Jean McMurdo

The relentless rain

He had a near miss at one point. He was off ill and the man, his neighbour he talked about was Ted Harris and John was off ill and Ted Harris… there was an inrush of water from where I don’t quite remember but Ted Harris was drowned. He had that quite early near miss and he went to work at Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery. The thing about Knockshinnoch Castle colliery was; there was no pit baths. He used to come home; I told you that we hadn’t…. I mean we had a kitchen, a wee totty kitchen, with a sink and an outside lavvy. So I had to heat water on a range and have it ready for him in a zinc bath. He washed in a zinc bath when he came back fae the pit. Now just a very short time, a matter of I seem to think it would be less than a fortnight the pithead baths opened. Because we went up to the opening and we saw through these wonderful pithead baths, where they could leave their cold and dirty clothes and dust and come home clean. Wonderful. That lasted for a very short time. I’m sure it was only a matter of ten days or so until the pit fell in. It was torrential rain. Rain, Rain, Rain, it was a deluge of rain. Everything was flooded. John got to and from the pit on his bike and he was on backshift on the fatal day, on the Thursday of the disaster and he was late coming home but I didn’t bother because I though he was maybe having bother getting through floods on his bike. It was because of the torrential rain falling on the peat bog that the problem really developed.

What was the 1st indication that there was something wrong? Did you hear the pit horn going.

No. I never heard anything. I had a meal. I had a meal prepared for John coming home. He would be due to come in sometime after ten o’clock. My mother appeared. My mother appeared and my mother never visited me at that time of night. She would have been in her bed at that time at night. And it kind of puzzled me. Why? What is she doing here? And she rattled on about every subject under the sun except John and the pit.  Because she knew, she had heard there was something had happened. The 1st rumours were that it was an explosion that had happened. And she knew something had happened and she didn’t know how to tell me. So she just talked like a train about ordinary everyday mundane sort of things. And then my door opened and John McKechnie, owner of the local garage next door to me, burst in to the house and his words were “ It’s not an explosion its water!” and I thought “What are you talking about?” Because I didn’t know anything about it. That was the 1st indication I had that there was something wrong.

Surrounded by people who cared

Sheer disbelief. I mean what do you think? But always where ever there are people they think the best. Oh… whatever’s happened he’ll come out of it. He’ll come in the door, it’ll no be long till he’s back, he’ll be home before very long. It took a long time for us to realise how serious it was. My mother stayed with me and it was just a matter of waiting. There was family across the road. The McDonalds across the road and Ronald McDonald had also not come home and his sister came across here to see if I had any news and I said no. And we spent the night just talking and waiting. We had no idea what to do.

Did you not think it was as serious as it was, at that time?

No you never do… You always hoped for the best. It wasn’t until my I told you about my aunt’s house. Their husbands were miners and an Uncle came and he talked to me and it was these old miners that really, who gave the 1st indication. Once it was known what had happened, right that the sludge had come in. Rushed into the pit and it had actually worked its way up the shaft. So there was no way out that way. But these old miners could say, Aye but part of the Knockshinnoch workings are just next door to the Bank No6 workings and there were roads had been driven there although they hadn’t been used for a long time. So they knew that there was a place next door where it might be possible to bring the men out and of course the important thing was that there was a telephone line which worked and it grew fainter but it worked. If that telephone line hadn’t worked I don’t know what would have happened. There was communication with the men down below. They could tell the men down below what was happening on the surface and they could tell the men down below what they should be doing. Thursday all the through the night nothing much came through. News began to filter through on the Friday and of course all the important bigwigs of the Coal Board arrived and  they began to get round a planning table and make contingency plans to get the men out.  Well I had a baby and where there’s a baby their certain things that you have to do. You’ve got to get the nappies washed, there was no pampers in these days it was terry, muslin nappies and terrys nappies. So life went on, It had to get on for the sake of that child. Looking after the baby and cleaning, and getting the washing done and feeding him and all the rest of it. And there was always a succession of people anxious to know what was happening and how I was coping. You know you were surrounded by people who cared.

We knew the problems down below

No not at all. There was no point in going to the pit on the Friday. A crowd of people, a crowd of women in particular would just have been a hindrance. Let the rescue brigades get on with the work and of course they were bringing rescue brigades in from all over the place and we knew that they were trying to bring in breathing apparatus as well. We knew the problems down below the roads had been developed but they expected that some of the props keeping the roof up might have disintegrated or fallen or something. They really… the roads that they found were remarkable but there was gas. Know the fact there is gas means that if there’s a spark from somebody’s pit boots, there would have been an explosion and it was a very risky business from everybody’s point of view.
So what did you do on the Friday? How did you spend that day?
Looking after my child. Talking to visitors who came in, endless cups of tea.
Did you have any visitors from the Coal Board?
No… No…. What I did have and I think in would be the Friday was somebody came and handed me in Johns pay packet. That was payday. And I got the pay packet. And in my wee house there was a tiny wee hall and  at the far end of it coat hooks and that’s where we hung our coats. So I shoved the pay packet in my coat pocket. That was to become quite important, because I had to lose that pay packet… but that’s further on in the story.
Did you have any visits from the trade union or anybody?
No.
So who kept you informed of developments?
Well of course my uncles being ex miners and interested… They were the ones that understood what was happening. They were the ones who were the eyes and ears and they reported back to me. We were on the national news. The radio was giving. I mean the whole country was aware that this was happening. New Cumnock was a very busy place it was full of all sorts of folk including the press. And always at the back of my mind was… When is John going to…. I never doubted for a minute that he would come home. I never lost hope. No how could you. No.
What kept you going?
My child… child… Life goes on when there is a baby…
As the Friday wore on… Did you become more concerned the longer as it went on?
Aye I did because, my father came down at one point and he burst into tears and said there not going to get out. But I thought he would…

Saturday, the rescue begins

Down there, there were men, there are rescue brigade there were experts. There were great efforts being made and they’ll bear fruit, they’ll come home. That kept you going.
On the Saturday morning what was the mood at home then.
Well by that time we knew that the men that the trapped men had actually been instructed how to dig through towards Bank No6 workings, they had done that. We knew that the rescue brigade had actually made contact with the men. We didn’t know that they walked in and looked roundabout and walked back out. All these stories were told after the event but we knew they had managed to get in, that they were making plans and somehow or other they were going to bring these men out.
Can you remember who told you that news?
My Uncle…. My Uncle Sam told me about that.
When did you get word that they were coming out?
I knew on the Saturday afternoon that the plans were a foot to bring them out. But that there was to be... it wasn’t going to be willy nilly… They were going to bring out the very young and they were going to bring out the oldest. They were coming 1st and they would work towards the kind of… Younger men right enough. John was 30 and he was in the sort of last lot to be brought out. By which time the air was very bad. They were lying down on the ground because the gas was coming down onto them and eh they were great stories about how they had passed their time.
When did you get word to go to the pit?
About 6 o’clock on the Saturday night and there was a man across the road, he was related to the McKechnies, his name  was Ian McKelvie and Ian McKelvie came to the door and said “I think before long John will be coming out, would you like me to take you to the pithead.” And I put on my coat, stuck a scarf in my pocket and he took me up to the pithead. It was September, it was a cold night and I remember standing there, it must have been about ten o'clock or so by the time John came up  and I remember taking the scarf out my pocket, putting it round my head and at that point I must have drawn the pay packet out of my pocket and I never got that pay packet, somebody lifted that pay packet. I remember going to Sgt. Leslie, who was a friend of the family and telling him, if its handed in Sgt. Leslie. I think that what happened and he came to me several days later and he said “Jean we never got your pay packet but I can tell you this, whoever lifted it, the money will not do them any good.

The pithead reunion

When John got up, I was allowed to see him, to speak to him but these ones who were coming up in the last batch were immediately taken to Ballochmyle. Because they were suffering from gas inhalation and they were taken to Ballochmyle.
Well Ian McKelvie took me in his car. He had a car. I cannie remember looking out the car window or anything it was thought’s crowding in… He’s getting up… I knew he was getting up. I knew… I’ll see him before long. He’s safe… That’s the thoughts that go through your mind.
What was the scene on the pit head when you arrived?
Nothing but people… lots and lots of people all just standing there waiting. Waiting for news, waiting. Because remember there were 13 men lost and I think the authorities knew that 13 men had gone because a lot of them would be… drowned in the inrush of the sludge to begin with but two of the men weren’t. Two of the men lived for quite considerable time because they had chalked off the days. That’s horrific. I don’t remember being taken to where John appeared. I don’t remember who took me or anything. I mean there are all types of thoughts crossing through your mind at that time. I just wanted to see him back on the surface that was all. I don’t remember speaking to anyone but I remember Dr. Fyfe being there, the local Dr, he was the one. He was there when the men came up and gave them a brief check. A check up and but they were whipped away to Ballochmyle almost immediately. Not for long I think he got home the next day. A very quiet man…When he got home. Very quiet. A lot of thinking to do I think. I don’t remember being taken to where John appeared. I don’t remember who took me or anything. I mean there are all types of thoughts crossing through your mind at that time. I just wanted to see him back on the surface that was all. I don’t remember speaking to anyone but I remember Dr Fyfe being there, the local Dr, he was the one. He was there when the men came up and gave them a brief check. A check up and but they were whipped away to Ballochmyle almost immediately. Not for long I think he got home the next day. A very quiet man… When he got home. Very quiet. A lot of thinking to do I think.
What was you feeling when you saw him what was your sense…
Just sheer relief… sheer relief. That there he is ok. Life resumes. But the one thing was I was determined. He’s not going back down the pit that’s it. I don’t care he’s not going back to the pit.
Did he ever mention about going back down the pit?

I don’t know if he would get much of a chance because he was told plain and pointedly that he wasn’t going back down the pit but it transpired… I have since… John never talked about it. Never once told me about it. He didn’t want to talk about it, but since I discovered an eyewitness account written by him. Now I know what his thoughts were but until I read that and that’s just the other day I read that. The eyewitness account was recorded in 1982. I never knew anything about that; we never got a copy of it. I didn’t read it and John never talked about it. I was feeling very happy, I knew he was safe when he was in Ballochmyle. My father went for him, my father had a car and my dad went for him with me, with us in it. We collected him.

He wasn't going back down the pit.

Well I don’t know what he was like but I was overjoyed!!! As I say John was quite, very quiet. He used to get up after that. He would be in bed and get up during the night. Had to get out of the house. Claustrophobia, this idea of being shut... he couldn’t bare to be shut in. I think he probably realised what a difficult job he had been doing. What a difficult place to work and I think he was absolutely determined, as I was, that he wasn’t going back down there. I don’t think he could have tolerated it. It was difficult for him when he started working in the lab… He worked in the railway to begin with, he got a job in the railway. And then he got a job in Wisemans factory in Mauchline, making spectacle frames…. He wouldn’t talk about it and he took a bad case of alopecia, do you know what alopecia is? Its as a result of stress when your hair falls out and your left with bald patches. That affected him so that showed that he was under stress but never once did he talk about it. He didn’t tell me he was under stress… it had happened it was over and that was it.
How long was he off his work for?
He wasn’t off for very long at all… He got a… I don’t remember what…whether they were paid a wage or not. For I think possibly were paid a wage, these men and there were a lot of men off for a long time. John went back whenever he could get a job which was on the railway. And he was paid £84 compensation by the Coal Board. But men who were off longer, got a bigger payment but all he wanted to was get a job, a job out the pits. Now he wouldn’t be alone, a lot of these men would want to get a job out the pits but that’s were all the work was: in the pits. So it was quite difficult you had to go for a job and take it whether it was the job you wanted or not.
He never went back down a pit again?
He went down a pit he had to when he worked at the Lab he had to go down for the sampling and he was never very happy about it but he had to do it and he did it. But that was different from going down the pit every day to work down in the bowels of the earth. Yes what happened was that, Butlins offered a kind of… I’m sure it was midweek. I’m sure it was kind of Monday to Thursday thing. And the 1st lot they took were the young single men and they gave them holiday and then the married men with the families were in the 2nd batch. We got a free holiday, we got the chalet, we got the food and we got the entertainment and all sorts of things it was a very nice gesture on the part of Butlins and I will tell you it was great fun there because all the tension had gone and it was sort of celebration.

It still makes me emotional.

I think he succeeded very well in putting it behind him, I think he would.. He never talked about it but I’m sure he considered himself to be a very lucky man to be there to tell the tale. I’m sure he regretted very much there are 13 men who didn't’t come back because there was a great camaraderie amongst the miners. But I think that uppermost would be the fact, that well I’m here and that life goes on. I’ve got… I’ve still got my wife and my family. I’m a fortunate person. But do you know in my day though. Daddies nowadays are totally different from Daddies then. I mean Daddies then weren’t hands on. You very rarely got a Daddy changing a nappy. You very, very rarely got a daddy talking a child out in a pram. That was not done. You went out as a family but the daddy didn’t take the kid. So he would do exactly the same things as… he would nurse him and doodle with him on his knee. Cuckoo and all the rest of it. But no there really wasn’t any difference that I remember.
When he went up to the laboratory to the dust. Can you remember the 1st time he went back underground.
Aye… I remember it. I wasn’t happy about it but he never spoke about it. This was part of his job he had to do it he had to get on with it. John was a very quiet man, a private person he very rarely expressed intense feelings about joy or sorrow or fear or anything. He was a kind of stoical: Just a man of that time.
How do you think it affected you?
Well it got my priorities straight for a start and I knew what was important in life after that and I was just so relieved…. It was a long time before I could face it before I could think about it. I didn’t want to think it, it still makes me emotional 60 years later... but at the time, no I didn’t display emotion you just got on with it nothing you can do everything’s going to turn out right and so it did… for us anyway.