Energy in History

Working underground

Coal was Britain’s primary fuel source from the early modern period until 1970.

It fuelled the industrial revolution and heated homes, propelled trains and steam ships and was crucial to manufacturing steel.

Until very recently, coal remained integral to Britain’s electricity generation too with Longannet, the last coal-fired power station only closing in 2016, and the final stations in England in the process of closing in the 2020s.

Working underground was an arduous task.

Coal mining relied on intensive human labour, even as the industry became increasingly mechanised across the twentieth century.

Miners were recognised for their physical efforts and dangerous working conditions through the nationalisation of the industry during the 1940s, but nevertheless, coal production remained paramount, especially as coal faced competition from other fuel sources such as oil and nuclear fuels.  

"The Generating Board is not unmindful of the problems facing you, nor would it wish to deny the face-worker and the underground worker in the mines a proper reward for their arduous work in conditions which few would like to share."

Sir Arthur Hawkins, Chairman of the Central Energy Generating Board, in a letter to Sir Derek Ezra, Chairman of the National Coal Board, 21st February 1975.

Coal 31/641/2. The National Archives, Kew. 

Workers' stories

Willie Doolan, former miner at Cardowan Colliery and Solsgirth drift mine, describes his working conditions. He was speaking in 2019.

"Well, it was very enclosed. Very enclosed. For example in Cardowan we worked in seams of coal in Cardowan that were 2 feet high. 2 feet high, 600 feet long. We worked there, it was our job to, the machine cut the coal, it was our job to advance the mechanism. It was a very dirty, dangerous and very often diseased-link industry. And the amount o old boys that you seen. Older miners and ourselves, and they were wheezing. Their chests were wheezing. And I always remember as  a young boy you’d see the blue scars on the older miners, whereby an accident had happened. The coal dust had obviously got in quicker than treatment could be applied. So very often, and I include my own father in that. He had the blue scars on his back, his arms, his face. It wis very dangerous conditions Ewan but as I say we were all there to work together and look after each other. And I think that was the make of the miner. That was the make of the miner dependency on each other."

Pat Egan, former miner at Bedlay Colliery and Solsgirth drift mine, talks about the differences between pits and the extent of mechanisation. He was speaking in 2014.

"I remember going to campaign and I think in fairness it was a time when what the Coal Board were doing was investing heavily in some pits. Longannet for example, Bilston Glen, they had a Plan for Coal at the time it was the Labour government that had just gone out the Tories were still working tae it. And I think behind the scenes the union privately had said "look, shut some of these auld pits that are clapped out". I mean Bedlay you were doon on yer hands and knees that table, that was the size of the seams, about 2 and a half feet high, they werenae mechanised, simple props, bars for holding the roof. We’d never seen a shearer. We went to Solsgirth to see the stuff, power supports and everything. It was totally different. And actually a few ae us on the coal face ahd tae go back and ask for retraining cuase we’d never work in, we’d never seen these things. Some ae the older guys strangely enough the noise frightened them. Solsgirth’s actually safer fer workin in but the noise actually frightened them. When you look back at the time at Bedlay we were always crawlin about on oor hawnds and knees but we didnae think it at the time. I remember puttin kneepads on before I went down the Solsgirth mine, and a boy looks o’er to me and says “what you got yer knee pads on fir?” So I says “I’m a face worker” he says “it’s stilts you’ll need”.  The seams were seven ft high, being able to stand up, walk down a face line was a brand news experience for us. Seeing these massive shearers coming down which could be the size of about lets say a single decker bus. And it shot away fae ye at times, that was a real experience. Like everything else you get used to it. But some ae the machines and developments that we seen. It wis always the danger of fire and stuff like that." 

Image credits

• Man of the Mine: Life at the coalface, Britain, 1942 © IWM (D 8251)

• A Frame at Mary Colliery, Lochore. Ewan Gibbs, 2021. This structure held the winding gear which raised coal and transported miners up and down the mineshaft.

Citation

Cite this resource as: Gibbs, Ewan. Working Underground, Energy in History. University of Glasgow, 2022