Monday 14 October 2013

On this day in 1913

Just to remind you about the detail: there was an explosion at the pit which took the lives of 439 miners (boys and men) plus 1 rescue worker. The mine manager and the owners (who had previous form - 81 men had also died there in 1901, just 12 years earlier) were prosecuted and fined a paltry £24. This caused national outrage and newspapers of the time wrote that the life of a miner was worth just one shilling and a penny farthing.

I've learnt recently that my grandmother (Florrie B of blessed memory) went up to Sengenhydd as soon as she'd heard about it. She would have been 12 at the time and must have walked up from Caerphilly. If only I'd known this when she was alive to ask her about it.

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