It is forty-nine years since the last of the Somerset Collieries brought its final load of coal to the surface, ending hundreds of years of coal mining in Somerset.

Every year, the lives of those brave men who brought us the coal are celebrated at Radstock Museum with a get together over refreshments as, this year forty nine, former miners gather for the Annual Miners’ Reunion.

The event is organised and sponsored by the Somerset Miners’ Welfare Trust (SMWT) whose Chairman, Bryn Hawkins, gave a speech in which he said how pleased he was with the turn out. Bryn also explained that permanent black, steel silhouettes of miners are being sited around the Somerset Coalfield to celebrate and remember the local industry. He also thanked museum volunteers Julie, Marian, Clare, Kate, Lucy and Belinda for serving refreshments.

This year saw a special presentation for long service; Francis Hillier, who in recent years stepped down from the position of Chairman of the Somerset Miners Welfare Trust (SMWT) committee, was presented with an engraved glass plaque in recognition of his 25 years as Chairman. The plaque was given to Francis by Michael Eavis, President of the SMWT and Patron of Somerset Coalfield Life at Radstock Museum. Francis formerly worked at the National Coal Board (NCB) head office at Writhlington in the wages office.

Roger Yates worked at Old Mills Colliery from 1963- 1965. He has many recollections of his time as a miner. One memory he had was of an unusual experience involving a rather terrifying looking wasp that occasionally found its way into the local mines. Roger explained that the woodwasp or giant horntail sawfly is a very large insect up to 4cm in length with a long spike at the end of its abdomen. The wasp lays its eggs in pine trees; the lave hatches out inside the tree and eats the wood.

Pine trees that were used in the coalmines as pit props *would sometimes harbour woodwasp lave and after months and years of the pine prop being in situ underground, an adult wasp would emerge down in the coalmine. Roger recalled that any miner stung by one of these wasps would have to go home as the sting, though harmless, was extremely painful.

Roger recalls holding a light for his fellow miner who was lying on the floor of the mine working; having only heard about, but never having seen one of these giant wasps before, Roger suddenly saw one had landed on his mate’s shoulder. On telling his mate there was a giant wasp on him, at first his mate didn’t believe Roger but then as he looked towards his shoulder and saw it there; Roger said, “I never saw a man move so fast!” *pit props were used to prop up the roofs of the mine tunnels to prevent roof falls underground.

Also in attendance this year was Alan Moore. Alan worked as an engineer for the National Coal Board on Frome Hill, Radstock in the early 1960s. At the time he was involved in a local amateur dramatics group in Radstock along with local author Janet Tanner. He then left the NCB and went to drama school at the Old Vic in Bristol and became a professional actor for forty years including playing the part of Morris Jones from 1989-1991 in Coronation Street.

The SMWT are planning to take former Somerset colliery workers and their partners on some free trips in the coming months to Tintern and the Wye Valley, Saunders Garden Centre and Brent House Carvery and Weymouth.

If any former colliery worker is interested in more details, then please email Bryn Hawkins: [email protected]