John Lambie – Fatal Accident Inquiry

Fatal Accident Enquiry into the death of John Lambie. Campbeltown Courier 13th November, 1926. Courtesy of Netta McShannon

Collier, Robert Hamilton, known as Bobby, remembered by his daughter, Mary

My father Bobby Hamilton was born in 1919, he was a ‘middle ‘child in a family of twelve, six boys and six girls. Sadly my Aunt Agnes MacKenzie, 96 years old is the only remaining sibling. They were brought up at Trodigal Cottage or Bobbins’s Cottage at Kilvivan, between Machrihanish and Drumlemble, The cottage was so called because the my grandfather, Robert, was known as Bobbins.

Four members of the Hamilton Family. L-R Bobby, Agnes, Stewart and Malcolm, Photograph courtesy of Mary Hamilton ©

My father joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1937, and when he was ‘demobbed’ he returned to Kintyre and began working in the Argyll Colliery at Machrihanish. He married Jean MacBrayne in 1948 and they had three children, Sheena, Mary (me) and Robert.

Bobby with his daughter, Sheena. Photograph courtesy of Mary Hamilton. ©

My father had a few accidents whilst working in the Pit and I remember one time, 1960 (I think) that he had hurt his shoulder, back and his left foot. I think coal fell on him.  He could not wear a shoe or slipper and cut his sandal, put holes in the side and crisscrossed this with string and could get this on his foot to walk about in the house. I remember the noise the buckle made when he was walking about. 

My father left the Pit with some other miners from the area, in 1961 or 1962 to work in Corby in Stewart and Lloyds Steel Mills – the idea being that we would eventually move to Corby.

I can remember the Miners Gala days, going to the beach and the Christmas parties, and the old Rex Cinema to see a film.

My mother’s health was not good, however as a child I was unaware of how ill she really was and in March 1964 she was admitted to Campbeltown Hospital. My father came back from Corby.  My mother later transferred to the Western  Infirmary Glasgow and sadly, she died at the age of 46. My father was then a widow caring for three children, aged 13, 11 and 8 years old. He never returned to Corby.  

Not long after my mother died I walked with him to the cemetery and after visiting my mother’s grave, we walked to another gravestone. My father told me that this man had been  one of his closest friends and he had died in an accident in the Pit. This was of course Jimmy Woodcock.  My father had never mentioned this before,  and I never heard him talking about his ordeal being trapped under the coal. [Bobby had a narrow escape in February 1951 when Jimmy Woodcock was killed].

Extract from the Campbeltown Courier, February 1951. Courtesy of Campbeltown Library.

My father had several labouring jobs after this, he worked when the Jetty was being built at the then NATO base down Kikerran Road, then when the oil tanks were being installed and then later as a storeman. This was the only job that he ever spoke about with disdain, as he felt there was not enough to do and he was indoors.  He then worked in the Shipyard and his last employment on retiring was with the local Council, cutting the grass, maintaining the plants.  He enjoyed this as he was outdoors and was a keen gardener.

Mary Hamilton, far right. Photograph: Vicky Middleton ©

My father was a quiet man who loved reading books and poetry.  He never had a television, preferring to listen to the radio.  The poems I remember him reciting to us was Ogden Nash, the Camel, The Lama, etc – nonsense poems when we were young, and then later, some of his favourites, usually when he had a ‘wee dram’.  ‘The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God’ by J.Milton Hayes, ‘The Shooting of Dan McGrew’ by Robert Service and of course anything by Robert Burns.

Bobby Hamilton, left, at Campbeltown Day Hospital. Photograph courtesy of Mary Hamilton ©

My father died in Campbeltown Hospital, aged 86 in 2006.  He is still missed.

Mary Hamilton

Donald Mustarde – Apprentice Electrician, Argyll Colliery.

Donald Mustarde at his home in Haddington. Photo: Jan Nimmo ©

In July 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting Donald Mustarde at his home in Haddington. Donald worked his 5 year apprenticeship as an electrician at Argyll Colliery between 1948 – 1953 before heading to work at the Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania (also known as the Mwadu mine). A Campbeltown man, Donald was brought up on Shore Street and spent his childhood playing around the pier, fishing for crabs. He was 15 when he started at the colliery which he remembers as fully mechanised and very modern for its time. He carried out some of his training at the Middleton Camp in 1955. He was trained as a first aider with the rescue team and also played for the Argyll Colliery football team. Some of the team mates he remembers are: Jim Martin “Chocolates”, Ewan McPherson, Charlie Martin, Joe Duncan, John Anderson, Donald Kelly  -“Purba” and Charlie McFadyen – “Twinkle Toes”. At that time the family lived in one of the miners houses, 167 Ralston Road, Campbeltown.

Donald died in 2016.

Thanks to Donald’s daughter-in-law, Arlene and Donald’s son, Donald Mustarde Jr. for arranging our visit to Donald and his wife, Anne.

They’re on Holiday – But these Argyll players keep their eyes on the Ball. A newspaper cutting from Donald Mustarde which we assume is from an Ayrshire newspaper.

Photo of Donald Mustarde at Butlins with other miners – tbc. Photo: Jan Nimmo ©

Donald Mustarde with a cutting from the Campbeltown Courier. This is in fact a photo of the Kintyre Amatuer Football League selected annually and who played against Queens Park in Glasgow. Top row: L-R Archie Mustarde (Purba), Donnie Kelly, Hugie Newlands, Neil Watson, Archie Simpson, Sandy McGeachy, Neil Martin? Baldy McCallum (Manager). Front row: L-R Tommy McGeachy, Charlie McFadyen,Jim Martin, Malcolm McPhee and Donald Mustarde. (Thanks to Tommy Newlands for the names!) Photo: Jan Nimmo ©

Miners and Football in South Kintyre – Alex McKinven

The Road to Drumleman archive blog is delighted to publish this article by Alex McKinven, once an employee of Argyll Colliery, Machrihanish and author of the the book Kit and Caboodle, The Story of Football in Campbeltown. As a follow on to Alex’s article we’ll post some newspaper cuttings from the Campbeltown Courier which were collected by Kenny McMillan, once the manager of Argyll Colliery FC. You can visit the Kit and Caboodle Facebook page here.

The Story of Miners and Football in South Kintyre – Alex McKinven

Although now in my early seventies, the memory of working as part of the surface team at Argyll Colliery still holds a very special place in my heart. Yes, the work was physical and demanding, but the hard daily graft paled into insignificance when compared to the light-hearted camaraderie that was always available at the drop of a hat. The end of shift encounters with a sea of blackened faces soon made me aware that underground workers were a special breed of men, a race apart when it came to making light of the everyday dangers that surround them. However; apart from assisting the engineers to renew the haulage cable system, for the most part my experience underground was non-existent. Nevertheless; even a small glimpse of the conditions the miners endured filled me with admiration for my fellow man. As often heard – life ‘down under’ was like entering another world.

The approach to Argyll Colliery from the Campbeltown road to Machrihanish. Still from the 1955 film Kintyre by Iain Donnachie, NLS/Scottish Screen.

Away from daily toil, it never ceased to amaze me how organised the miners were when it came to spending their leisure time, whether it was in sport, the arts or other forms of recreation. However; in all of these activities this group of ‘Titans’ had a secret weapon – the assistance of the wonderful Miners Welfare Association. A small deduction from wages helped to fund a multitude of local activities, culminating in the annual Gala Day in which every child – colliery related or not – was treated to day out thanks to the kindness of the miners. The Miners’ Welfare Hall – Old Courthouse in Bolgam Street – doubled as the nerve centre for social activities, and it was here as a youth that I sat watching live football beamed onto a large screen via a contraption called a television set – unbelievably, this some sixty plus years ago.

The Old Courthouse, once the Miners’ Welfare Hall, Bolgam Street, Campbeltown. Photo: Jan Nimmo ©

The mention of sport, in particular the wonderful game of football, has helped to draw back the veil of time. Back then the miners of Argyll Colliery, like their fellow workers throughout the industry, had a special relationship with the ‘beautiful game’. Nevertheless; it came as a surprise to find an Argyll Colliery team had existed as far back as 1926, a period in which the club won the Ainsworth Cup – an Argyll-wide                       competition organised by the Mid-Argyll Football Association. Sadly, this sporting success was earned during a catastrophic period for the town’s traditional industries. The local shipyard at Trench Point was first to close its doors in 1922, a disaster for the local economy that was followed by the collapse of the whisky industry. The town’s unprecedented collection of distilleries failed due to Government capitulation to the temperance movement, this coupled with high taxation and the advent of prohibition in the USA. Of course, local distillers used Machrihanish coal as the main source of fuel, resulting in a chain-reaction that led to the closure of the colliery itself in 1929. The collapse of local industry preceded the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in history – a period known to history as the Great Depression (1929 – 1939).

As the economic crises receded another human disaster was about to unfold – the rise of Nazi Germany. Between 1939 and 1945 the world was plunged into a destructive war; nevertheless, the cessation of hostilities brought hope with a new Labour Government and a policy to reopen a nationalised Argyll Colliery at Machrihanish in 1946. It was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of mining in Kintyre, a period superseded by an influx of experienced key workers to educate the next generation of miners and give the town immediate relief from the threat of post-war unemployment.

Argyll Colliery Workers, 1965. Left to Right – Unidentified, Archie McKerral, Robert Brown, Neil Munro, Angus McKinlay, Sandy Smith, Unidentified, David Mitchell, Robert Martin, ? Livingston, and Tommy Woodford. Front, Left to Right Hamish McNeil, Jock Kerr, Jackie Galbraith, Malcolm Milloy, Kenny McMillan and Jock McGeachy. – Photo Courtesy of Morag McLean (nee McMillan)

The lack of fit and proper housing was a major post-war problem, a shortcoming partially alleviated by the creation between 1946 and 1948 of a new housing estate at Meadows – known locally and colloquially as the Steel or Miners’ Hooses. It would take a few years for the ‘Pit’ to reach full production, but between times the thoughts of miners turned to a ‘real’ priority of life – the game of football and creation of two new sides to represent the colliery workforce. Early summer of 1951 saw NCB Strollers and NCB Athletic join the ranks of the newly formed Artisans League, an amateur administration named after the skilled working classes who promoted the game during the Victorian era; however, this was a ploy and merely a ‘Sprat to catch a Mackerel.’ Grandiose plans were already in place to create a junior side and apply for membership of the town’s football elite – the historic Campbeltown and District Junior Association.

So was born Argyll Colliery Junior Football Club, a team that would have a novel beginning to life in the ranks of semi-professional non-league football. At this level players could receive remuneration for their services – but I’m sure very few did in the local game. Embarrassment would reign during the first round of matches, as the players were asked to wear old-fashioned black and white jerseys with tie cord collars. Where on earth did they come from? The answer to the question can be found in an earlier reference. The jerseys were a legacy – somewhat unwanted – of the team of 1926, a relic from the last time a miner’s team had taken to the field of play.

The new management team of Kenny McMillan and John Docherty were quick off the mark to purchase a brand new football strip – although knowing glances were exchanged when confronted with their choice of colours. Both men were die-hard Motherwell supporters, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when the famous ‘claret and amber’ emerged from the wicker hamper at Kintyre Park. It would prove a memorable beginning, as within a few weeks of starting the miners claimed their first trophy – the McCallum Cup. In a competitive final, two long range efforts from Donald Paterson and a solo effort from Sam Batey were enough to see off the ‘mighty’ Glenside – one of Campbeltown’s legendary junior football clubs.

Challenge Match – Argyll Colliery FC versus Shotts Bon Accord (Lanarkshire League Leaders) 2nd May 1953, KIntyre Park, Campbeltown. – Campbeltown Courier, 19th March 1953

For the best part of a decade Argyll Colliery FC was a ‘magnificent obsession’ for the management team, so much that Kenny McMillan was inspired to keep a diary of the team’s performances and results. Little did he know his humble archive would become extremely important, a precious record of the club’s exploits in all matches – including ‘blue ribbon’ Scottish Junior Cup ties. Meetings with the famous junior club Shotts Bon Accord were also included, a side Kenny simply referred to as ‘our Shotts friends.’ Against such exalted opposition the results weren’t half bad either. The ‘Miners’ drew 1-1 draw with Shotts at Kintyre Park in May 1953, before losing the return match in September that year by 3 goals to 1. From these results alone we are immediately made aware that Argyll Colliery FC was more than capable of holding its own against teams from the much vaunted Central Scottish League, at this time the best junior league in the country.

Argyll Colliery FC at Kintyre Park, Campbeltown c. 1952. (Amber and Claret strip) Back row – from left to right: ‘Donnie’ Paterson, Coventry Paton, ‘Chas’ McKechnie, David Anderson, Malcolm Hamilton and James /Jimmy Thompson. Front row – Left -Right: Neil McLaughlan, Willie Colville, Sam Batey, Stewart Hamilton and Charlie Farmer. Photo courtesy of Maggie Allen (nee Paton) ©

Argyll Colliery reached its peak as a team in season 1953-54, winning the league championship and three of the four cups available. A quote from Kenny’s memoirs is unmistakable in its praise of the ‘claret and amber’. Having beaten Campbeltown United by 5 goals to 1 in the final of the Sutherland Cup, he goes on to say ‘ We scored five fine goals and George Cook – the scorer of four – has never scored as many goals in his life’. He then goes on to qualify his statement. ‘Of course, he has never played in such a good team. Mr Sutherland would be proud to know his cup couldn’t go to a better team’. In football terms, the miners of Argyll Colliery had struck gold!

Argyll Colliery FC pictured here at the back of the Miners’ Welfare Hall, Campbeltown. Photo from Coal magazine courtesy of the McMillan family. (We’ll add names shortly).

Like in every other walk of Campbeltown life, the characters involved in local football were sometimes better known by their nicknames. ‘The Miners’ team was no different in this respect, and Kenny’s mischievous entries included a number of affectionate by-names that could have graced a Walt Disney film script. The team list occasionally digressed from the ‘norm’ to include references to ‘Orra’, ‘Sleepy’ and ‘Happy’, or when the opposition was mentioned – ‘Feeny’, ‘Tucker’ ‘Roabie’ or such like. There was no malice in this whatsoever – quite the opposite, only good humour and a sense of place and time. Campbeltown revelled in its vast collection of nicknames, in such numbers that set it apart from many other communities on the west coast of Scotland.

As the 1950s rolled on, ‘the Miners’ flew the flag for Campbeltown football in far-flung places; exotic venues like Armadale, Inverurie and Rutherglen were visited. They even created a youth league to protect the future of football in the town, and, I’m delighted to report that the efforts of Bill Adams, Jimmy Stark, Charlie Duffy and Sandy Cunningham achieved this goal. ‘The Miners’ last effort to embrace football was as an amateur side for a two year period in the Kintyre Amateur Football League – 1958 to 1960. Ironically, it ended as it began, with the club wearing black and white striped jerseys, although this time, thankfully, the garments were brand new.

Argyll Colliery may have passed into memory; however, ‘the Pit’ will be remembered as much more than a place of work. Yes, it brought much needed jobs and financial stability to the community, but the National Coal Board also had the welfare of people at its core, values that are very hard to find in modern industrialism. Togetherness and camaraderie was the key to everything that was achieved; a message that echoes loudly through the decades as we take a figurative, if nostalgic journey along the well- loved road to ‘Drumleman’.

Cup Tie Day at Kintyre Park. Colliery Triumph in Rough-and-Tumble Decider: an article from Campbeltown Courier – 8th December, 1955. Cutting from the late Kenny McMillan’s collection, courtesy of Morag McLean (nee McMillan) .

COAL magazine – an extract from a feature about Argyll Colliery and Campbeltown

Another interesting extract from COAL magazine which relates to Campbeltown and to Argyll Colliery. It was published August 1950. We are grateful to George McMillan, Campbeltown for letting us scan and publish these cuttings. You can read the PDF version here.

COAL magazine, August 1955. Courtesy of George McMillan, Campbeltown.

COAL magazine, August 1955. Courtesy of George McMillan, Campbeltown.

Turning back the Clock – Campbeltown’s Coal Mine

Campbeltown’s Coal Mine – an article in the Campbeltown Courier, 27th Sept 1991. Courtesy of the collection at Campbeltown Library.

Kilkivan – Inundation from an old abandoned working – July 1878

The following information is from the Scottish Mining website and regards the deaths of Neil Smith (collier), Daniel McPhail, (collier) and James Todd (bottomer) at the Kilkivan Pit, Drumlemble, near Campbeltown. We previously published a blog entry about this incident, Lines on an Accident at Coalhill. (It seems that the names Donald/Daniel and James/John were interchangeable). According to the information on the Scottish Mining website, James/John Todd was 64 when he was killed. There isn’t an age given for either Daniel or Neil – we will add these when we have that information.

The report makes for chilling reading…

Kilkivan Cemetery, between the villages of Drumlemble and Machrihanish, where Daniel McPhail is buried. Photo: Jan Nimmo ©

Inundation from an old abandoned working

Argyle Coal & Cannel Co.

From Main body of report:

The pit at which the irruption took place is 27 fathoms deep, and was suddenly filled to within 12 fathoms of the surface. The old workings, from which the water flowed, are of considerable extent, but have been abandoned for upwards of 50 years. Referring to plan which exhibits the workings of two seams of coal, the first six-feet seam lies at 18 fathoms from the surface, and the lower or nine-feet seam, at 27 fathoms. At the time of the accident the working was confined to the lower seam. The depth of surface overlying the stratified rocks, lying not far above the sea level, averages 54 feet, of which 40 is principally composed of sand. Several dislocations traverse this part of the coalfield, and the fracture, or ”veise” is generally found filled with sand. In mining up to these fractures, or barring them, there is frequently a partial discharge of water, which is looked upon as quite an ordinary, occurrence. In May last the place marked x on plan, when extended to the dislocation a a, relieved some pent-up water, to check which supports were immediately put to the roof, and a rough darn constructed, backed by a loose building. This had the desired effect of shutting off the water, and the place was supposed to be left in a secure state. Nothing further was done until the 5th of July, when the manager had occasion to be in or to pass near to the mine x, when he discovered water and sand passing from the front of the dam. On observing this, precautionary measures were taken, which were completed before night. No further discharge was observed up to the time of the disaster, which happened on the afternoon of the following day, 6th, when the water which lay in the six feet seam found its way into the mine x by the “veise” of the dislocation a a. The pressure of the water, probably equal to 100 feet or thereby, forced away the , obstruction at X , and made an opening down the veise of the dislocation 25 feet and 4′ X 10′, in which it must have rushed with considerable force. The bottomer, who was employed at the bottom, was so suddenly overtaken that he did not escape, and two of the miners, working at B, the dipmost part of the mine were, I presume, instantly closed in, their bodies being afterwards found near to their working-place. Fortunately the work was nearly over for the day, and five workman, engaged at different parts of the mine escaped by the “blind” pit.
The appliances for pumping, the water and unwatering the mine were kept in constant operation, but the bottom was not reached until the 2nd of September when the body of the bottomer was found, and nearly four weeks elapsed before the bodies of the others were reached. The works were conducted or guided by an old plan, which is now found to be in error at least 46 fathoms, or rather the workings have been extended 46 fathoms beyond the limit shown upon the plan.
The existence of water in the old workings was well known, but it was equally well known that it lay from 25 to 30 feet above the seam being worked. Since the accident a mine has been driven to prove the actual position of the old waste. This is a very unusual accident, the displacement of at least 25 feet of material, 4′ x 10′, more or less consolidated, and could only have happened under special conditions. The salutary provisions contained in section 42 of the statute, which provided that plans of abandoned mines shall be be lodged with the Secretary of State within three months after the abandonment will in future tend to prevent such misfortunes.

And there is another entry regarding the deaths – an article from the Scotsman…

Campbeltown – Colliery Accident – Three Men Drowned – Shortly after three o’clock on Saturday afternoon a mining accident occurred at the Drumlembie Colliery, belonging to the Argyle Coal and canal Company Ltd, situated on the estate Kilkevin, in the parish of Campbeltown, by which three of the miners lost their lives. It appear that the water broke into the mine in some unexplained way from an old disused working. There were a number of men in different parts of the pit at the time, but on water being discovered to be flooding the workings they rushed to the bottom of the shaft, and succeeded in getting safely to the top, with the exception of three men named John Todd, Daniel McPhail and Neil Smith, who were unable to escape from the pit in time and were drowned. Todd and McPhail were both married, but Smith was unmarried. The bodies have not been recovered. The pit, which was flooded within about 100 feet of the surface, is being pumped as fast as possible, but it will take some time before it is cleared. One of the miners named Munro, who was among the last to leave the pit, states that he remained with Todd, one of the drowned men, waiting for the cage to descend, and that he (Munro) jumped and caught the rope as soon as the cage came down, expecting Todd to follow, but he heard the latter calling out, “Jamie, I am done; I can’t get on.” Todd was about 60 years of age. The others were young men. [Scotsman 8 July 1878]

From Scottish Mining

Argyll Colliery – Grand Dance and Challenge Match

These announcements from Campbeltown Courier, which date back to 19th of March 1953, give us an insight into the important role that Argyll Colliery, Machrihanish, once played in everyday Campbeltown life. Miners contributed hugely to the community in the 1950’s and 1960’s and here we see how they organised children’s Gala Days each year for not just miners’ but for all local children. Dances were held at the Miners’ Welfare Hall in Bolgam Street (formerly the Old Courthouse), at the Victoria Hall, The White Hart Hotel and the Templar Hall.  Football matches, like this one, where the Argyll Colliery team played against Shotts Bon Accord, Lanarkshire, were used as opportunities to raise funds for local good causes, in this instance for the Cottage Hospital  TV Scheme. Football was an integral part of miners’ leisure time, whether as a spectator or as a player.

Argyll Colliery and Children’s Gala Day Association Grand Dance at the Templar Hall. Challenge Match – Argyll Colliery F.C. versus Shotts Bon Accord. Campbeltown Courier, 19th March 1953. Courtesy of the Campbeltown Library collection.

The former Miners’ Welfare Hall, Bolgam Street, Campbeltown. Photo: Jan Nimmo ©

 

Bobby McNaughton – Apprentice Electrician

Robert “Bobby” McNaughton c. 1962, Kilkerran Road, Campbeltown, with Davaar Island in the background. Photo courtesy of Bobby McNaughton.

Robert “Bobby” McNaughton was born at Craigard, Campbeltown on 28/10/45. Bobby served as an apprentice electrician at the Argyll Colliery from 1961- 1964 until he was sent to Glasgow for further education. He worked alongside the colleagues who appear on the employee list here

There was another apprentice electrician working there too, who was senior to Bobby and whose name was Andrew Hall. Andrew was the son of the senior electrician. Bobby also worked alongside apprentice engineers, David Livingstone (whom Bobby thinks moved to Livingston) and Alastair McLaughlan. The three young men did their training together in Dunfermline. Bobby was then 16/17 years old.

The NCB sent Bobby to Glasgow to complete his education whilst finishing his apprenticeship at Cardowan Colliery. When he qualified and completed his apprenticeship he left the industry and never practiced his trade. He then went on to work for Phillips Electrical as a Lighting Engineer but realised that this was not for him either. He joined Lewis’s in Argyle Street (now Debenhams), in Glasgow, as a temp. but ended up staying there. Lewis’s sent Bobby to Keble College, Oxford and he became Personnel Manager in the store, a job he thoroughly enjoyed.

Bobby’s Uncle David appears on the Argyll Colliery employee list (no. 8). He was a fireman. He passed away 31 years ago on New Years Day. He lost a leg in an accident in the mine, from which he never recovered.

Bobby, now retired in Blackpool, still recalls Miners’ Gala Days, “All the kids loaded into buses and taken up the west road to a field where fun, games, competitions and eating was the order of the day”.

Bobby McNaughton. Photo courtesy of Bobby McNaughton ©

SKDT’s TRTD Drop-in Session (4)

This will be our last public drop-in session at Campbeltown Library so please, anyone with an Argyll Colliery/mining connection come along. You will be more than welcome. If you miss the session you can still continue to contribute stories and images to the project until August 2017. How to do that here. Looking forward to seeing you all!