大象传媒

Introduction

During World War Two, several of my mother鈥檚 relatives worked at Haig Pit, Kells, one of the local coal mines in Whitehaven, Cumberland (now Cumbria). The accident rate in the mines was comparatively high at that time, and most miners were used to attempting to rescue family members and close friends following an accident.

One of my mother鈥檚 uncles, Michael McCrink, worked for over 50 years as a coal miner, apart from the years 1914 鈥� 1919 when he served with the Border Regiment on the Western Front. While researching the Second World War for the 大象传媒 鈥淧eople鈥檚 War鈥� project I checked some of Michael鈥檚 work with the Mines Rescue team before during and after the war.

Rescuing fellow miners

Injuries to miners down a coal mine could be due to a number of reasons, such as a roof fall, being caught in machinery in cramped conditions or as the result of an explosion. A badly injured man or someone trapped by a roof fall would have to rely on fellow miners to come to the rescue. The coal owners and the working miners recognised the importance that these teams should be able to carry out this onerous task quickly and efficiently.

In the West Cumberland coalfield each colliery had its own rescue teams, and in addition there was a dedicated Coal Owners鈥� Rescue Station that would be called out in the event of a major incident, such as the explosion at William Pit, Whitehaven on 3 June 1941. Before and during the war the Coal Owners鈥� Rescue Station was at Brigham near Cockermouth. Later, the Rescue Station moved location to Winscales, near Workington.

Michael McCrink was in rescue teams for many years. Unfortunately, I don鈥檛 have a written record of actual rescue attempts that Michael took part in, although he must have been involved in quite a number. Going through some of Michael鈥檚 old photographs I found one that dates from 1934, where it shows him leading a Pit Rescue Team during a test at the Brigham Rescue Station.

Rescue techniques

Although the photograph was taken just before the war, the equipment and techniques used would have been similar while rescuing fellow miners during the war. One of the things they used to test for methane gas was a canary in a cage. The reason for this was that the methane gas would overcome the canary long before it affected the rescuers.

Also in use at this time were a wooden stretcher and the 鈥楳ecco鈥� breathing apparatus. The other members of the Haig Pit Rescue Team on the photograph with Michael McCrink are Charlie Parkinson, I.W. Blacklock, S. Tyson, R. Brannon, and the 鈥榗asualty鈥� is their team-mate John Brannon. Unfortunately, I do not know the full names of all the men involved.

It could take a long time for a badly injured miner to be carried to the pit shaft, taken to the surface and then to hospital. Sometimes, a local doctor would be called and he would descend the coalmine to give the injured miner a morphine injection. For example in January 1940, a cousin of my father鈥檚, John Burney MM, suffered a leg injury at Haig Pit from which, unfortunately, he died a while later. Before the Pit Rescue Team brought John to the surface a local doctor called Victor Harris went down the mine to administer a morphine injection.

Conclusion

While I don鈥檛 know the exact date, at some time during World War Two, Michael McCrink became a Pit Deputy. This meant he became more involved with overall safety in the mine. At that time, I understand he would have a different role in any rescue. He would then have relinquished the Captaincy of the Rescue Team to a younger man.

Michael McCrink had volunteered to serve in the Border Regiment between the 鈥楥all to Arms鈥� in 1914 and January 1919. Another of the Whitehaven miners who signed up to serve with Michael McCrink at the outbreak of the Great War was the John Burney MM referred to above who died as a result of a pit accident in January 1940.

Although the LDV / Home Guard was formed in the summer of 1940, Michael McCrink did not become a member of the Home Guard. Instead, Michael volunteered to undertake 鈥楩ire Watching鈥� duties at Ladysmith Pit, near his home.

Michael McCrink had married his wife Mary in 1924. During World War Two, and for many years afterwards, they lived at 87 Fell View Avenue, Woodhouse, Whitehaven. Michael retired from his job at Haig Pit at the age of 65 in January 1958. He enjoyed a long, happy retirement with Mary. Michael McCrink passed away in March 1982 and Mary McCrink in October 1982.

I would like to thank 鈥楾he Whitehaven News鈥� for permission to use the 1934 photograph of Michael on exercise with the other Mines Rescue workers. I would also like to thank the staff and volunteers at the Haig Mining Museum, Kells, Whitehaven, Cumbria during a recent visit I made to obtain some background details about rescue procedures employed in the West Cumbrian mines. The Haig Mining Museum also holds a lot of oral history information and memorabilia from the Cumbrian coal mines, particularly from the Twentieth Century.

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