I remember as a teenager working down the deep mines in Yorkshire . Finished my training, on Nights first shift after completing my mining training. The lads, mainly coal face worker's gave me a nice welcome, snap break at 4am. Took my piece of bread off me chucked it on the ground, took my coffee and water from me. Dragged me along the ground and pushed over on the blindside of the stage loader. When I tried to stand and was shoved over again. The men grabbed at me, pulling my overalls off me. They had a laugh at my expense. The thought crossing my Mind because I was not much older than their own children. Is this how they would treat their own child ? I was only a teenager but they did not care about me, one of the Miners. Working down the deep mines earning a living. Teamwork, nice welcome back then.
I work underground her in Eastern Kentucky. It breaks my heart for those men. Coal mining is in our blood. I come from generations of coal mining. I guess I'd be a 3rd gen coal miner. My gramp started underground hand loading at 17. Worked underground for 32 years. He pretty much got to work and change with the mines. He started when there was no machinery all the way up to when they had it and started bringing it underground. The stories is unreal, but hes also been covered up twice. Legs broke, ribs broke, both arms broke, etc. I've been covered up once trapped for 5 hours in 15 foot coal. We was doing pillar work. If it wasn't for the cab on the shuttle car it would have killed me. But coal miners are they're own bread lol. It's one of the best jobs I've ever had plus the men I work with are all family and willing to die for you, save you, etc. Its a brother hood. All coal miners stick together no matter what country, place! God bless y'all!
as a 31 year old southen fairy obviously ive never been down a pit but i was when i look back on it doing a very hard grim site for 18 months dispite all the hardships i loved it i even forgot about just how grim it was but the team were like a family the firm we worked for looked after us to the point its was like having a strong union i need to get me drinking under control and ill go back to them i just can not risk burning that brige right now
I went there today its a museum now and it was beautiful id love to thank these men for supplying our country. My grandfather was a miner in that mine before i was born, he didn't work last shift due to an injury but he still loved every moment
A sad report that makes me cry. I worked as a mining mechanic in German coal mining. Here, too, all mines are now closed. But ... coal mines will no longer exist (in Germany), but pride and honor will remain! I greet all of mates with a friendly 'Glück Auf!' (German miner's greeting)
@@MrSouzy yeah basically all that was lost was job security and camaraderie. You can have those things back if you organise to build a socialist society instead of believing everything the billionaire owned newspapers decide is the new scapegoat this week.
These are people are genuinely admire as heroes to me. I was born and raised in the north east of England. Mining was I wanted to do but leaving school in 1988 margret thatcher had butchered mining, steel making and ship building and railways. I never got to be miner instead I had to leave the north east to find work and I am now in the merchant navy so connected ship building. My best wished and hopes go to every last man in Kellingley and all the other pits maggie butchered.
@@joesmith8701 your right it was a dream job but it has changed a lot first restrictions after 9/11 and then covid restrictions. As it happens I ended up in the at sea by chance after having some other opportunities. But I started as merchant seaman which still has a lot manual labour so it's not all luxury travel, unless to work your way up to be captain or chief 😀 engineer.
My family were coal minors in my town for 400 years, my town is literally 400 years old. 😅😂😅 My dad was not a coal miner, he turned 20 in 1989 and he became a carpenter.
My old man was a miner he still talks to this day about the great times he says he always says he spent more time underground than a potato and the Camaraderie between the other miners and the stories I’ve heard some sad some hilarious it destroyed the towns and villages and still to this day you can see the after effects it had and that last bit was heartbreaking they weren’t just losing there jobs it’s like they where losing apart of themselves really do think if your not from in and around the old pit villiages and towns and the people the areas you could never really understand the working class mentally and what closing a industry it did to family’s split them and some to this day don’t talk and the effect on the local economy great to see they could move on with there lives in new jobs but like sheldon said he will always be a miner 👍🏼
Absolutely heartbreaking..... This country is a bloody disgrace. Hard, strong and dedicated professionals. I know in my lifetime this closing of the mines will bite us right on the ass...... Thank you one and all...... Yet another industry consigned to the history books.....
Its amazing how much stuff was left down there - could easily have kept some of the miners on to take apart the gear and hoist it up for storage just in case
Such a shame to see such a proud industry bought to a close. Top blokes through and through, very glad to see Jack found work in the end. Comes across as a very wise head on young shoulders. All the best in your future careers!!
My grandad was a proud Irish miner who came over just after WW2. He worked in that many pits even he couldn't name them. The stories he could tell, but he always said no matter where you went the mining comunity always stayed togethor across the country. To see this again is heart breaking. I remember seeing it origionally and totally feeling for these guys as I did for my grandad when he was forced to leave. Then they brought out the open cast mining systems but by then the cards were pretty much stamped on the end as most is imported.
Was speaking to an ex miner of Kellingley this weekend at the yorkshire mining museum, they used to sell coal at 70 per ton to the power stations and still turn a profit, they are now buying it from abroad for 800 a ton
I’m sure with the energy crisis the government now realize they were wrong..Never rely on other countries to provide energy as we are seeing it doesn’t work
Here in the blackcountry we're sitting on a 30 foot thick coking coal seam known as " the Staffordshire thick" just waiting to be mined. Our last coal mine shut in 1968 (Baggeridge colliery) the one before that shut in 1965 (Hampstead colliery) we also have New hawne colliery which has been left untouched since it closed in 1920, it frustrates and baffles me as to why we aren't making use of our readily available natural resources rather than importing cheap highly polluting shit from abroad. I'd be first in the queue for a job down a coal mine
Having worked with a few ex miners in my working life can categorically say they seem to be very good at adapting to new careers. They had to be on time each day as once the train leaves for the coal seam that’s it so and they have to follow so many guidelines and safety aspects they always see a job out. No surprises they all seem to have found gainful employment after the pit closed.
I started work at Bolsover 1980 age 17, It closed in 93. I spent the next 7 years as a welder/fabricator/steel erector and the following 22 years as a CAD draughtsman but I still consider myself a coal miner.
To see hard working grown men cry is heartbreaking, i was filling up watching it. Spliting up a working family and communities, maggie thatcher got a lot to answer for.
Scargill was right, who would of thought that in just 31 years every last coal mine in the uk would be closed. I’m fully behind eco friendly environment etc, but while we’re still burning coal then why not mine it from the uk! 🇬🇧
I wish Britain was still like it was in the 40s and 50s they seemed free and indestructible in their works and people seemed happy and unique I could say the same about my home here in the USA
from what i understand usa had her best times in the 50s we had our best time in the 60s and what the united states is going through right now seems to be the horrers we went through in the late 70s early 80s the united states will get back on her feet agen just like we did
The first deep coal mine in 30 years is opening in Cumbria, Woodhouse colliery. It’s a bit like the shipyards, personally like you, I think they will reopen them on a mass scale.
I'm an environmentalist but think the closure of this pit, & others in the UK a very short sighted decision. As one of the minors said in part 1 - " why us? ...... China & Germany are still mining coal" which is a fair point, especially when you take into account the events that have occurred after this was filmed ( I write in 2023). I'd like to add my sincere best wishes to all the men & their families. This is a very well done documentary, thanks for uploading & sharing.
Such an important documentary. This industry should have been protected and then progressively phased out as Britain moved away from coal. Instead the rich 1% exploited foreign coal for their own huge profits creating an inequality society which has left us in economic ruins. What a shame policy makers cared more about the London financial sector than the UK economy and it's people. Failed again by politicians and look at our debt as a result of this indiscriminate murder of primary and secondary industry.
@@SGTmapleleaf coal should have been phased out, with power stations only allowed to buy coal mined in the UK. Thus making the use of it more expensive for companies and therefore incentivising its replacement whilst also supporting jobs and allowing a gradual transition out of an industry that propped up areas of the north and Midlands.
I worked at this pit kellingley for 20yrs my dad after leaving haig pit for 34 yrs..i am a parton lad who lives in knottingley 53 yrs..so sad this video...had some great times there..bloody hard...
I doubt there are many industries these days, where the idea of watching out for, or protecting your fellow co-worker, is important. You can tell that it is just part of the job. I admire that sense of responsibility to others.
My grandad used to say that no matter what every body had each others back. You could fall out with a bloke one minute and the next that same bloke would pull you back if he saw something about to happen. Family underground and family over ground.
I finished at Ellington combine the big E 1994 my heart dropped 24 years a working miner shut he pits but I'm still a miner some people know me as the last coal miner at Dinnington village Newcastle upon Tyne a proud and sad thing to be tagged with been the last in generations in mining 💀😢👊
30.37 is that Pete who was or still is a tour guide at the mining museum near Wakefield? He was a brilliant guide and really engaging. It was a pleasure to have him lead the tour. I miss talking to my granddad about his mining days.
@@martynrichardson1511 i have looked for Pt1 ... now I know what happened! Thanks a million for uploading this. I’ve watched it 3 times back to back. Brilliantly filmed. If you can get Pt.1 to me somehow then let me know
So sad. I’m from a colliery village which shut in 93. I was just lucky enough to see the village before the it was destroyed by the closure. Good luck lads
They didnt do enough for these guys when the last shift finished. Really a government representative should have been there and they should have had a type of celebration when they came up. I am an English guy who lives in Germany and and they recently closed their last pit here too. That was sad too. But when the guys came up the brass band was playing and they made a big thing of it.. Here they came up and had to face a barrage of photographers.
@@CymruEmergencyResponder well the difference here was that all of the German miners had the opportunity to train for something new. Instead of being thrown on the scrap heap.
Yep in all cases since Thatcher and her tory w@nkers were in power every time a pit closed all the men were thrown on the scrapheap along with their families and communities. This also applies to steelworks and shipbuilding, and the railways too.
@@MrSouzy I read that in Germany, any miner under 40 got funding for retraining in a career of their choice, and anyone over 40 got their full pension paid early. Not a single miner found themselves with no options. Whatever the realities around the future of coal for generating power, the way things were done here, and the way that hard working people and their communities were treated was a disgrace.
“It is a shame we couldn’t have the same level of interest when we were trying to keep the mines open as the same level of interest now the mines are closing…..We should have been fighting to keep the pits open rather than celebrating the pits shutting.” Quote of the entire clip, IMO.
32:08-32:20 that's bit really poignant seeing the mine for the very last time, RIP British coal mining industry. My late grandad was coal miner albeit not at Kellingley
It's not just the pit's that are adversely effected, it's the auxiliary support services such as the companies that provide and service the intrinsically safe lights etc. This reminds we of the time we refurb'd the lights for one of those long-wall's. After it was back up and running they did one cut and then closed the pit.
what kind of coal came out of Kellingley Colliery was it House or steam coal and what happened to the last load of coal that came up? i understand that they saved a lump of coal that came from Kellingley
The UK has more than 150 heritage rail companies covering 560 miles of track that runs between 460 stations. These lines play a big role in UK tourism today. They are worth about half a billion pounds a year to the national economy. Millions of tourists take trips on these lines every year. In addition the bigger heritage railways provide both employment and apprenticeship schemes. Many of the UK’s heritage rail companies say they are already having to cut services just as they prepare for the Platinum Jubliee 2022. UK coal for steam trains has now gone and our next supply source was to be Russia, which is now off the table for totally understandable reasons. Our coal stocks are running out fast and the search is on to find alternative sources from overseas. However, there is no obvious source for the right quality of coal that we require and prices are fluctuating all over the place.
Thanks for putting this up. Both my grandads were miners, I can just about remember there still being headgear dotted around the place when I was very young but they'd all gone before I was 10 or so. Is part 1 available anywhere does anyone know?
Smile, lost your job. News people very patronising, making them rehearse how they feel for the camera!!! Felt for them as they said they wanted to one last shift to say goodbye. Like the managers comment, we've put the lid on the coffin, were here putting the nails in. Captain goes down with his ship as he switches the electrics off. 😢
Yes Harry Gration, what an absolute twat that bloke was, patronising preening prick. Making them appear 'devastated ' when they were but wanted to be alone in their thoughts.. The Manager of the put was right tho, they did love the camera, a few of them were revelling in the limelight🤣
Wow, what a brilliant, but very sad story, this country is built on coal, but we import cheap rubbish from abroad, typical British government, these men were the last in a very long line of deep pit miners, who have seen things that will never be seen again. I salute you brave men, reopen the pits, we are brimming with coal.
The big K. I've just found this again as I randomly found myself talking about it the other day. Families built up around mining and single handedly destroyed by one woman in the early 80s (this one aside of course) causing a rapid decline.
Has anyone got a link to Pt 1 ? Part 2 was an immense shock, I left in 1985.... 8 years investment into University and a Career for a C Eng., The Manager's Ticket. Then I understood the Tories long game... close the pits with 300 more years and bank on Natural Gas for 60 years. In the end both demonized but with Money invested and support we could have been cleaner. In the end Britain lost, EU lost, China became the major growth country - Powered by coal. FT ! Why Why Why Delilah (God bless Stoke City, they keep this song alive) !
see the thing that annoys me is that there are still coal powerplants operating and a few of them have no plans to close (as of 3/19). they should be using BRITISH coal not some foreign shit that they can get slightly cheaper
I live in a town built on coal mining deep in the heart of Yorkshire and the majority of the males in this town worked at cortonwood, a sinonimous name with miners as you've probably guest I'm from Wombwell, my dad was a miner at Elsecar and wouldn't hear a rong word about it :ut told us whilst growing up don't work at pit and lucky for me I finished school during the strike.
The technology is there to massively reduce carbon emissions from coal fired power stations. You either have coal or nuclear at the moment. Take your pick.
my grandad was jack longstaff union leader for nottingham and Derbyshire i remember having tea with arther scargill and joe gormley when i was a kid during the strikes.
Real men real jobs one of the most dangerous jobs on earth ,but these men were more than willing to carry on working the face providing coal for the country ,we had it all ,now we import it madness .the younger generation have missed out so so sad.
COLE MINER COLE MINER🎶,SHINING YOUR LIGHT.🎶WORKING ON MINESHAFT DARK AS THE NITE🎶.WHATCHA GONNA Do BEFORE YA GO BACK IN?🎶IM GONNA ASK THE LORD TO LET ME COME OUT AGAIN.🎶AMEN🎶🎶🎶🎶GOD BLESS ALL WHO WE HAVE LOST & NOT FORGOTTEN.FOREVER LOVED
