Youngsters Hear of Horrors

0 - 0 • Last updated 23 Oct 2008 12:39

THE INRUSH of wet peat that trapped those 116 miners and killed 13 others at Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery might have happened 50 years ago, but the memory of it still reverberates around New Cumnock today.

And it is not just the older generation who remember the tragic and heroic events of September 7, 1950.

Fifty years later, the primary seven pupils at Castle Primary were treated to a live and full account of the disaster from Mr John Clapperton, of New Cumnock, who worked at Knockshinnoch but who, luckily, was at the cinema on the night of the disaster.

With mining lamps, photographs, a gas mask and a spellbinding narrative, the former miner told the 22 pupils how the wet peat caved into the pit like an 'avalanche of black porridge' after the miners broke through the supporting rock near the surface.

Mr Clapperton said: 'It was ten months before the first body was recovered and a year before the last was taken out the pit. The dead men were all identified by their lamp numbers. Two of the men had been cut off near the bottom of the shaft and possibly lived for a week before they took off their boots, lay down and died together. Another man"s wife had just had a baby when he went down for his shift on that fateful night. He never saw his baby.'

Mr Clapperton was one of the miners who dug the coal out of that very same seam after it was cleared again. He said: 'That was very difficult to do. We were always aware that the men had died there. Once when I was working alone there I heard a whistling noise. It was actually rats, but the mind can play tricks and I thought it was the dead mens voices.'

The story of Knockshinnoch was close to many of the childrens" hearts as over half had grandfathers or great-uncles directly involved in the disaster.

Only three children had not heard of the disaster beforehand.

Nicole Dickson, then 11, of New Cumnock, had a grandfather who was trapped in the mine until the Saturday night. She said: 'I feel as if I understand more of what happened now. I think it must have been very scary and I would not have liked to work in the pits.'

And all of her classmates agreed that the hot, dark, stuffy conditions of the mine were a 'scary' prospect.

Alan Smith, then 11, of Cumnock, whose two great-uncles were involved in the rescue operation, said: 'I would not liked to have gone down the mine. I can appreciate now just what the memorial cairn means to this area.'

Abbi Riddell, then 10, of New Cumnock, was saddened to hear that some of the 13 men who lost their lives may have lived for up to a week before passing away. She said: 'It was very sad that one man"s wife had just had a little baby and that he never got to see it.'

Their teacher Mrs Harris felt that it was important to keep local history alive. She said: 'We try to do something on Knockshinnoch every year although not all have the chance to listen to a first hand account. This year is special because it happened 50 years ago.'

Only a few minutes away, primary seven pupils at Ciarnhill Primary were also learning about the disaster from their teacher Mr Johnston. Once again most had already heard of the disaster and over half had relatives that were either trapped in the mine or involved in the rescue.

Sarah Tomlin, then 11, of New Cumnock, said she thought her grandfather"s best friend was a miner at Knockshinnoch and that she was keen to get home and find out more about what happened on that fateful night - proving that the spirit of the disaster still touches this close knit community.

Pupils from both primary schools attended the 50th year memorial service at the cairn.

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This article appeared in Cumnock Chronicle 23 Oct 08

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