大象传媒

THE SECOND PART OF MY TIME AT HEMSWORTH COLLIERIES

The coalface was a considerable distance from the pit-bottom. The whole colliery was worked by two electric motors and one winding engine for drawing men and coal out of the shaft. The two electric motors were in strategically placed engine-rooms for the endless haulage ropes to reach the districts of working coalfaces. One district in the colliery had a hard rock roof and compressed air picks could be
used. These picks would have been dangerous and noisy in the district where I was
employed; the roof rock was very soft and would fall as the coal was dug from under it.

Puffler is the title that was given to the senior man of a gate origin not known. Does anyone know the origin of the word (puffler)? The pit club was where the puffler met the men who had worked with him the week before payday, and the puffler shared the earnings on the weight of coal that they had filled out together. However, because of absenteeism there were men often available who were given jobs at different gates every shift. It was not a safe practice for men to work alone at the coalface. Absentee places had to be filled. Sometimes it happened that a man would work alone in his gate. This of course gave the pony-driver an opportunity to try his hand at filling coal into the tub or using the pick. Dangerous was a big word at the coalface. These opportunities gave pony-drivers the chance to sample the work of a collier. Two years working as a'filler' at the coalface qualified a person to become a collier. This type of promotion was given to young men who married or became 'fathers'. If when a man married and had a colliery company house given to rent, usually the wife stopped going out to work. Women's liberation had not come into being.

The oldest man I knew at the coalface was 72 years old. Tom was a good quiet man and was very much appreciated by the younger man he worked with. Tiny was the Puffler for the gate (616) a vociferous enthusiastic collier, old enough to be my father. He had communistic tendencies. He knew how to work the coalface and willingly did give help when needed as well as his opinions. Tom always made sure the driver received his tip money. If I missed him at the club door, Tom always gave it to me at the coalface next time I met him.

The pony-drivers had to wait at the pit-club door for the colliers on payday, because we were mostly 14 years old, under the age to go in licensed premises. The club was where most of the colliers met each other to share out the payment for the amount of coal that they had filled together during the previous week. Pufflers would also meet with the 'market-men'(Men that did not have a permanent place at the coal-face) to give them their share of the earnings. We waited some times in vain. Miners would get drunk and we would get tired of waiting. Though it was an education to mix with older fellows. Also at the entrance of the club was a'Bag-man' called Cheeky Charlie. He sold all kinds of things for men from a large case. We found out also other things. One day a group of us were hanging around as lads do, and Charlie asked one older lad 'What did he want?' and the lad answered, cleverly, 'Three cheers please!' and Charlie's immediate reaction educated us all!
It may be of some interest that Tommy Taylor a member of the Castleford Rugby Club team, who won the league cup in 1935, was working in the Haigh Moor seam where I worked. I remember that when all the streets of the 'Fitzwilliam Red City' were decorated with red white and blue bunting for the Jubilee of King George the V. Wentworth street where Tommy lived was decorated with black and amber bunting, Castleford's team colours!!

During the 60 years, I have been out of the pit; I cannot recall meeting another pony-driver. I did meet, about 10 years after the war, a Bevin-boy who had worked in the same seam as I. At the time I was working in Stretford South Manchester. This chap came to work in the depot and I thought I had met, or seen him somewhere. A week or so later I had the opportunity to speak to him. Yes! He was the Bevin-boy I had remembered; we were both out of our natural counties.

The miner's strikes during the 1980s caused me some deep concern. The harassment of hardworking miners by the police really did contradict my knowledge and experience of the miners cause. I was glad, when the mines closed. Now the miners would be able get a look at employment on the surface of the earth and what other work people were being paid for.

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