victimised and blacklisted " when ever they got to find out who I was I was sacked, It was the same where ever I went".

He was awarded the TUC Tolpuddle medal for recruitment in 1934 (a medal which he continued to ware until his jacket lapel until his death).

Dickie was one of many who mobilised to defend the East End against Mosleys fascists at Cable street on October 4^th 1936,. Dickie mobilised many of his union members to attend Cable Street.

However Dickie himself found himself and 20 tor 30 other anti fascists corned by a large Police presence, eventually the Police charged them with their batons forcing them deliberately into a large underground lavatory where they were locked in by the policemen.

During the Spanish Civil War Dickie helped with collections but like a number in the AEU and ETU members to recondition and construct motor cycles (many of them motor cycle ambulances) at Hayes Labour hall at Pump Lane lead by Sidney “Sid” Bennett (Fairey Aviation Engineering apprentice), and other like John Mansfield (also a Faiey Aviation apprentice).

Dickie recalled the witch hunt of Communists in 1941 lead by Labour Minister Herbert Morrison at the outbreak of the Second World War.

“I was working on Government work as an electrician, in the Liverpool dock yards (Cammell Lairds), one of the organisers of my union, Frank Foulkes a member of the Communist Party member, he was the local organiser, he came to me one day and said look Dick, I have been given instructions by the Police, that with your history, if your not out of Liverpool in 24 hours, your going to be arrested under (Regulation) 18b, for my political outlook"

"He said the only thing I can do now is take you to a certain place outside Liverpool (a little cottage that acted as a safe house), where they had all the food and everything for me, if your going to have a drink (he gave me money), If you go and have a drink tell them your one of the evacuee from London

"I was down there Down there about two or three weeks, I could not send a letter to my wife,or send her money, He had to do that"

After some weeks , he came down in his car, you’ve got to do some work….Russia had come into war (22^nd June 1941) and the whole political complexion changed, so I went back to work as electrician ....I would have been arrested, if it was not for Frank Foulkes.... he saved me a lot of trouble".

Unsurprisingly, Dickie never ever went back to Liverpool.

One other war time recollection was working "up North" with a young electricians apprentice and young Communist league member called Frank Chapple later the ultra right wing General Secretary of the Electricians Union.

Just after the end of the war, Dickie did secure permanent work (20 years) as an Electrician for the London County Council based at County hall but looking after local schools and health establishments, he became Chairman of the former London County Council Shop Steward Committee (and remained at Electricians Trade Union member for fifty five years).

After the war he worked with fellow Uxbridge Communist Fred Glitz and left wing L:abour councillors to address the shortages of housing and in 1946 helped squatters (many bombed out or newly returned soilders) to occupy Coaxden Hall, Providence Road Nursery.

Dickie also stood for the Uxbridge Town council as a Communist along with Glitz.

He served on the Electricians Trade Union (ETU) National Executive Committee and was on the London District Committee, President of North West Region and Chairman of Acton, Hayes and Uxbridge ETU branches

In the 1940's Dickie became involved with Hayes Trades Council for fifteen years ibefore its amalgamation to form Hillingdon Trades Union Council

He was a member of the London Co-operative Society (LCS) for 22 years, and was Chairman of District 28 of the LCS he was elected to the London Society’s West Area Education Committee.

After the War Uxbridge elected Labour MP Frank Beswick as its MP who was according to Dickie a good local Labour MP.

Active in the co-operative youth movement the Woodcraft folk at Providence road school, in the 60's-70s. Dickie Bond recalled that their were quite a lot of progressive people involved in co-operative movement locally including Mrs Dubblerley (later Mayor of Uxbridge).

In later years Dickie was active in the Uxbridge & District branch of the National Association of Old Age Pensioners.

Among his not so well known interests were poetry and folk music, particularly Peggy Seger and Ewan McColl his favourite song being “Where have all the flowers gone?”. Dickie was inspired to write a Ballard which he was to hear Peggy Seger sing. It was the Ballard of the Migrant Labourer

“A building is more than concrete,
It’s also part of them,
Who build but seldom inhabit,
Its also part of men.
Part of the sinew and muscle, the skill of their hands and brain.
Part of their hope in the morning, gone with the evening again.

His wife Nancy, was alsoa keen Socialist, Women’s co-operator and Labour party member. She was a founder member of Uxbridge Labour party, and on occasions a Labour Council candidate at which she was not only attacked by local Tories as a "Communist" but some inside the Party who tried to have her expelled for criticising Labour Party policy. Nancy died in 1969,

During the Miners strike of 1984-1985 he was charged with two counts of making a street collection without permission of the commissioner and with using a megaphone to obtain money (Hillingdon Miners Support Group raised over £ 6,000 from street collections with another £6,000 from local union branches (total of about £50,000 today)during the strike). Dickie appeared in court for the first time two days before his 85th birthday. He participated along with many from Hillingdon the Kent NUM the Ramsgate solidarity march for the Miners with Kent NUM friends who had picketed West Drayton Coal depot during the dispute (from the offices of the Trade Union Support Unit based in West Drayton)

After the strike he stated “The strike may be over but the struggle goes on for all of us the class struggle goes on all the bloody time"

Dickie was from my recollection a small man, well dressed man, always wore a suit and and trilby hat, and had even in his later years a strong powerful voice

Michael Walker

Interview and Morning Star article 1985