John Kilday

My father knew something was wrong

We were sitting in the living room just after our dinner, my mum, my Dad and my sister and myself. These things that you don’t forget… My father says to me “ Give me over my boots Jake” I says “Where are you going?” Father just sat in the big chair gasping, he’d been in the pits all his days and he had pneumoconiosis. I said “Where are you going father?” There’s something wrong at the pit. There’s something wrong at the Pit. I said “What are you talking about?”  He said give me over my boots and he said listen because where we stayed although we were at the town by then in Dalhanna Drive just over the hill in that direction was Knockshinnoch and we could always hear the  pit horn, you could tell the time, you used the check the clock  when you heard the horn and it was such and such a time and the horn was always dead on. The horn was blowing constantly… My father heard this and that was a sign that there was something wrong at the pit. So he got his bits on and  made his way.. I had my bike and at that time I wouldn’t have walked ten yards, you did everything on your bike. But I went up the road with him and up to Knockshinnoch. Of course they were gathered round but even before we got there, ones were to-ing and fro-ing. The word got out that there had been an accident and there were men trapped, that was as much as we knew at that particular point and we got up to the pit and the folk that was there at Knockshinnoch at that particular time. By the time we were aware of it was when the horn was blowing, it was at piece time which would be 6 o’clock.  At 1st my father just took it that was the horn blowing for piece time. It blew at 6 and it blew at 20 past 6. In the morning’s it blew at 11 and blew at 20 past. They were 20 minute breaks. That was blowing at that time so it was in around that kind of time  around 6 o’clock and  we went up and my father went forward and he was talking to different  ones that he knew and it kind of filtered through that the field over the back had  given way and had come down and flooded into the workings down below.  It was said what the field was so we knew, it was up the Afton Road  and about 2 fields across from Afton cemetery. Some of them made their way up by and up the top of Knockshinnoch Pit and made their way over there. But there were people there keeping them away as you didn’t know to what extent  more could have went in, but the crater was huge as you’ll probably have seen at some time in film or something or other. But it was huge, you could see it but you were being held back at a fair distance for your own safety. But you could see it. When you come up the brae and over by Knockshinnoch to the other side of it, you were higher than what the crater was so in sense you were looking down on it. Even at that early stage they were trying to put in stobs and ropes around it to keep the members of the public back.

Going to the pithead.

There had been a lot, a lot of rain prior to that which had obviously caused the thing in the 1st place. Because that particular… we me saying where we were, we were a bit higher and it was a bit laigh. So obviously that’s where the water and that gathered and it was in the shadow of the old bing, the huge bing it was on the… as you were looking at the crater it was on the right hand side. The bing that was still in use was to the other side because this one had run its race to the edge of its property. But the folk were anxious but everybody was in the same boat because everybody had somebody down below. As the night went on, my father was talking to various different ones  and they got to know roughly what section that was flooded and he knew that  Sam was working in that area. But at that point we didn’t know what the position was, they knew that men were trapped because it came down in the middle, so there were men further in; they were trapped. But to who was trapped, well there was a 118 of them, so it was quite a busy working area of the pit. And of course this had to come down in the front of it. We were up pretty sharp  and as we were going up  the Mines Rescue vehicles was  whizzing on by us, they were really on the spot they were quick off the mark as you would expect same as fireman and suchlike but they came from Kilmarnock, the Mines Rescue at Bonnyton in Kilmarnock. They were on the ball and needless to say when it was realised how bad it was, as the time went on there were more because they contacted other areas Coatbridge and places in the Lanarkshire coalfield. Coatbridge was a main one and they were there the Mines Rescue and that was there from Coatbridge. They turned out pretty quick. Thinking back… It was our Sam that was stuck down there and we were just all uptight. Then after a spell there… Other boys were roaming about… I’ve got to say considering the crowds, people were subdued and they were shocked. The just did know what was what and what the outcome was likely to be at that particular stage but it was very orderly if I could say that. Then of course my father said to me “You better make your way down home and let your mother know what the position is because she’ll be wondering. She was in the house with my sister. Just let her into the picture because she’ll be off her head with worry, what she was.

Everyone had someone in it.

To my recollection it was just a thing that actually came out with the likes of my father and other ex-miners and miners because there were some of them had been on the dayshift and they were home and shifted. They were up there too and they were willing to muck in and help in any way that they could. They were finding out sort of thing, well they were passing it on and it filtered through the crowd, they were in contact with the phone at that stage.  One thing I was glad of  was having my bike and my Dad said “ Go down and tell old Matt” That was my mother let her know what’s happening  as much as we knew at that time because she was stuck in the house herself and she would be off her head with worry. I went down and I told my mother what as much as I could what we knew. She said on you go way back up and if there is any word comes through come down and let me know. The third door down the brae from us was my Dads brother - My Uncle Tom and my Auntie Jen, they had family in it too. They were all miners all round about it was the main industry in New Cumnock at that time.  Every second house was affected in some way. If they didn’t have immediate ones in it, they would have relations in it. By the time I was going back up, I couldn’t understand why the folk were going up the auld line for. This is when it was made known that they were hoping that they would get some sort of escape route through the Bank Pit. There were obstacles in their path but they were hoping… It gave us hope… what the folk were really needing because it… well we were dumb foundered with it all… We didn’t know, I mean I was only 14 years old at the time and I just didn’t know. I was thinking will they ever get out!  More of the men who were familiar with the pit workings and suchlike, they could visualise there selves were any hope lay. But there was an obstacle and of course well to me, what kind of obstacle? As it turned out there was 18 feet of solid to go through between the sections well that needed to be cut through.

Father was kept informed

My father was blethering say wae other men and they would be talking Pit talk, the names of runs and things like that what I hadn’t a clue, but they would be talking Aye well… Ones would have worked in that area and others would have worked say in the Bank area. They were talking about where this bit would likely to be and what maybe the conditions would be like down in there. It was realised that they would have to bore a way out through this obstacle. As the night went on we were in the dark with just the odd surface light on at the pithead and of course workmen to-ing and fro-ing with their cap lamps on that was the only light we had. Word came out that they had hit another problem – Gas… So they were having to work in a situation where the gas was looming and the Mines Rescue, they in a sense were all right because they had respirator’s on, they could work in the gas area. Whereas the actual men that were trapped couldn’t do quite as much. They were doing what they possibly could from their side but they didn’t have the respirators. It would be just about midnight and my father said “ Have you any notion of going down and letting the auld yin know what was happening” I said “Are you not going down father for a couple of hours sleep?” Oh no… oh no… I’ll be here to Sam comes out. At one point my Uncle Toosh was there, that was a man who stayed just a couple of doors down from us he was there and my sister Jessie she came doon the following day. She was up at the Bank pit. Was there many women there?
Oh aye… oh aye… there was a lot of women and that photo that I showed you the last time you were here, my Dad and my sister were in the photo. My Mother went up the next day, she didn’t go up that night but she was up the next day in fact she was in the photograph with my sister.  My Dad was at one bit and my mother is sitting at another bit… Oh aye you couldn’t have kept the women away.

I went home to tell mother

It was about midnight and he said “Maybe in the morning…” He  was sending me down home to go to bed. He said maybe in the morning you’ll be back up I’ve no doubt and maybe you can bring me a wee bit piece. I says “Aye, right you are I will do. When I went down home I put my mother in the picture as best I could and aye she was well annoyed oh aye. But aye we were all uptight for our brother but we knew everybody that was down there. Everybody knew everybody you were really uptight for them all. When I went back down I put them in the picture and I said my Dad could do with a bit of piece.  I thought he would maybe come down and I said that I said to him but he says no. She says aye fair enough then. So that was an excuse for me in a way so I took the piece I didn’t wait til morning. I took the piece and onto the bike and away back up. The Salvation army was there and they worked no end. If ever I had admiration  for any body of folk, I’ve always had the greatest respect  for the Salvation Army and that instituted that or me.  They were there endlessly:  all the time. They shifted to, some would come and relieve the others but they were always there and the tea’d the folk there.
Was there any shelter for you? Were you out in the elements?
No we were out in the elements, but to my recollection it was dry.
Did you volunteer to do any work?
Oh no they wouldn’t allow us .
Was there many kids and children there?
Not an awful lot… there was a lot of boys like myself. My kind of age but no wee ones not weans or that. Anybody that was there you could guarantee that they had somebody… if it wasn’t a Father, a brother or an Uncle.
What time did you go back up with his piece then?
I just had something myself and my mother made a piece for my Dad and I went back up. It would just be the early hours of the morning. My Dad said “ Oh I might have known” He said I had a cup of tea from  the Salvation army and I said Oh well I’ll go and get you another cup of tea and you can have it with your piece.  How my father got the stamina: I don’t know. But that was us from the Thursday night until the Friday.

Optimism on the pithead

He was always pretty positive right from the start when he knew where they were and what was being proposed to do. His attitude was not if our Sam gets out, but when our Sam gets out. He was quite positive and the thing was they kept us informed as to what progress was being made  and also  the snags they would hit in the process.
Was there much press there?
Aye there was press there, oh aye there was press there not to the extent that you would get nowadays obviously but there was press there. They did interview some of the people that were there but mainly they were concentrating on management and rescuers because rescuers were toing and fro-ing down there where they were working and drilling. It was a relay - So many went down and because I already said, they had to wear respirator’s as they would be working for a period of time.
Was there many men from different villages roundabout?    
Oh aye there were folk. There were folk from other villages had relations in it. I mean you had folk from Cumnock and Auchinleck and such likes. They were folk up from Auchinleck who worked in the Barony and Highhouse and such likes and there were men who went up who were interested and some of them were offering to help. Well quite frankly for what some of them were able to do there was plenty of help. Well I can’t give you the exact number of men who worked in say Knockshinnoch or Bank. Apart from the 118, all the rest of the men  were there and the pit couldn’t work or produce, so they were there to do whatever they could in a sense would you say labour to  the rescuers  whatever they wanted done, they were there to do it.  

The Rescue begins

My mother went up to on the Friday, she was up so long but my father as insistent that he wasn’t budging till Sam was out. They were just sitting about… we didn’t really go back over to the crater at that point because you didn’t want to go away in case anything happened and it was two long nights, Thursday through to the Friday morning and Friday night through to the Saturday morning and when they started to get the men out, well it was announced that they broke through but they were having trouble with the gas.  But they had actually broken through and they had spoken, they spoken on the phones with the men. That was a blessing in itself.  But when they broke through the men had to retreat away, away back because of the gas. The rescuers went through… I can’t right mind but I think it was about 8 at a time and each wore a respirator and carried a respirator and they went though. There were two stretcher cases; Gib McAughtrie was one, I can’t mind the other one.  They were two stretcher cases and they took a wee while to get them through because they were crawling. It just filtered through that they were starting to bring them through but it would be a wee while before  anybody was up because  of these two stretcher cases  and they would take a wee while.  Everybody was elated.
Where people cheering?
When that word came through oh yes there was. Oh aye there was. The rescuers and the ones that were working were congratulated no end.  It put a different light. It lifted some of the gloom from people round about.

The elation of the crowd 

Where the people on the pithead aware that 13 men were unaccounted for?
No… Not at that point. That was discovered later on but up to that they were more concerned and I think delighted that as many were saved. But, when eventually they got those two stretcher cases out and they brought them to the pithead.  Oh my God… the elation of the crowd, the atmosphere, they were cheered no end. The ambulances were sitting waiting and they were allowed to see their family  and connections. They were allowed to speak to them for a minute or so and then they were into the ambulance and weeched away to Ballochmyle were the canteen used to be, all they old wards. The rest of the hospital was in use, whereas the old ward’s they were all put in there and that was them all together and they could be attended to all together. The majority of them were fine, if you could say fine, considering what they had come through. But they had to be taken there to get checked. If I remember right…I think they were told that they wouldn’t get in, not to bother coming to the visiting and just go the next day.  But we were over the next morning and we bussed it. He was in for a couple of days.
Did he have any injuries or was he affected by the gas?   
No. he was fairly lucky that way it would be mental injuries, he was alright  as much as what’s all the fuss about. That was oor Sam.

He vowed never to go back down a pit.

When he came up my father went over and I followed my father over and of course my father flung his arms roundabout him and he says “What the hell kept youse”  That was typical, that was Sam. He vowed, he said straight away thank God  I got out of that but I’ll never be back down the pit.
When he came home, did you have anything special for his homecoming?
Well not really in a sense we weren’t that type of family.  When he came home he was welcome home with open arms and we were all just fair glad to see him. I couldn’t say there was anything special laid on. He likely came in and it would be his usual cry “Is the dinner ready?” No he wasn’t married at that time. It was found out on the Saturday as the day went on… it was discovered that there were 13 men missing. They were really trapped and where they were and that… by the time they got to them, they were all gone. They were caught if I mind right… in the slurry. We were all just that glad that he was out and he was alright. There were some chaps that were out… They didn’t all just get out of Ballochmyle en-block , there were some men it had an effect on and they  were kept in and treated. We were lucky as Sam was quite well at his self and he got out pretty smart but he vowed “Ah’ll never be back down a pit… ah’ll never be back down a pit in my life”

Filling in the crater.

He got a job driving a lorry with Houston Brothers, they had a big garage at the Tanyard  and they were desperate for drivers  for the lorries as they were working round the clock running blaize from the bing at the Bank Pit  down to the crater, to fill in the crater. The blaize was virtually the red ash from a burning bing, I  think it was used in the hope that it would go down and help to dry up  the slurry and also to fill in the crater. So Sam started with Houston Brothers and his 1st assignment was to go to the Bank and get a load of blaize to go to the crater. He thought “Here we are going bloody well back here!  And he went with his 1st load and  went in and reversed his load and put the tipper up  and the ground started giving way and he had to loup out! He had to virtually loup out the cab as the lorry started sliding in and it slid in so far. He got out, he was alright and he said “I’ve been down there once already and I’m not going back down! The had to tow the lorry out and Sam took the lorry back down to Houstons and told him what he had experienced and that was as long as he worked with Houston !
Did you go and see the crater in the daylight?         
Oh aye… It was unbelievable… a 14 year old boy… you can only imagine what underground workings is like. I had seen some drawings and that but you can only imagine what its like and when you seen that crater, the size of it and the amount of earth and stuff that was away and you knew about the wee narrow workings that  was down the pit know you thought “ My God what must have it been like down there?”  You couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like.