COAL MINING........ MY CONNECTIONS

BLANTYRE WAS ORIGINALLY A COAL MINING VILLAGE AND AS I HAVE CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT WALES, AND ONE OF WALES'S LARGEST HERITAGES IS COAL MINING. I FEEL OBLIGED TO DEDICATE A PAGE TO MY FAMILY'S CONNECTIONS TO THIS LARGE AND DANGEROUS INDUSTRY.

ON 27 OCTOBER 1877 BLANTYRE WAS ROCKED WHEN A LARGE EXPLOSION OCCURRED IN NO 3 PIT, KILLING 216 MEN.

Blantyre disaster

MY GRANDFATHER, FREDERICK CORNELIUS CADLEWORKED BOTH
AS A FARMER AND A MINER, AT LLYWNYPIA COLLIERY,
TONYPANDY, S. WALES

ON 25 TH JANUARY 1932, AN EXPLOSION IN THE MINE CAUSED THE
DEATH OF FREDERICK AND ELEVEN OTHER MEN

NORTH WALES ALSO HAS STRONG CONNECTIONS WITH THE COAL INDUSTRY.

WREXHAM, WHERE I NOW LIVE HAS HAD IT'S SHARE OF DISASTERS ALSO. BOTH LLAY MAIN AND GRESFORD HAVE LOST MEN IN SUCH INCIDENTS.

     GRESFORD LOST OVER 260 MEN IN ONE SUCH DISASTER ON 22      SEPTEMBER 1934.

   

AND LLAY MAIN LOST 9 MEN ON 5 DECEMBER 1924.

EACH MAN LOST IS REMEMBERED ON VARIOUS MEMORIALS.

GRESFORD MEMORIAL.

THESE ARE JUAT A FEW EXAMPLES OF JUST HOW DANGEROUS THE
COAL INDUSTRY WAS IN THE EARLY TO MID 1900'S.