Andrew Ruddick

Grew up in High Fell, went to school in Hallbankgate - before free education, paid threepence a week, good education, did well when went to big school. Started as grocer in the Co-op but didn't like "being everybody's lackey", at 13. Started then driving pony in Roachburn pit, then working "hanging on" a dilly, helping tubs move, then putting, then hewing. Shifts - no machinery, boring hole for explosives. 1908 there was a big accident in Roachburn pit, describes circumstances, knew man who died in it trying to save others. Owner never really recovered. Moved to Chopwell but wife lonely so came back to Gairs. Trade union involvement. Bred canaries. New mine owners. Had to meet coal owners, awkward class clash, not used to their manners, saw spaghetti. Gairs pit has very old bits.

Location: Roachburn
County: Cumberland
AUD2005-75

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Transcript of audio:
I was abed, but wor marras was in. When Jimmy come home like, he said what had happened, well I had my tea and I come up to the pit, went up to the pit head, and the undermanager come up, there was a few on us standing about and he said would we gan back home and put wor pit clothes on and come back up again. Well I did, I went away back with two or three men, but they didn't turn up after. I told my father, put his pit clothes on and we went, we went back up, and we were there from Tuesday night, midnight, the day it had happened, we were emptying slush on the bank about eight on us on a shift, eight hours there and eight hours off, eight hours on, eight hours off, right away to the Friday night, when they gave up hope. You see there was men inside, going forward, putting this slush in tubs and sending them away at the bank. There was an uncle of mine, he was a deputy, they sometimes got that far in, she rushed past them you see, and they were frightened she might come out a big rush and bury them too, so they had to give up, had give up hope of getting them, it was pitiful watching them.
Patterson was the deputy that was barred in, he had a wife and young family, Matt Hilliard was married of course, his two daughters and son was grown up like, but thy were on the bank all the time, and Wharton was a single fellow, he was living with his mother and with his aunt, terrible death. But Matt Hilliard should've had the VC, because when he went away, he went away into the Jubilee, she was pushing everything before her then. Jim Douglason, when Matt went in Jim said, "you're committing suicide, Matt" he said I cannot help it, Jim, it is my duty. And he was gone in and we had a six to four on chance of him ever getting back again. And how they died, when they died, whether they met up and what was the matter with Wharton, there's not anybody know now.

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