GLO Issue / Rhifyn 5

BIG PIT: AMGUEDDFA LOFAOL CYMRU BIG PIT: NATIONAL COAL MUSEUM

GLO C O A L

Gweithwyr GloGweithwyr GloMineworkersMineworkers

WWW.AMGUEDDFACYMRU.AC.UKWWW.MUSEUMWALES.AC.UK

GWEITHWYR GLOFA DEEP NAVIGATION, 1920DEEP NAVIGATION COLLIERY WORKFORCE, 1920

CyflwyniadCROESO I GLO: RHIFYN 5. YN WAHANOLi’r rhifynnau blaenorol, nid yw’r cylchgrawn hwn yncanolbwyntio ar un thema’n unig; yn hytrach, mae’nadrodd straeon dynion a menywod a ystyriai eu bodyn gwneud gwaith digon cyffredin yn y diwydiant glo.

Yn wahanol i’r gred gyffredin, nid oedd pob glöwryn ceibio glo. Mae hyn yn arbennig o wir am lofeyddmodern, lle mae cyfrifiaduron cyn bwysiced â chaib arhaw, a’r gweithwyr yn arbenigwyr tra medrus.

Mae’r straeon hyn yn amrywio o glerc a oeddwedi diflasu’n llwyr gyda’i swydd i reolwruchelgeisiol, yn ogystal â staff ffreutur, nyrsys abechgyn sgrin. Mae llawer mwy o bobl wedi cyfrannustraeon dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, a doedd dimmodd cynnwys pob un yn y rhifyn hwn. Rwy’nymddiheuro’n fawr iddyn nhw ac yn addo y byddwnyn cynnwys rhagor o’u straeon yn rhifynnau’rdyfodol.

Ni fyddai’r cylchgrawn hwn yn gweld golau dyddheb gymorth a chydweithrediad dynion a menywodcyffredin diwydiant a chymunedau glofaol Cymru.Eleni, rydym yn chwilio am gyfraniadau o feysyddglo’r Gogledd yn arbennig. Os hoffech chi rannu’chstraeon a/neu’ch lluniau, cysylltwch â ni yma yn Big Pit: Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru.

Ceri ThompsonCuradur, Big Pit: Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru

IntroductionWELCOME TO VOLUME FIVE OF GLO. UNLIKEprevious editions, this magazine does not concentrateon a single theme; instead it contains the stories of menand women who were doing what they regarded asordinary jobs in the coal industry.

Contrary to popular belief, not all mineworkerswere occupied cutting coal at the coal face. This isespecially true of a modern mine where computers have become as important as shovels and the workforceis composed of highly trained specialists.

The stories in this edition range from a boredcolliery clerk to an ambitious colliery manager, andinclude canteen staff, nursing sisters and screen boys.Many more people have contributed their stories overthe past year than are included in this edition. I can only apologise to them and assure them that theirstories will appear in future editions of GLO.

This magazine can only be produced with the helpand cooperation of the ordinary men and women of the Welsh coal industry and communities. This year we are especially seeking contributions from thecoalfields of north Wales. If anyone would like to sharetheir stories and/or photographs please contact us atBig Pit: National Coal Museum.

Ceri ThompsonCurator, Big Pit: National Coal Museum

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FE YMUNAIS I Â’R BWRDD GLO CENED-laethol fel ffotograffydd ym 1978. Roeddwn i eisoeswedi bod ar ymweliad danddaear â Glofa DeCelynnen gyda Choleg Bournemouth, fellyroeddwn i’n gwybod beth i’w ddisgwyl. Er hynny,cefais syndod o weld y fath amrywiaeth o waithroedd y Bwrdd Glo yn ei wneud i gefnogi’rdiwydiant glo, a’i fod yn rhan annatod o fywyd ycymoedd.

Cefais fy nghyfweliad yn swyddfa fodern y CoalHouse, Llanisien, ar gyrion Caerdydd, ond panddechreuais gyda’r Adran Ffotograffiaeth, roeddwni’n gweithio yn yr hen ysbyty ceffylau uwchbenswyddfeydd y Bwrdd Glo yn Nhon-du. Roedd yradeilad mewn cyflwr difrifol, a llawer o’r offer ynperthyn i’r 1960au. Fel Sais ifanc o gefn gwladDorset, doeddwn i ddim yn gwybod beth ar wyneby ddaear i’w ddisgwyl.

Cefais hyfforddiant danddaear yng NglofaAbernant, ac am hanner awr olaf bob dydd,roeddwn i’n gorfod torri coed tân ar gyfer yrhyfforddwyr a hyd yn oed ei gludo i ben y pwll a’i roiyng nghist eu car! Fe fwynheais i’r cyfan, ac rwy’ncredu y bydden ni’n dal i allu adeiladu ‘cog’(cynhalbost pren i’r to) a gosod ‘Dowty’ (cynhalbosthydrolig i’r to) heddiw.

Fe wnes i gyfarfod a chydweithio â chymeriadau

gwych dros y blynyddoedd, a thynnu lluniau ambellun a greodd hanes. Cawn fy sarhau’n rheolaidd ganMick McGachy, Arthur Scargill, Emlyn Williams â’utebyg yng nghyfarfodydd Undeb y Glowyr; byddennhw’n pwyntio bys at griw’r wasg a’u galw nhw’nfaw isa’r domen. Fe ddilynais Ian McGregor oamgylch y meysydd glo am rai diwrnodau, yn tynnulluniau ohono ar daith. Roedd yn syndod ohawddgar, ac er ei fod yn gallu sgwrsio’n rhwyddgyda’r dynion, roedd yn anesmwyth a thrwsgl yngnghwmni’r wasg. Roedd yn hoffi pysgota eogiaid, acrwy’n cofio tynnu llun ohono’n derbyn plu pysgotaa wnaed gan rywun yng Nglofa Cynheidre.‘McGregor’ oedd enw un ohonynt a dywedodd Syr Ian ei fod yn ‘real killer’. Ychydig wyddem ni ary pryd!

Roeddwn i wrth fy modd fel ffotograffydd, ganfod pob diwrnod o waith yn wahanol. Fe wnes irywfaint o waith i gwmni Coal Products, ThomasNess yng Nghaerffili, a gweddill meysydd glo Gwladyr Haf. Roedd Prifysgol Caerdydd yn ymchwilio i’rposibilrwydd o ailddefnyddio’r ffyrdd yng nglofa’rBetws gan ddefnyddio dulliau pwmpio monolithig,felly fe dreuliais lawer o amser yn tynnu lluniauyno. Rwy’n cofio gwneud arolwg ffotograffig o hengeuffordd a oedd yn rhedeg o dan Lofa’r DeepNavigation, gan ailymddangos gyda bechgyn Brigâd

Ffotograffydd y Bwrdd Glo

I JOINED THE NATIONAL COAL BOARD IN1978 as a photographer. I had been on an undergroundvisit with Bournemouth College to Celynen SouthColliery so I knew what to expect at the pits, but I hadno idea how many different sorts of activities went onin the NCB to support the mining industry and howembedded it was in the life of the valleys.

I had my interview at Coal House, Llanishen a mod-ern office on the outskirts of Cardiff, but I startedwork in the Photographic Department in the old horsehospital up above the NCB offices at Tondu. The build-ing was in a terrible state and most of the equipmentwas from the ‘60s. As a young Englishman from ruralDorset I really didn’t know what I’d let myself in for.

I did my underground training at Abernant Colliery,for the last half hour of every day we would have tosaw up firewood for the instructors and even had tocarry it up the pit and put it in the boot of their car!I enjoyed it all and I think I could still build a cog[a wooden roof support] and set a Dowty [a hydraulicroof support] today.

Over the years I met and worked with some fan-tastic people and photographed some of the historymakers. I used to get regularly pilloried by the likes ofMick McGachy, Arthur Scargill and Emlyn Williams atthe NUM galas; they would point down to the press

pack and hurl insults at the ‘gutter press’. I followed IanMcGregor around the coalfield for a couple of daysphotographing his trip. He was strangely engaging andcould easily talk to men face to face but was awkwardand clumsy with the media. He was a salmon fishermanand I remember photographing him being presentedwith some salmon flies that had been tied by someoneat Cynheidre Colliery. One of the flies was called aMcGregor, Sir Ian said ‘It was a real killer’ – little did weknow!

I enjoyed my time as a photographer as no two jobswere the same. I did jobs for Coal Products, ThomasNess in Caerphilly, and the remaining bits of theSomerset coalfield. Cardiff University were research-ing the re-use of roadways at Betws using monolithicpump packing methods so I spent a lot of time photo-graphing that. I remember making a photographic survey of an old adit, which ran under Deep NavigationColliery, and emerging with the Dinas Rescue Brigadeboys from a manhole in the middle of Treharris High Street, much to the astonishment of shoppersand traffic.

There were social events to cover such as theInstitute of Engineers, the Coal Merchant Federationdinners (probably the hardest drinkers and roughestbunch of the lot). I remember photographing prospec-

The NCB Photographer

LLUNIAU GAN JOFF WHAITE.CLOCWEDD: ‘WELSH’ – CEFFYL GLOFA BIG PIT; BOB HASLAM, CYFARWYDDWR BWRDD GLO A KEVINWHITEMAN, RHEOLWR PWLL GLO; IAN MCGREGOR

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOFF WHAITE.CLOCKWISE: COLLIERY HORSE ‘WELSH’ AT BIG PIT; BOB HASLAM, NCB DIRECTOR AND KEVIN WHITEMAN,COLLIERY MANAGER; IAN MCGREGOR

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tive Coal Queens in dimly lit Miners’ Welfare Halls upand down the valleys; well someone had to do it. I visited a lot of the private mines on behalf of theInspectorate of Mines and the NCB claims inspectors,some were like stepping back in time. There were timesI was called on to photograph fatal accidents. Whenyou are working taking the photographs you remaindetached but printing them up in the darkroom bringshome just how dangerous the industry could be.

I worked with the Coal News journalist Dick Markson the south Wales edition. It was a constant struggleto find stories; it seemed if your Grandmother had acoal fire you qualified for a mention. My darkroommoved from Tondu to Aberamman back to Tondu thento Llanishen and finally Ystrad Mynach. I lived andworked in south Wales for twelve years and madesome fantastic friends. I was eventually transferred toEastwood Hall in 1991 to join the NCB Television Unitproducing safety and training films until we were allmade redundant in March 1994.

Jonathan (‘Joff’) Whaite, Photographer

Achub Dinas trwy dwll archwilio yng nghanol StrydFawr Treharris, er mawr syndod i siopwyr a’r traffig!

Roedd angen rhoi sylw i ddigwyddiadaucymdeithasol fel ciniawau Sefydliad y Peirianwyr aFfederasiwn Masnachwyr Glo (sef y criwiau garwafa’r yfwyr mwyaf o bosibl). Rwy’n cofio tynnu lluniaudarpar Freninesau Glo o dan olau gwan ynNeuaddau Lles y Glowyr ar hyd a lled y cymoedd;wel, roedd yn rhan o’m gwaith i! Fe es i sawl glofabreifat ar ran Arolygiaeth y Glofeydd ac arolygwyrhawliadau’r Bwrdd Glo, ac roedd cyflwr rhaiohonynt yn perthyn i’r gorffennol pell. Weithiau,byddwn i’n cael galwad i dynnu lluniau oddamweiniau angheuol. Ar y pryd, rydych chi’nbwrw ymlaen â’ch gwaith yn ddi-emosiwn, ondwrth argraffu’r lluniau yn yr ystafell dywyll, dynapryd rydych chi’n sylweddoli pa mor beryglus ygallai’r diwydiant fod mewn gwirionedd.

Gweithiais gyda Dick Marks, gohebydd rhifynDe Cymru o’r Coal News. Roedd chwilio amstraeon parhaus yn dipyn o gamp; byddai tân glo ynnh¥ Mam-gu’n ddigon o drywydd am stori aradegau. Symudodd fy ystafell dywyll o Don-du iAberaman, yn ôl i Don-du ac yna Llanisien, cyngorffen yn Ystradmynach. Fe dreuliais i 12 mlyneddyn byw ac yn gweithio yn ne Cymru, ac mae gennyfgyfeillion gwych o’r cyfnod hwnnw. Yn y diwedd,fe’m hanfonwyd i weithio gydag Uned Deledu’rBwrdd Glo yn Eastwood Hall ym 1991, lle bues i’ncynhyrchu ffilmiau hyfforddiant a diogelwch cyn ibawb gael ein diswyddo ym mis Mawrth 1994.

Jonathan (‘Joff’) Whaite, Ffotograffydd

PAUL ROBESON JUNIORYNG NGLOFA’R MAERDY

PAUL ROBESON JUNIORAT MAERDY COLLIERY

‘JOFF‘ WHAITE

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Oes ’da chi’ch llyfr dogni?IT WAS 1941 AND I WAS WORKING IN FERNHILLColliery with a chap called Arthur Fallon. It was com-ing up to eleven o clock in the morning and he said tome ‘What shall we do shall we fill this empty dram orshall we go to dinner?’ I said ‘We may as well fill it first.’We were working in six feet of height and only fillingthe dram with a curling box because if you used a shov-el, and the fireman [an official on a coal face] caughtyou, you would get a fine or even the sack. So I had touse the curling box and a stone came down from theroof and cut through my leg.

The first aid man was working about two or threestalls away and he came up with his box and bandagedme up. It took eight men to carry me out as we werethree miles in from pit bottom, and every time a jour-ney passed by they had to lay me at the side of the roadwhile a horse pulled the journey of drams passed us. Abad injury wasn’t a priority then, you were pushed toone side; it took two and a half hours to get me out.

So, anyway, they got me up the pit to the ambulanceroom. They laid my stretcher on the table and as theydid a big pool of blood came off it. Two and a half hours

and I could still feel the blood running down my leg.Then a doctor came to look at me and said ‘Am I yourdoctor?’ I said ‘No, Doctor Nelson is my doctor.’ ‘Oh,right’ he said and stood back. Then we waited for theambulance to arrive, which was a private ambulance inthose days. The ambulance driver took us up the newroad to the hospital and the gates were locked. So thedriver had to climb over the gates to unlock them.

When they eventually got me onto a bed DrFrazier came in and opened his coat and pulled out aneedle, it was like a big curl, and I was looking at it andthinking ‘Good God!’ He was with Dr Nelson who hada big brown overcoat on and was holding a bottle. Hesaid ‘Now I want you to take a deep breath on this’ andhe had a pad of cotton wool and he was pouring some-thing from the bottle on it. ‘Take deep breaths, butdon’t take them too deep’ he said while the doctorwho was going to do the sewing up was threading thegut onto the needle right in front of me. ‘Right!’ he said,slapping the pad on my face, ‘Take deep breaths’. Aftera couple of minutes Dr Nelson said, ‘Has he gone yetFrazier?’ and I shouted through the mask, ‘No! Notyet!’ Then he said again ‘Has he gone yet Frazier?’ andI yelled again ‘No, not yet’ and then, all of a sudden,whoosh, it was like someone had hit me with a sledgeand I could see all stars and bang! I was out.

When I woke up there was a little wireless near thefoot of my bed and I heard it saying ‘It’s Monday nightat eight o clock – going off air.’ I thought ‘That’s funny,I came in on a Tuesday and now it’s Monday, I’ve beensleeping for a week. In fact I had only been there fortwo hours and they had put hot water bottles aroundme and pulled the screens round the bed. A little boyin the next bed lent me his mouth organ and I startedto play and they came in and said ‘Whose doing that inthere’ and pulled the screens back. ‘Are you all right?’and I said ‘Aye, I’m starving; I haven’t had any food sinceI had this bump.’ ‘Ooh, you can’t have any food. You’llhave to wait ‘till tea time. Have you got your rationbook?’ I said ‘Ration book? I’ve just come in on a

stretcher from underground!’ So,when they brought thetea around they gave metwo or three corners ofbread and a little cup oftea. God, I was starving!I’d not had anything sincesix o clock that morning. Istayed in hospital for amonth. It was April 29th1941 when I came out, thenight the Germans bombedCwmparc, and I was homefor two months after that.

Sylvanus Thompson,Collier

Have you got your ration book?

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1941 OEDD HI, AC ROEDDWN I’N GWEITHIOyng Nglofa Fernhill gyda bachan o’r enw ArthurFallon. Roedd hi bron yn unarddeg o’r gloch y bore,ac fe ddywedodd wrtha i ‘Beth wnawn ni – llenwi’rdram wag hon, neu fynd am ginio?’ Atebais i ‘Man aman i ni lenwi hon yn gyntaf.’ Roedden ni’ngweithio mewn llecyn chwe throedfedd o uchder,ac yn llenwi’r dram gyda bocs cwrlo oherwydd pebaech chi’n defnyddio rhaw, a’r Ffeiarman (swyddogy ffas lo) yn eich dal chi, fe fyddech chi’n cael dirwyneu hyd yn oed yn colli’ch gwaith. Felly, roeddwn i’ngorfod defnyddio’r bocs cwrlo, ac wrth wneudhynny, dyma ddarn o garreg yn cwympo o’r to ac yntorri drwy fy nghoes.

Roedd dyn cymorth cyntaf yn gweithio tua dauneu dri thalcen i ffwrdd, ac fe ddaeth ataf gyda’ifocs a rhoi rhwymyn arnaf. Roedd angen wyth dyn i’nghario oddi yno gan ein bod ni dair milltir owaelod y pwll, a bob tro roedd llwyth o lo yn dodheibio, roedd rhaid iddyn nhw fy ngadael i ar ochr yffordd er mwyn gwneud lle i’r ceffyl basio. Doeddennhw ddim yn rhoi’r flaenoriaeth i anaf drwg brydhynny, roeddech chi’n cael eich symud o’r ffordd; yny diwedd, fe gymrodd hi ddwy awr a hanner i’nghael i allan.

Ta beth, cefais fy nghludo i fyny’r pwll ac i’rystafell ambiwlans. Ar ôl iddyn nhw roi’r stretsierar y bwrdd, dechreuodd pwll mawr o waed ddiferuohono. Dyma ni, ddwy awr a hanner ynddiweddarach, ac roeddwn i’n dal i allu teimlo’rgwaed yn llifo i lawr fy nghoes. Yna, daeth y meddygi gael golwg arnaf, a gofynnodd ‘Ai fi yw’ch meddygchi’. ‘Nage,’ meddwn i, ‘Doctor Nelson yw fymeddyg i’. ‘O iawn’, atebodd, a sefyll yn ôl. Yna,roedd rhaid inni ddisgwyl am ambiwlans, sefambiwlans preifat y dyddiau hynny. Aeth yrambiwlans i fyny’r ffordd newydd i’r ysbyty, a gweldbod y giatiau ar gau. Felly, roedd rhaid i’r gyrrwrambiwlans ddringo dros y giatiau i’w datgloi.

O’r diwedd, pan gefais fy rhoi ar wely, daeth DrFrazier i mewn, agor ei got, a thynnu nodwydd fawrohoni, a oedd yn debyg i gwrlyn anferth. Rwy’ncofio edrych arni a meddwl ‘Yffach gols!’ Gydag efoedd Dr Nelson, mewn cot fawr frown a photel ynei law. Dywedodd ‘Nawr, wy moyn i chi anadlu hwn’wrth iddo dywallt rhywbeth o botel i ddarn o wlâncotwm. ‘Anadlwch hwn, ond ddim yn rhy ddwfn’meddai wrth i’r meddyg a oedd am fy mhwythoroi’r edafedd yn y nodwydd reit o flaen fy llygaid i.‘Nawr ’te!’ meddai, gan daflu’r pad ar fy wyneb,‘Anadlwch yn ddwfn’. Ar ôl ychydig funudau,dywedodd Dr Nelson, ‘Ody e wedi mynd etoFrazier?’ a dyma fi’n gweiddi drwy’r masg, ‘Nacydw! Ddim ’to!’ Fe’i clywais yn gofyn am yr eildro‘Ody e wedi mynd, Frazier?’ a gwaeddais eto‘Naddo!’ ac yna, reit sydyn, roedd hi fel petawn iwedi cael clatsien gyda gordd, a’r cwbl allen i weldoedd sêr a bang! Roeddwn i wedi fy llorio’n llwyr.

Pan ddeffrais i, roedd y weiarles ymlaen ger ygwely, a chlywais y geiriau ‘It’s Monday night at eighto clock – going off air.’ A meddyliais i ‘Na beth od,fe ddois i mewn ar ddydd Mawrth, ac mae hi nawryn ddydd Llun, dwi wedi cysgu am wythnos gyfan’.

Dim ond ers dwy awr roeddwn i yno mewngwirionedd. Roedden nhw wedi rhoi poteli d!rtwym o’m cwmpas ac wedi gosod sgriniau oamgylch y gwely. Benthycais organ geg gan fachgenbach yn y gwely nesaf, a dechreuais ei chwarae, ac feddaethon nhw i mewn a gofyn ‘Pwy sy’n gwneud ys!n ’na’ ac agor y sgriniau a gofyn ‘Ydych chi’niawn?’ ‘Odw,’ meddwn i, ‘dwi’n llwgu; a heb gaelunrhyw beth i’w fwyta ers y ddamwain.’ ‘Ww,chewch chi ddim bwyd. Rhaid i chi aros tan amserte. Oes ’da chi’ch llyfr dogni?’ ‘Llyfr dogni?,’ myntefi, ‘dwi newydd ddod ar stretsier o danddaear!’Felly, erbyn amser swper, daethon nhw â dau neudri darn o fara a dishgled fach o de. Yffach, o’n i’nstarfo! Doeddwn i heb fwyta dim ers chwech ybore. Bues i yn yr ysbyty am fis. Fe ddes allan ar 29Ebrill 1941, y noson pan ollyngodd yr Almaenwyrfom ar Gwm-parc, a bues i gartref am ddeufiswedyn.

Sylvanus Thompson, Glöwr

GLOFA FERNHILL

FERNHILL COLLIERY

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HYFFORDDAIS FEL NYRS YN YSBYTYBrenhinol Gwent. Roeddwn i’n gweithio yn YsbytyCyffredinol Tredegar am gyfnod byr wedyn, acroeddwn i ar shifft nos pan welais i’r hysbyseb swyddam nyrs yn y lofa. Meddyliais, ‘Pe bawn i’n rhoicynnig arni, fe gawn i benwythnose rhydd wedyn!’Roedd fy nhad yn löwr, fy mrawd yn löwr, ac fellyroedd e yn y gwaed am wn i. Bues i’n gweithio yngNglofa Pochin ym 1955, cyn symud i Lofa Oakdaleyng nghanol y 1960au, ac yna’n Uwch SwyddogNyrsio ar feysydd glo’r De i gyd am ddeunawmlynedd tan i mi ymddeol ym 1986. Cefais sawlprofiad yn ystod fy ngyrfa, rhai da a rhai gwael iawn,ond mae’n well gen i gofio’r amseroedd da.

Ychydig cyn y Nadolig un flwyddyn, cawsomamser caled iawn gyda sawl damwain erchyll ac unfarwolaeth. Ar noswyl Nadolig, roedd y dynion yncerdded heibio’r ganolfan feddygol ar eu ffordd i’rgwaith. Roedd hi’n ddiwrnod cyflog, a phawb ynmynd i ysbryd yr !yl. Pawb yn dymuno ‘NadoligLlawen’ ac yn dweud ‘Mwynhewch’ ac yn y blaen.

Roedd dau deleffon yn y ganolfan feddygol; unlinell allanol a’r llall oedd ffôn y lofa a oedd yncysylltu â phob rhan o’r pwll. Roedd caniadgwahanol gan bob ffôn, ac roedd pawb yn gwybodp’un oedd p’un. Roedd pawb yn sgwrsio’n braf ac yn

hapus oherwydd bod Nadolig ar y gorwel, ac ynsydyn, fe ganodd un o’r teleffonau.

Aeth y lle’n dawel fel y bedd oherwydd ffôn ypwll oedd yn canu, ac rwy’n cofio cerdded yn nerfusar draws y ganolfan feddygol i’w ateb, yn ofni tawnewyddion drwg oedd e, gan feddwl ‘O’r tad, plîs,ddim ar noswyl Nadolig’. Codais y ffôn a dyma laisar y pen arall yn dweud, ‘Sister’ ac yna tawelwchllethol, ond roedd hi’n amlwg fod rhywun yn dalyno. Yna, meddai’r llais, ‘Sister, wy’n ffonio o’r ffas lopeth a peth’. ‘Ie’, meddwn i, ac yna pesychodd y llaiscyn dweud, ‘Sister’ ac atebais i, ‘Ie, beth sy’n bod?’Yn sydyn, dyma’r llais dieithr yn canu, ‘God rest yemerry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay’, ac ynsydyn, dyma ddynion y ffas i gyd yn canu carolau imi. Nawr, roedd uchelseinydd o dan y ddaear i roigwybod i bawb beth oedd yn digwydd, ac fellyroedd hi’n fater o ‘Os ydych chi’n mynd i ganu i Sis,ry’n ni’n mynd i ganu iddi!’ a dyma pawb danddaearyn canu’r garol i mi. Daeth dagrau i’m llygaid yreiliad honno.

Mae gen i hefyd atgofion melys o dderbynanrhegion bach hefyd. Doedden nhw byth wedi’ulapio mewn papur neis na dim, ond byddai rhywunyn dod â rhywbeth wedi’i lapio mewn papurnewydd i’r ganolfan feddygol ac yn dweud ‘I chi maehwn, Sis’ a bant â nhw. Ar ôl ei agor, byddai’ncynnwys bocs bach o siocled neu dusw o flodau.Bob tro roedd rhywun yn priodi, byddwn i bobamser yn cael darn o gacen priodas, ac weithiau,darn o gacen fedydd. Roedd yn hyfryd – roeddwn i’nrhan o’r gymuned.

Stori neis arall yw honno am y lwmpyn o lo agefais ar ôl i mi fynd dan ddaear am y tro cyntaf.Roeddwn i’n arfer mynd yn ôl gartref bob dydd Iaui weld mam, a dyna lle’r oeddwn i’n dangos ylwmpyn hwn o lo gyda balchder i mam pan ddaethfy mrawd, a oedd yn ffeiarman (un o swyddogion ylofa) i mewn a dweud ‘Taflwch e i’r tân, mam!’ ondatebodd mam ‘Paid ti â mentro!’ Flynyddoedd ynddiweddarach, pan fu farw fy mam, roedden ni’nmynd drwy’i phethau personol hi pan welson ni ei‘bocs lwcus’, sef bocs yn llawn o’i phethau arbennighi, a gweld bod fy lwmpyn glo i yno. Mae e gennyfhyd heddiw.

Ar ôl ffrwydrad Six Bells, daeth dynion y FrigâdAchub draw i gael golwg ar offer achub y lofa, achan fy mod i ar ddyletswydd yn ystod y danchwahonno, buom yn trafod ein profiadau yn ystod yramser ofnadwy hwnnw. Ar ôl ein sgwrs, fe aethonnhw i’w car a dyma un ohonynt yn dychwelyd atafgan ddweud ‘Dyma rywbeth i chi, Sis, ry’ch chi’n eihaeddu fe’, a bant â fe. Rhywbeth wedi’i lapio mewnpapur newydd. Pan agorais i’r pecyn, gwelais mailamp glöwr oedd e. Mae’r lamp gen i o hyd, ac rwy’nmynd â hi bob amser pan fyddaf yn rhoi sgwrs amddyddiau’r lofa.

Er nad oeddem i fod i fynd danddaear o gwbl, fees i lawr sawl gwaith. Mae rhwydd hynt i mi ddweudunrhyw beth am y glowyr, ond wiw i neb arallwneud hynny. Rydych chi’n clywed rhai’n dweudbod eu hiaith yn warthus a bod eu tai yn dlodaiddiawn. Doedd hynny ddim yn wir o gwbl, roedd

Un teulu mawrI TRAINED TO BE A NURSE IN THE ROYALGwent. I was in Tredegar General Hospital for a shortwhile after that and I was on nights there when thisadvert for a colliery nurse came up. I thought, ‘O, Iwouldn’t mind doing that, I could have the weekendsfree!’ My dad was in mining, my brother was in mining,so it was in the blood I suppose. I worked in PochinColliery in 1955, moved to Oakdale Colliery in themid-1960s and was later the Senior Nursing Officer forthe whole of the south Wales coalfield for eighteenyears until I retired in 1986. During my career I expe-rienced many things, some good and some very bad,but I’d prefer to remember the nicer times.

During the run up to one Christmas we’d had avery trying time with some very nasty accidents includ-ing a fatality. On Christmas Eve the men were going towork past my medical centre. It was pay day and every-one was feeling in a Christmas spirit. Everybody wassaying ‘Happy Christmas’ and ‘Have a nice time’ and soon.

In the medical centre there were two tele-phones; one was an outside line, the other wasthe pit phone connecting me to every part of thecolliery. They had two different rings and every-one knew the sound of these phones.Everybody was chatting and happy becauseChristmas was coming and then, suddenly, thephone rang.

There was immediately dead silence becauseit was the pit phone and I remember walkinghesitantly across the medical centre floor topick up the phone fearing bad news and think-ing to myself ‘O, please God not on ChristmasEve’. I picked up the phone and voice the otherend said, ‘Sister’ and then there was silence, butyou could still tell that someone was on theother end. Then the voice said, ‘Sister, this isthe so and so coal face’. I said, ‘Yes’, and he saidagain, after much coughing, ‘Sister’ and I said,‘Yes, what is it?’ And suddenly there came avoice, ‘God rest ye merry gentlemen, let noth-ing you dismay’, and suddenly there were allthe face men singing Christmas carols to me.Now underground there’s a tannoy system tolet everybody know what’s happening andnobody was going to be left out, so it was ‘Ifyou’re going to sing to sister, we’re going tosing to Sister!’ and I had the whole of theunderground workforce singing God rest yemerry gentlemen. I wanted to cry then.

I also have lovely memories of having lit-tle presents bought to me. They were neverwrapped up in lovely paper or anything, butsomeone would come in the medical roomwith something wrapped in newspaper andthey’d say ‘This is for you Sis’ and awaythey’d go. When you’d open it up there would be a lit-tle box of chocolates or a little bunch of flowers.When anyone got married I always had a piece of wed-ding cake, and sometimes it would be a piece of chris-tening cake. It was lovely – I was part of a community.

Another nice story is about the piece of coal I gotfrom my first trip underground. I used to go home

every Thursday to see my mother and we were havingtea and I was proudly showing Mam my piece of coalwhen my brother, who was a fireman (a colliery official),walked in and said ‘Throw it on the fire Mam!’ but mymother said ‘Don’t you dare!’ Years later, after mymother died, and we were going through her things wefound her ‘lucky box’, the box she kept her specialthings in, and when I opened it up there was my pieceof coal. I’ve still got that piece of coal.

After the Six Bells explosion, Rescue Brigade mencame round to check the colliery rescue equipmentand, as I had been on duty there during the disaster, wetalked about what we had done during that terribletime. After our chat they went to get in their car andthe next thing one of them came back to me and said,‘Here you are Sis, this is for you, you deserve it’, and away he went. It was something wrapped in news-paper. When I opened it up it was a miner’s lamp. I’vestill got that lamp and always take it with me when Igive one my mining talks.

One big family

SISTER EVANS (AR Y DDE) YN DISGWYL MYND I LAWR GLOFA OAKDALE

SISTER EVANS (RIGHT) AND TWOCOLLEAGUES WAITING TO GODOWN OAKDALE COLLIERY

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ganddyn nhw gartrefi hyfryd oedd bob amser felpin mewn papur. Wrth gwrs, roedd ambell eithriadfel ym mhobman arall. Roedden nhw bob amser yntrin y nyrsys gyda’r parch mwyaf. Os bydden nhw’nrhegi, yna roedden nhw’n dweud ‘Sori, Sister, o’n iddim yn sylweddoli bo’ chi yno’. Roeddwn i’n myndi’r ystafelloedd gwisgo weithiau, lle’r oedd ganddynnhw luniau rhywiol o ferched ar y waliau, ac osoeddwn i yno, bydden nhw’n eu gorchuddio’n sleibach gyda’u helmedi. Ond bydden i’n codi’rhelmedi ac yn dweud ‘Ma’ pin-yp newydd ’da chi, o’se bois?’. Roedden nhw’n griw arbennig iawn.

Os oedd eu gwragedd neu eu plant yn ddifrifolwael, roedd rhai o’r glowyr yn dod i ofyn i miesbonio’r salwch, a beth oedd y driniaeth orau. Nidy dynion h¥n chwaith, doedden nhw ddim eisiaugwybod, ond roedd y rhai iau wastad eisiau trafodeu problemau gyda chi. Daeth un bachgen i’rganolfan feddygol, a dweud wrthyf ei fod am gaelfasectomi, sef y dyn cyntaf yn y pwll i gael un. Ac arôl y driniaeth, ’Barren Jones’ fu ei enw am bythwedyn!

Roeddwn i’n hapus iawn yn gweithio yn ydiwydiant glo. Roedd yna agosatrwydd achynhesrwydd mawr yno, roedd y dynion yn wycha’u teuluoedd yn hyfryd, ac weithiau fe fyddennhw’n dod â’u plant ataf. Roedd y diwydiant glo ynun teulu mawr.

Iris Evans, Sister yn y Lofa

We weren’t really supposed to go underground, butI actually went down many times. I can say what I likeabout the miners but no one else dare say anythingderogatory. You hear some people saying that their lan-guage was shocking, that their houses were very poor.It’s a load of nonsense, they had beautiful houses andthey kept them beautifully. You always had the odd onebut there’s always the exception. They were alwaysvery respectable to all the nursing officers; we weretreated with the greatest respect. If they swore it was,‘Sorry Sister we didn’t know you were there’. I used togo around the fitting shops sometimes and they alwayshad their pin-ups on the walls and if I went in some-body would very discreetly take their helmet off andput it over the pin-up. But I used to lift it up and say‘You’ve got a new pin-up have you boys?’ They were agreat crowd, a great crowd.

If their wives or children were seriously ill, some ofthe miners used to ask if I could explain what was goingon and what could be done about it. Not the oldermen, they didn’t want to know thanks, but the youngermen often wanted to talk their problems over withyou. One lad came to my medical centre said to methat he was going to have a vasectomy, the first man inthe pit to have one. So he had his vasectomy and fromthat day on he was always known as Barren Jones!I was very, very happy in mining, there was a warmcloseness, the men were great and their families werelovely, sometimes they used to bring their kiddies tosee me. The mining industry was one big family.

Iris Evans, Colliery Sister

GADEWAIS YR YSGOL YN 15 OED, AC AR ÔLmynychu Canolfan Hyfforddi Wattstown, fe es iweithio yng Nglofa’r Cambrian. Plymar oeddwnam fod yn wreiddiol, ond oherwydd y byddwn iwedi gorfod ymuno â’r fyddin fe benderfynais fyndyn löwr – a oedd yn waith neilltuedig.

Roeddwn i’n gweithio ar y ffas lo, gan wneudgwaith llaw a chyda pheiriannau. Fyddwn i byth yndychwelyd yno am fil o bunnoedd yr wythnos i fod

yn onest, oherwydd fe welais i ddamweiniau di-ri -doedd dim pris ar fywyd! Er gwaethaf hyn, roedd yglowyr yn gydweithwyr bendigedig. Roedden ni felbrodyr, ac roedd hynny’n gwneud iawn am yramgylchiadau gwaith ofnadwy.

Un noson, roedden ni newydd adael ybaddondai pen pwll ac yn rhuthro i ddal y bws.Cafodd y dyn o’m mlaen i drawiad ar y galon, ac fegwympodd i’r llawr a marw. Doedden ni ddim ar

Llwybr siampên

The champagne pathI LEFT SCHOOL AT FIFTEEN YEARS OLD AND,after attending Wattstown Training Centre, went towork in Cambrian Colliery. I actually wanted to be aplumber but if I had I would have been conscripted intothe army; so I went underground which was a reservedoccupation.

I worked on both hand cut and machine cut faces.I wouldn’t go back for a thousand pounds a week to behonest, because I saw so many accidents – life was

cheap! In spite of everything, miners were fantasticpeople to work with. We were like brothers and itmade up for the awful working conditions.

One night we had just left the pithead baths andrushed for the bus. The man in front of me had a heartattack, fell down and died. We were just outside thecolliery so my friend and I dragged him back onto thepremises so that his widow would have more than the£23 she would have had if we had left him where he

GWNEUD YMARFERCORFF YN NHAL-Y-GARN

INJURED MINERSEXERCISING AT TALYGARN

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safle’r lofa, felly dyma fi a’m cydweithiwr yn llusgo’rcorff yn ôl i dir y lofa er mwyn i’w weddw dderbynmwy na’r £23 y byddai wedi’i gael petaen ni wedi’iadael yn yr union fan lle bu farw. Pan ddaeth dyn yrambiwlans, fe ddwedon ni mai yno y bu’r creadurfarw. Er ein bod ni’n teimlo’n drist iawn, o leiafroedden ni wedi helpu ei wraig weddw.

Cefais ddamwain go gas yn y Cambrian. DyddG!yl Dewi 1963 oedd hi, ac roeddwn i wrthi’ndatblygu ffas lo newydd. Roedden ni wedi tyllu’rtyllau ffrwydro ddiwrnod ynghynt, ac roeddwn ieisiau ffrwydro’r pum twll ar ochr chwith y ffas lo iddechrau. Doedd y ffeiarman ddim yn hapus, gan eifod eisiau ffrwydro’r cyfan gyda’i gilydd, ond feildiodd, a llenwi’r tyllau fel y dywedais i. Ar ôlgwneud hynny, sylweddolodd nad oedd ganddo’rbatri tanio, felly aeth yn ôl i fyny’r llwybr i chwilioamdano. Yn y cyfamser, fe wnaethom barhau iweithio. Roedd cynhalbost yn sownd yn y llawr, achawsom gryn drafferth i’w rhyddhau. Felly, dymafi’n rhoi fy nwy fraich o amgylch y post i geisio’igodi’n rhydd, a’r peth nesaf rwy’n ei gofio yw teimloochrau’r gwely yn yr ysbyty a methu’n glir â chofioble’r oeddwn i.

Gofynnais ‘Ble’r ydw i?’ a chlywais s!n traed yn

rhuthro tuag ataf. Roeddwn i ar ben fy hun yn yward a newydd ddeffro o fod yn anymwybodol.Roedd fy wyneb wedi malurio ac roeddwn i’n ddall;yn ddiweddarach, ces wybod gan fy ngwraig fy modi wedi bod yn yr ysbyty ers sawl diwrnod. Roeddpobl yn credu fy mod i wedi marw, yn wir, roeddwni wedi marw yn ôl adroddiad ym mhapur newydd yRhondda Leader! Roedd dau o’m cydweithwyrhefyd yn yr ysbyty, ond fi oedd wedi dioddefwaethaf oherwydd ’mod i reit yn erbyn y tyllauffrwydro. Cafwyd achos llys maes o law. Roedd ytaniwr yn honni ei fod wedi dweud wrthym ni igysgodi’n ddiogel, ac roedd e’n ceisio achub eiswydd trwy ein beio ni, ond ar ôl diwrnod hir o holia stilio, cafodd ei ddyfarnu’n euog. Ni ddychwelais iweithio danddaear fyth wedyn.

Cefais lawer o broblemau ar ôl y ddamwain, abues i yn ôl ac ymlaen i’r ysbyty am saith mlynedd.Dywedodd y meddyg na ddylwn i weithio eto, ondroedd rhaid i mi wneud rhywbeth. Cefais air gydaReg Turner, ysgrifennydd y gyfrinfa, a gofynnodd afuaswn i’n hoffi rhoi cynnig ar fod yn dasgmon ynswyddfeydd NCB Llanisien. Pan es i yno, cefaiswybod mai un o’m dyletswyddau i fyddai golchi ceiry penaethiaid, ond fe ddywedais i, os oedden nhw’nhoffi gyrru yn eu ceir mawr crand, fe allen nhw eugolchi eu hunain! Yna, fe wnaethon nhw ddweudwrthyf am geisio am swydd garddwr cynorthwyolyng Nghanolfan Adsefydlu’r Glowyr yn Nhal-y-garn,ger Pont-y-clun.

Dechreuais weithio yno ym 1970. Roeddwn iwrth fy modd, a dechreuodd fy iechyd wella’nsylweddol hefyd. Pan ymddeolodd y prif arddwr, fegymerais innau’r awenau, ac roeddwn i’n dal ynopan drosglwyddodd Tal-y-garn i ddwylo’rGwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol ym 1986. Roedd Tal-y-garn yn cynnwys enghraifft o bob coeden a dyfaiyng ngwledydd Prydain, ac roedd yno lawntiau o fri,llwybrau a ffyrdd o’u hamgylch. Cafodd llwybrarbennig ei greu o boteli siampên yno hefyd. Panoedd y meistr haearn, G T Clarke, yn byw yn y t¥,roedd ychydig o dir corslyd ger y llyn, a doedd dimmodd cael d!r oddi yno. Er mwyn datrys ybroblem, fe benderfynon nhw gasglu’r holl botelisiampên gwag o’r t¥, eu troi wyneb i waered a’ugwthio yn y tir corsiog i greu llwybr. Roedd ynenwog iawn ar y pryd, ond welais i erioed mohono –mae’n si!r bod y llwybr siampên wedi suddo o dany mwd.

Agorwyd ‘glofa enghreifftiol’ yn Nhal-y-garngan yr Arglwydd Robens ym 1964, er mwyn helpu iadsefydlu’r glowyr a oedd wedi’u hanafu. Os oeddganddynt broblemau gyda’u coesau er enghraifft,roedden nhw’n gorfod cerdded ar hyd y llwybr hir o’r lofa hon i’m cartref i ar dir Tal-y-garn. Ar ôl hynny, roedden nhw’n mynd i mewn i’r lofaenghreifftiol ac yn gorfod ymlusgo eu hunain i’rffas lo a gwneud pethau fel gosod cynhalbyst adatgymalu’r cludydd. Yna, roedden nhw’ndychwelyd i’r prif d¥ i wneud ymarfer corff.Pe bawn i heb fynd yn löwr, byddwn i wedi hoffimynd i goleg garddwriaethol. Ond roedd mynd i’rCambrian yn fater o wneud arian, a’r pwll glo oeddyn talu’r cyflogau gorau yn y cwm – roedd rhaid ichi fyw. Ond garddio fyddai’r dewis cyntaf,delfrydol.

Melville Banbury, Garddwr

had died. When the ambulance man came we sworethat that was where he had died. We were upset aboutit all but at least we had helped the widow.

I had a very bad accident in Cambrian. It was 1stMarch 1963 and I was working on developing a newcoal face. We had bored the shot holes the day beforeand I wanted to blow the five holes on the left handside of the face first. The fireman wasn’t happy as hewanted to blow the lot down in one go but he gave inand charged up as I wanted. After he had charged uphe found that he didn’t have his shot firing battery withhim so he went back in the roadway to look for it.While he did that we carried on working. There was aroof support which was stuck in the floor and we hada lot of trouble trying to get it out. So I had both armsaround this post trying to work it loose and the nextthing I remember was feeling the sides of a hospital bedand wondering where I was.

I said ‘Where am I to?’ and I heard a rustle of feetcoming towards me. I was in a ward on my own andjust coming out of unconsciousness. I had a smashedface and I was blind; my wife later told me that I hadbeen in hospital a good couple of days. I had almostbeen given up for dead, in fact The Rhondda Leaderactually reported that I had died! The two men I wasworking with had also gone to hospital but I wasinjured the worst as I had been right up against theshot holes. There was a court case eventually. Theshotsman claimed that he had told us to take cover, hewas trying to save his job by blaming us but, after a daylong trial, he was found guilty. I never workedunderground again after the accident.

I had a lot of problems after the accident and wentback and fore the hospital for seven years. The doctortold me not to work again but I wanted to dosomething. I had a word with Reg Turner the lodgesecretary and he asked me if I would like to go as ahandyman in the NCB Llanishen offices. When I went

down there they told me that part of my duties wouldbe to clean bosses’ cars, but I said that if they likeddriving in their big cars they could clean themthemselves! Then I was told to try for an assistantgardener’s job in Talygarn Miners’ Rehabilitation Centrenear Pontyclun.

I started in June 1970, I loved the job and my healthimproved a lot. When the head gardener retired I gothis job and was still there when the National HealthService took over Talygarn in 1986. Talygarn had anexample of every tree that grows in Britain and hadprize lawns, paths and roads around them. Talygarn alsoused to have a path made from Champagne bottles.When the ironmaster G. T. Clark, owned the housethey had some boggy ground down by the lake andthey couldn’t get the water from there. To solve theproblem they kept all the empty Champagne bottlesfrom the house, turned them around and pressed theminto the ground to make a walkway. It was famous atone time but I never saw it so it must have sunk underthe mud.

There was a ‘model mine’ in Talygarn which wasopened by Lord Robens in 1964. It was designed torehabilitate injured miners. If they had leg problems forexample they had to walk back and fore along a longpath from the model mine to my house in the grounds.After that they would go into the model mine wherethey had to crawl through into the coal face and dothings like put up roof supports and take the conveyorapart. After the model mine, they went from there tothe main house to do different exercises.

If I hadn’t gone into the colliery I would have likedto have gone to horticultural college. Going toCambrian was a matter of getting money and thecolliery was the best paid job in the valley – you had tolive, but my first choice would have been gardening.

Melville Banbury, Gardener

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PAUL ROBESONYN CANU YNGNGHANOLFANADSEFYDLU TAL-Y-GARN

PAUL ROBESONSINGING ATTALYGARNREHABILITATIONCENTRE

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Bechgyn y RidyllfaIt was 1939 and I was fourteen years old and supposedto start underground as a collier boy with my father inBanwen Colliery. However, there had been a big fall ofroof underground and I was sent to work on thescreens instead.

The coal screening plant was shaped like a gallows.It stood on steel stilts high enough for coal wagons topass underneath to be loaded. The whole operationwas housed in a large corrugated iron building thatamplified the already colossal noise to an ear-splitting,unbearable, cacophony that could literally make peoplephysically ill. The jibs of the various conveyor beltswere lowered into the trucks for loading and each oneneeded a long gap in the floor which made it impossi-ble to keep the plant warm in the winter. Five opencoal burning braziers burned white hot in the updraught from the floor but only warmed you if youwere standing within a foot of them. Then there wasthe dust! With each dram that was tipped, a jet-blackcloud of dust rolled down the ‘Big Shaker’ into thescreens. There was no water suppression or extractorfans so the dust fell right on to the heads of the boys

picking slag and stone from the conveyors. More thana thousand tons a shift had to be screened so theclouds of dust were continuous. When the wind blewfrom the east, even the village itself didn’t escape the allengulfing noise and dust.

Amongst all this machinery, noise and dust werehuman beings. There were about twenty of them work-ing within and around the screens. They were a mixtureof boys, men who had been badly injured undergroundand very old miners, some in their late seventies,including one eighty year old who had started work inthe 1870s. Verbal communication between the workerswas impossible and all communication was by signals. Ifyou wanted to know the time you looked across to MrJones ‘Camnant’ on the ‘Cobble Belt’ and tapped wherethe watch pocket on your waistcoat would have been(if you had a watch!). Old Mr Jones would take out hiswatch and signal. If it was ten minutes to ten he wouldhold up both hands, fingers outstretched, close bothhands and put two fingers up, close them, then put tenfingers up. If it was ten past ten, he would put ten fin-gers up then wave his hand past his chest then put upten fingers again.

There was no works’ canteen so culinaryrequirements were most primitive. Bottles oftea, which tasted better without milk, werebrought from home and kept warm in the ashunder the fire braziers, kippers, bacon andsausage were fried on a shovel on the open fire.

It was the screens that killed David Jones.He was fifteen years of age. He was wearing amuffler that day, as it was very cold, and it gotcaught in the drive wheel of the ‘SmallConveyor’. This drive wheel was four feet indiameter and Dai was just five feet tall. He musthave tried desperately to pull free but the drivechain held him fast and pulled him into the teethof the drive wheel. His screams and struggleswere drowned by the noise of the shaker rock-ing to and fro, sieving the tons of coal beingpoured onto it. The wheel turned and he wastaken around and around and slammed againstthe concrete floor.

If there was ever a place of work designed tocompletely swallow up the human spirit it wasthe coal screening plant. It was very hard, but thepeople who worked there didn’t seem to feelsorry for themselves. On the contrary theyalways seemed to find something to laugh aboutsuch as slipping a hot slag onto the conveyor beltand laughing as the unsuspecting slag pickerjumped a yard in the air. They could also admirethe trains of fully loaded trucks – trucks of FrenchNut and Cobble, raked, forked and dressed andlooking a real treat in the summer sun. Shining,glistening anthracite coal trimmed as neatly aswell-attended flower beds.

George Brinley Evans, Miner, Soldier, Artist and Author

Working on the Screens

Y RHIDYLLFA YNG NGLOFA’RBERS, DDECHRAU’R 1960AUTHE SCREENS AT BERSHAMCOLLIERY, EARLY 1960S

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ROEDDWN I’N 14 OED YM 1939, AC I FOD Iddechrau gweithio danddaear fel glöwr ifanc gydafy nhad yng Nglofa Banwen. Ond, yn anffodus, roeddcwymp mawr wedi bod danddaear, a chefais fy anfoni weithio ar y sgrin yn rhidyllu’r glo yn lle hynny.

Roedd y rhidyllfa’n edrych fel crocbren, yn sefyllar stiltiau dur a oedd yn ddigon uchel i’r wagenniglo fynd oddi tano i gael eu llenwi. Roedden ni’ngweithio mewn clamp o adeilad haearn rhychoglle’r oedd y s!n ofnadwy’n cael ei chwyddo’ngacoffoni byddarol, annioddefol a fedrai wneudpobl yn llythrennol sâl yn gorfforol. Roeddbreichiau’r cludfeltiau amrywiol yn cael eu gollwngi gefn y tryciau er mwyn eu llwytho, ac oherwyddbod angen neilltuo bwlch hir yn y llawr ar gyfer pobun, roedd hi’n amhosibl cadw’r adeilad yn gynnesyn y gaeaf. Roedd pump bwced tân glo yn llosgi’nwynias yn y drafft a godai o’r llawr, ond roedd rhaidsefyll o fewn troedfedd iddynt i gadw’n gynnes. Acyna’r holl lwch! Wrth wagio pob dram, roeddcwmwl o lwch du trwchus yn rholio i lawr y ‘RhidyllFawr’ i mewn i’r rhidyllau llai. Doedd dim offer d!rneu echdynnu ar gael i atal y llwch, ac felly roedd yndisgyn am bennau’r bechgyn a oedd yn codi cerriga slag o’r cludfeltiau. Gan fod angen rhidyllu dros filo dunelli ym mhob shifft, roedd yna lwch di-baid.Pan oedd y gwynt yn chwythu o’r dwyrain, ni allai’rpentref chwaith ddianc rhag y llwch a’r s!n parhaus.

Yng nghanol yr holl lwch a dwndwr y peiriannau,roedd bodau dynol yn gweithio. Roedd tua ugainohonynt yn gweithio o fewn ac o amgylch yrhidyllfeydd – yn gymysgedd o fechgyn, dynion agafodd anafiadau drwg danddaear, a glowyr heniawn, rhai yn eu saith degau hwyr ac un yn 80 oeda ddechreuodd weithio yn y 1870au. Roedd hi’namhosibl cynnal sgwrs gyda’r gweithwyr eraill, dimond cyfathrebu trwy ystumio neu ddefnyddioarwyddion llaw. Os oeddech chi am wybod faint o’rgloch oedd hi, yna byddech yn edrych draw tuag atMr Jones ‘Camnant’ ar y ‘Belt Cobble’ ac yn tapioble fyddai’ch watsh ym mhoced eich gwasgod (osoedd gennych chi un!). Os oedd hi’n ddeg munud iddeg, byddai’n dal dwy law i fyny â’r bysedd ar led,yn cau’r ddwy law ac yn codi dau fys, eu cau, acyna’n codi deg bys i fyny. Os oedd hi’n ddeg munudwedi deg, byddai’n codi deg bys ac yn chwifio ei lawwrth ei frest, ac yn codi deg bys eto.

Gan nad oedd ffreutur i’r gweithwyr, roedd ytrefniadau bwyta yn gyntefig ar y naw. Roeddgweithwyr yn dod â photeli o de, a oedd yn blasu’nwell heb laeth, gyda nhw o gartref, ac yn eu cadw’ngynnes o dan y bwcedi tân. Roedden nhw’n rhoipenwaig cochion, cig moch a sosej ar rofiau, a’uffrïo ar y tân agored.

Y rhidyllfa laddodd David Jones. Pymtheg oedoedd e. Roedd yn gwisgo cadach gwddf y diwrnodhwnnw gan ei bod mor oer, ac aeth darn ohono’nsownd yn olwyn yrru’r ’cludydd bach’. Roedd yrolwyn yrru hon tua phedair troedfedd ar ei thraws,a dim ond pum troedfedd oedd Dai. Mae’n si!r eifod wedi ymladd yn enbyd i geisio torri’n rhydd ondroedd y gadwyn yrru wedi’i ddal ac yn ei lusgo tuagat ddannedd yr olwyn yrru. Boddwyd ei sgrechiadau

gan ddadwrdd y peiriant siglo a oedd yn rhidyllu’rtunelli o lo a ollyngwyd i mewn iddo. Trodd yrolwyn, a chafodd David druan ei lusgo rownd arownd nes disgyn yn glep yn erbyn y llawr concrid.

Os oedd un gweithle a gynlluniwyd i draflyncu’rysbryd dynol yn llwyr, yna’r gwaith rhidyllu glo oeddhwnnw. Er ei fod yn waith didostur o galed, nidoedd y gweithwyr yn ymddangos yn ddigalon. Ynhytrach, roeddynt bob amser yn chwilio am gyfle igael sbort, fel sleifio lwmpyn o lo poeth ar y cludfelta chwerthin yn braf wrth weld rhyw greadurdifeddwl yn gafael ynddo ac yn neidio i’r awyrmewn braw. Roeddynt hefyd yn edmygu’r llwythi odryciau gorlawn – ‘French Nut and Cobble’, wedi’ucribino, eu fforchio a’u naddu, ac yn dipyn o bictiwryn heulwen yr haf. Glo carreg sgleiniog wedi’i docioa’i drin mor daclus â gwelyau blodau hardd.

George Brinley Evans, Glöwr, Milwr, Arlunydd ac Awdur

An air of rebellion

1918

NID CYFARFOD ARFEROL O UNDEB YGlowyr gyda dim ond llond llaw o’r ffyddloniaid ynbresennol oedd y cyfarfod hwn yn mynd i fod.

1985 oedd hi, ac wedi bron i flwyddyn o streicio,roedd llawer o ddynion a’u teuluoedd yn ysu amddyddiau gwell. Roedd ambell berthynas danstraen, a phrin oedd y rhai nad oedd wedi methutalu’r biliau a oedd yn dal i ddod, er nad oedd cyflogar gael i’w talu. Roedd y mwyafrif yn flin iawnyngl¥n â’u hamgylchiadau; yn chwerw eu bod yngorfod derbyn cymorth elusennol yn union fel eurhieni a’u teidiau a’u neiniau drigain mlynedd yn ôl,yn diodde’r cywilydd o ddibynnu ar geginau cawl.

Roedd llawer yn meddwl na allai’r fathamgylchiadau truenus, diraddiol, ddigwydd bytheto, hyd nes i’r Prif Weinidog Margaret Thatcheradfywio’r dyddiau du hynny. Hefyd, roedd llawer ynanniddig am eu bod ar streic ar gais ArthurScargill, yr arweinydd cenedlaethol, na chafodd sêlbendith lawn na phriodol – ac a arweiniodd at nifero lowyr yn dychwelyd i’r gwaith, a chreu Undeb yGlowyr Democrataidd i fynd benben ag UndebGlowyr Prydain (NUM). Felly, ymhlith y dyrfa fawra ddaeth ynghyd i’r cyfarfod, roedd rhyw nawswrthryfelgar ac anoddefgar yn y gwynt – rhywbethyr oedd pwyllgor yr undeb, a’r prif siaradwr ynarbennig, yn pryderu’n fawr amdano.

Yn ei anerchiad agoriadol cyn trafod prif fateryr agenda, fe geisiodd leddfu rhywfaint ar yr awyr-gylch danllyd trwy ddweud ei fod yn hollolymwybodol o deimladau’r gynulleidfa. Dywedodd

ei bod hi’n bwysig trafod pethau’n bwyllog.Apeliodd arnynt i ymdawelu, ac na fyddai’n barod idderbyn sylwadau sarhaus neu anweddus.Parablodd ymlaen trwy ddweud ei fod ynymwybodol o’r sïon ei fod yn rhan o brosesau anne-mocrataidd. Roedd yr honiadau hyn wedi’i wylltio,meddai, ac roedd yn eu gwadu’n chwyrn.

Ofer oedd ei eiriau. Roedd yn wynebu cynullei-dfa a oedd wedi hen golli eu hamynedd a’ugwroldeb yn sgil misoedd lawer o segurdod. Buanyr anghofiwyd am unrhyw reolau pwyllgorademocrataidd wrth i ddynion neidio ar eu traed iddweud eu dweud. Anwybyddwyd cri am drefnwrth i un ar ôl y llall fynegi eu barn a’u rhwystredi-gaeth a’u cyfeirio tuag at y llwyfan, gyda’r prifsiaradwr yn gyff gwawd yn fwy na neb.

Wrth iddo wynebu’r gynulleidfa anniddig, syl-weddolodd y siaradwr ei fod wedi colli pob awdur-dod yn y cyfarfod, a phenderfynodd gymryd y camffôl o fabwysiadu rhyw ymffrost gwag. Wrth iddoymateb i’r cwestiynau diweddaraf gan y gynulleid-fa, clywodd rywun yn gweiddi ac yn cyfeirio at ysïon ei fod yn rhan o brosesau annemocrataidd.Collodd bob rheswm a synnwyr cyffredin yn llwyrwrth ymateb i’r honiadau hyn. Trodd i wynebu’rsawl a oedd yn ei gyhuddo. ‘Let’s get this straight!’bloeddiodd ‘I want to clear the air. There have beenlots of allegations about me lately, but if I catch thef…..g alligator, I’ll cut his f…..g head off!’

Bill Richards, Dirprwy ac awdur

Gwrthryfel yn y gwynt

IT WAS NOT DESTINED TO BE THE USUALNUM branch meeting when only the faithful handfulturned up.

It was 1985 and, after almost a year on strike, manymen and their families were desperate to see a relieffrom their circumstances. Some relationships were atbreaking point and there were few who hadn’t experi-enced the inability to pay the bills which still arose inspite of the absence of the means to pay them.Amongst the majority there was bitterness about thecircumstances that they found themselves in; bitternessat the necessity to accept charitable help that had aprecedent sixty years earlier when their parents andgrandparents had known the indignity of seeking foodfrom public soup kitchens.

It had long been considered that such degradingcircumstances could not rise again but Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher was to prove instrumental in theirresurrection. In addition, the festering mood of manystemmed from the view that they were on strike at thebehest of a national leader, Arthur Scargill, who had notobtained a full and proper mandate which had led tomany miners returning to work and the formation of arival Union of Democratic Miners in opposition to the

NUM. Therefore, amongst the large number assembledfor the meeting, an air of rebellion and intolerance prevailed, something that the union committee, andparticularly the main speaker, were very apprehensiveabout.

Before opening his address to the main matter onthe agenda, he attempted to lower the highly chargedatmosphere by indicating that he was fully aware of themood of his audience. He told them that it was essen-tial to consider matters dispassionately and cool theirheated emotions. He appealed for calmness and wouldbe unwilling to accept comments that contained abusive or indecent language. He continued his pre-amble by adding that he was aware of a rumour thatwas circulating that he had been party to undemocrat-ic procedures. These allegations he absolutely deniedand was furious about them.

His pleas for calm went unheeded. He faced anaudience whose patience and fortitude had long since been eroded by the privations of many months ofidleness. The usual observance of democratic meeting procedures was soon completely disregardedas men leapt to their feet to air their views. Appealsfor order went unheeded as a continuous barrage

of pent-up feelings and opinions were directed at theplatform, with the main speaker being the subject ofmuch derision.

As he viewed the hostile audience the speakermust have realised that he had lost the meeting and thefutility of continuing may have provoked a foolish senseof bravado. As he responded to the latest questionfrom the audience he heard a shouted allegation fromamongst the crowd in reference to the rumours about

his involvement in undemocratic procedures. Senseand reason then deserted him completely and the urgeto retaliate became overwhelming. He broke off hisresponse and turned on his latest accuser. ‘Let’s getthis straight!’ he yelled defiantly ‘I want to clear the air.There have been lots of allegations about me lately, butif I catch the f-----g alligator, I’ll cut his f-----g head off!’

Bill Richards, Deputy and author

I WAS TWENTY-ONE YEARS OLD WHEN Istarted work for the NCB in the canteen at Kay andKears Slope and Garn Slope. Later I went up to workin the canteen at Big Pit for seventeen years, first as anassistant then as the manageress. I transferred toNorth Celynen after Big Pit closed and eventuallyfinished with the Coal Board at Oakdale Colliery. Thecolliery canteens didn’t only provide meals and hotdrinks; they sold just about everything – cigarettes,‘twist’ [chewing tobacco], sweets, socks, towels, evennappies.

Before getting a job with the NCB I’d worked inWestern Biscuits’ factory and I found that theatmosphere was better in colliery canteen as the menseemed to respect you – they never swore in front ofyou or were ever obnoxious in any way. There weresix of us working the three different shifts and therewere around a thousand men at the pit so it was alwaysbusy with people coming in and out, especially just

before a shift started or finished. I used to walk towork from Garn yr Erw at half past four in the morningto start work at five but I used to get a lift back homeon the bus with the colliers. It was nice working at BigPit as it was up in the air compared to being down inthe valley at Garn Slope.

I met a lot of people during my career but Iespecially remember Lord Robens, the chairman of theNCB, and Tom Baker who was at Big Pit to film an episode of Doctor Who – I always seemed to bepreparing buffets for dignitaries.

Once a week we had to scour all the saucepans andfrying pans and soak the canteen cups in bleach, thechina cups were OK but I wasn’t fussy when they werereplaced with horrible plastic ones. When I startedthere were pieces of conveyor belting on the floors butthese were later replaced by proper mats which werecleaned regularly.

There used to be six monthly inspections to checkup for infestations and cleanliness, they could shut you

down if they found anything, but theynever did. We used to have to supply ourown uniforms when I started working inthe canteen but the NCB supplied themlater on. When I started the wages were£4.15s for a 46 hour week, but as timewent on the wages improved and by thelate 1970s we also had a proportion of thebonus scheme that the men earnedunderground. They used to hold the unionmeetings in the canteen and they used toget quite heated sometimes, however Inever heard any bad language during thedebates, especially as I used to stay in myoffice with the door closed – unless Iwanted to hear what was going on!

I worked in the pits for twenty-sevenyears all together, it was not only mylivelihood; it was part of my life.

Mrs Carol Williams, Canteen Manager

Tea, twist and towelsROEDDWN I’N 21 OED PAN DDECHREUAISweithio i’r NCB yn ffreutur y Kay a Kears a’r Garn.Yn ddiweddarach, treuliais ddwy flynedd arbymtheg yn gweithio yn ffreutur y Big Pit, felcynorthwyydd yn gyntaf ac yna fel rheolwraig. Ar ôli Big Pit gau, symudais i Lofa Gogledd Celynnen cyngorffen gyda’r Bwrdd Glo yng Nglofa Oakdale.

Roedd llawer mwy naphrydau a diodyddpoeth ar werth yn yffreutur – sigarennau,‘twist’ (baco main),losin, sanau, tyweli,hyd yn oed clytiau.

Cyn cael swyddgyda’r NCB, roeddwni’n gweithio yn ffatriWestern Biscuits ondroedd yr awyrgylchllawer gwell ynffreutur y lofa gan fody dynion fel petaennhw’n eich parchuchi – doedden nhwbyth yn rhegi o’ch

blaen chi nac yn ymddwyn yn ffiaidd. Roedd chwechohonon ni’n gweithio tair shifft wahanol, ac roeddtua mil o ddynion yn y pwll glo, felly roedd hi felffair yno gyda phobl yn mynd a dod, yn enwedig cyni shifft gychwyn neu orffen. Roeddwn i’n arfercerdded i’r gwaith o Garn yr Erw am hanner awrwedi pedwar y bore er mwyn cychwyn gweithio ambump, ond byddwn i’n dal y bws adrefgyda’r glowyr. Roeddwn i’n hoffigweithio yn Big Pit oherwydd ei fod ynuchel yn y mynyddoedd o gymharu âbod ar waelod y cwm yn y Garn.

Fe gwrddais i lawer o bobl yn ystodfy ngyrfa, ond rwy’n cofio’r ArglwyddRobens, cadeirydd yr NCB ynarbennig, a’r actor Tom Baker a ddaethi’r Big Pit i ffilmio pennod o DoctorWho – roeddwn i wastad yn paratoibwffes di-ri i’r pwysigion.

Unwaith yr wythnos, bydden ni’n sgwrio’r hollsosbenni a’r padelli ffrio ac yn golchi cwpanau’rffreutur mewn cannydd. Roedd y cwpanau tsieini’niawn, ond doeddwn i ddim mor hoff o’r hen raiplastig salw a ddaeth i’w lle. Pan ddechreuais iweithio, darnau o gludfeltiau oedd ar y lloriau, ondrhoddwyd carpedi yn eu lle maes o law, a oedd yncael eu glanhau’n rheolaidd. Roedden ni’n arfercael archwiliadau bob chwe mis i wneud yn si!rbod y safonau glendid yn iawn, a’r lle yn ddi-bla.Gallen nhw gau’r ffreutur yn syth pe baen nhw’ndarganfod rhywbeth, ond ni ddigwyddodd hynnyerioed. Roedden ni’n gorfod cael ein hiwnifform einhunain pan ddechreuais weithio yn y ffreutur, ondfe wnaeth NCB gyflenwi dillad gwaith i ni wedyn.Roeddwn i’n ennill £4.15s am weithio 46 awr yrwythnos i ddechrau, ond cynyddodd y cyflogauymhen amser, ac erbyn diwedd y 1970au, roeddenni hefyd yn cael cyfran o gynllun bonws ygweithwyr danddaear. Roedden nhw’n arfer cynnalcyfarfodydd undeb yn y ffreutur, a chafwyd sawldadl danbaid weithiau. Er hynny, ni chlywais neb ynyngan gair o reg yn ystod y trafodaethau hyn, ynenwedig a minnau’n aros yn y swyddfa â’r drws argau – oni bai ’mod i am wrando ar ambell beth,wrth gwrs.

Fe dreuliais i 27 mlynedd yn gweithio yn ydiwydiant glo. Roedd yn fwy na bywoliaeth i mi,roedd yn rhan o fy mywyd i.

Mrs Carol Williams, Rheolwraig Ffreutur

Dishgled a chymeriadau difyr

DAI PARR USED TO BE THE SUPPLIESofficer at Big Pit; he was always drawing car-toons like these of Mrs Carol Williams atwork in the canteen. He was a very prolificcartoonist and you can still see his work invarious places around Blaenafon. He wasalso a regular contributor to ‘Mining Laughs’in the Coal News.

SWYDDOG CYFLENWADAU’R BIGPIT oedd Dai Parr; roedd e bob amser yngwneud lluniau cart!n fel y rhain o MrsCarol Williams wrth ei gwaith yn yffreutur. Roedd yn gartwnydd toreithiogiawn, ac mae ei waith i’w weld mewnamrywiol lefydd ym Mlaenafon o hyd.Roedd hefyd yn gyfrannwr rheolaidd i’rdudalen ‘Mining Laughs’ yn y Coal News.

2120

The collierycartoonistCartwnydd y lofa

I WAS BORN MAESTEG ON THE 30th OF MAY1944. My grandfather and his six brothers were allcoalminers in the Rhondda Valley. He moved to theAfan Valley when the mines started opening here andmy father and his four brothers became miners in thisvalley. I started in Maesteg Training Centre in 1959when I was fifteen years old; I was the only one of twobrothers to go into the mines. Afterwards I worked inDuffryn Rhondda, Caerau, Coegnant Collieries andBlaenant Drift Mine.

I started in small [‘licensed’ or ‘private’] mines in1988. I had always wanted to work in a small mine; so when I had the chance I took it, just a few days after I finished in Blaenant. I worked in about eleven small mines altogether, including Llety Philip, ForestNo3, Pentwyn, Bryn and Cefn Mawr. I was also a mines rescue and first aid man for many years. I wasalways lucky with my own safety, I had a few stitchesand narrow escapes but you get that in mining. Ifinished mining in 1999 with dust related diseases

The Last Miner

2322

CEFAIS FY NGENI YM MAESTEG AR 30 MAI1944. Roedd fy nhad-cu a’i chwe brawd yn lowyryng Nghwm Rhondda. Symudodd i Gwm Afan panagorodd y pyllau glo yno, a daeth fy nhad a’i bedwarbrawd yn lowyr yn yr ardal honno. Pan oeddwn i’n15 oed, dechreuais yng Nghanolfan HyfforddiMaesteg ym 1959; a fi oedd yr unig un o ddau frawda aeth yn löwr. Ar ôl hynny, gweithiais yng nglofeyddDuffryn Rhondda, Caerau a Choegnant, a ChloddfaDdrifft Blaen-nant.

Dechreuais weithio mewn pyllau bach(‘trwyddedig’ neu ‘breifat’) ym 1988. Roeddwn ieisiau gweithio mewn pwll bychan erioed, fellydyma fachu ar y cyfle ychydig ddyddiau ar ôl i miorffen ym Mlaen-nant. Gweithiais mewn un ar ddeg

o byllau bach i gyd, gan gynnwys Llety Philip,Fforest Rhif 3, Pentwyn, Bryn a Chefn Mawr.Gweithiais fel dyn achub a chymorth cyntaf amnifer o flynyddoedd hefyd. Bues i’n lwcus o randiogelwch fy hun, gyda dim ond mân bwythau asawl dihangfa lwcus, sy’n gyffredin mewn glofeydd.Penderfynais roi’r gorau iddi ym 1999 oherwyddclefyd y llwch ac ati, ac ar ôl cael trawiad ar y galon.Roeddwn i’n 55 oed.

Roedd dydd Gwener, 2il Chwefror 1990 felunrhyw ddiwrnod cyffredin arall. Roeddwn i, DavidWilliams, Raymond Enoch a Terry Coburn yngweithio ym Mhwll Rhif 2 Cefn Mawr, pwll glo bach

yng Nghwm Afan. Roedden ni’n gweithio yngngwythïen lo 18’ y Wenallt. Ar ôl llwyddo i dorritrwodd, aethom ati i lenwi 13 dram erbyn hannerdydd. Roedd y brig i’w weld ac yn swnio’n ddigondiogel. Yna, fe aethom i gyd yn ôl i ben y pwll ermwyn i’r bechgyn gael mwgyn a phaned. Soniaiswrth y rheolwr fod y ffas lo mewn cyflwr da, a bodpawb yn fodlon gyda’r sefyllfa.

Ar ôl rhyw 20 munud, fe aethon ni’n ôl i’r pwll athreulio tua 10 munud i gyrraedd y ffas lo. Yna, febenderfynon ni rannu’n ddau gr!p. Byddai David aRay yn mynd i’r ffas i lenwi’r dramiau glo, a Terry afinnau’n tyllu’r hedin er mwyn ei ffrwydro iddarparu rhagor o ddramiau glo i ni. Yn sydyn, feglywson ni sgrech o’r man lle’r oedd ein bytis yngweithio ac fe aethom yno ar ein pedwar cyngynted â phosibl. Ar ôl cyrraedd, gwelsom David ynsgrechian ac mewn poen mawr. Roedd wedi’i darogan glamp o garreg, ond roedd e’n gweiddi fod Rayoddi tani. Dywedais wrth David am ddychwelyd iben y pwll er mwyn rhoi gwybod i’r rheolwr a’rgweithwyr eraill. Yna, fe geisiodd Terry a fi godi’rgarreg enfawr oddi-ar Raymond gyda darn o hengledren, ond roedd yn rhy drwm o lawer. Ar y pryd,roedd Raymond yn dal yn fyw ac yn gweiddi arnomi’w ryddhau o’r fagl. Yn y diwedd, yr unig beth allwni ei wneud oedd cysuro fy nghyfaill tan iddo farw.

Erbyn hyn, roedd y rheolwr a’r lleill wedicyrraedd gyda jac car, a dyma fi’n ei lithro o dan ygarreg fawr. Dyma’r garreg yn codi o’r diwedd, allusgais Raymond oddi yno. Cafodd ei roi arstretsier a’i gario i olau dydd. Drannoeth, disgrifiaisyn union beth ddigwyddodd wrth yr arolygwyr a’rrheolwr. Fe wnes i barhau i weithio yn y pwll hwntan iddo gau ychydig flynyddoedd wedyn.

Raymond Enoch oedd y glöwr olaf i gael ei laddyn y pwll glo olaf yng Nghwm Afan. Rwyf wedigosod plac er cof amdano ar safle’r hen bwll, ac aryr ail o Chwefror bob blwyddyn, rwy’n mynd âblodau yno. Bryd hynny, mae’r atgofion ofnadwy ynllifo’n ôl, atgofion fydd gen i pan af i’m bedd. Dymabris eithaf y diwydiant glo.

Allan Price, Glöwr

Y Glöwr Olaf

ALLAN PRICE, JIMMY WILLIAMSA TERRY COBNER YNGNGLOFA RHIF 2 CEFN MAWRALLAN PRICE, JIMMY WILLIAMSAND TERRY COBNER AT CEFNMAWR NO2 MINE

and after having suffered a heart attack. I was 55 yearsof age.

Friday the 2nd of February was just like any otherday. David Williams, Raymond Enoch, Terry Coburn andmyself were working at Cefn Mawr No 2, a small minein the Afan Valley. We were working in the 18’ WenalltSeam. We broke into the coal and had filled thirteendrams by 12 noon. We noted that the top was goodand sounded safe.

We decided to go to the surface for a tea breakand for the boys to have a fag. I reported to themanager about the good condition of the coalface andhow pleased we were about it.

Well, after twenty minutes we again entered themine and were at the coalface in about 10 minutes. Wethen decided to split up into two groups. David and Raywould go into the face to fill coal, Terry and I wouldbore the gate heading which could then be fired andwould give us extra drams of coal. Suddenly we hearda scream coming from the direction where our buttieswere working and we crawled in as fast as possible.When we got there I could see David screaming and interrible pain. He had been hit by this massive boulder,but was shouting that ’Ray is under it ’. I told David to

get out to the surface and let the manager and surfaceworkers know what had happened. Terry and I thentried to lift the huge boulder off Raymond with an olddram rail, but the boulder was too heavy. At this timeRaymond was alive and shouting for us to release himfrom this trap. In the end all I could do was to comfortmy butty until he died.

Now the manager and others had arrived on thescene with a car jack, which I slipped under theboulder. This lifted it and I dragged Raymond fromthere, he was then put into a stretcher and taken tothe surface. The following day I was asked toaccompany the inspectors and manager and to givethem my account of what happened. I still worked atthis mine until it closed a few years later.

Raymond Enoch was the last miner to be killed in the last mine in the Afan Valley. I have placed amemorial plaque at the site of the mine for Raymondand, every February the second, go and place flowersthere. Then the terrible memories flood back to me,these I will take to my own grave with me. This is thetrue price of coal.

Allan Price, Collier

WHEN I WAS ASKED, IN 1958, TO COVER THEmedical centre in Bargoed Colliery for three monthslittle did I think that I would stay for twenty-one yearsuntil I retired in 1978. Occupational health was quitenew to me but, on reflection, I thought I had nursedthroughout World War Two at Whitchurch Emergencyhospital and had nursed hundreds of badly injured sol-diers so I was used to trauma. Later, as a sister inLlandough Hospital I supervised the pneumoconiosisward which was, of course, for sick miners (Dr CharlesFletcher was head of the research unit and was so kindto the miners who he said were the ‘salt of the earth’).

I was also a sister at a TB hospital for a year andafter getting married in 1949 I would help at clinics inCaerphilly Chest Clinic which was attended by somany miners with their chest complaints, so I came toa very busy centre and a busy life. There were about2,000 miners, an engineering works, the power station,NCB offices and a training centre; trainees were exam-ined before going down the pit. We also examined min-ers too ill to work until 65 who would then beassessed for their pension by our kind and considerateNCB doctors.

Daily attendances were high. All accident casesneeding hospital treatment were bathed and given pyja-mas unless a spinal or head injury was queried. Evenwhen we had a fatal accident we would bathe and dressthe miner in pyjamas; I would never use shrouds. Mostinjuries were treated at the Centre where all re-dress-ings were done. We did our own sterilisation of dress-ings and I never had any infection control problems.Every accident was recorded in the daily treatmentbook and then the accident register. A form was com-pleted with all the details and signed by the official incharge of the men, then countersigned by the manager,so there was full evidence if compensation was claimedfor loss of work.

I often was called upon to stitch minor wounds andone day I overheard an anonymous voice say ‘Let her do the stitching; she's good at embroidery!’ Heatmassage was given to those requiring it and anti

tetanus jabs where needed to avoid hospital visits. I dida diabetic survey of most of the people that camethrough the clinic and 13 men were sent to their owndoctor for investigation. Men were x-rayed yearly and,when necessary, miners were interviewed at the cen-tre and before a medical board to assess compensa-tion. We did a lot of ear syringing! I also made a shortfilm on safety for the NCB stressing the need for goodboots, gloves, kneepads and woollen socks (not nylonas athlete's foot was a common condition).

I visited men who were hospitalised and oftenhelped miners with their problems or with their families.I did a week in The Rest, a holiday home in Porthcawl forbadly injured miners (no wives allowed!). A colleagueand I also went to Butlin's Holiday camp in Mineheadand took a coach load of injured miners and their fam-ilies. It was a busy time but the management therewere kind and helpful. I helped to train the junior firstaid team; we went to the National First Aid competi-tion, Blackpool in 1969. We didn't win that year but thefollowing year the team scooped first place in the areacompetition at Porthcawl. In 1964, during the small poxoutbreak, I accompanied Dr Battram, the NCB doctorand vaccinated hundreds of miners and other people.

Again in 1969, a colleague and I were asked by theRoyal College of Nursing to represent occupationalhealth at the Quadrennial Conference of Nurses inMontreal. This was so interesting and we learned a lotabout occupational nursing in other countries. Afterthe congress we visited New York, Washington andArlington Cemetery to see a rose being placed on JohnF. Kennedy's grave.

My working life in Bargoed was most fulfilling. Theminers were great; they were always friendly, humor-ous and brave. I had a good relationship with good,helpful managers, a good rapport with the NUM andmany others. I was grateful to the local hospitals, whichwere always there for any emergency, and local doctorsalso played their part. It wasn't all work though; therewas a good social side to life. However, I must pay spe-cial tribute to my hard-working first aid attendants;Calvin Quick, Harry Pritchard and his son Arthur,Walter Smith, ‘Chick’ Davies and Moss Chowles ournight attendant. Apart from keeping the centre immac-ulate (to the amazement of some of our VIP visitors!)they also went underground to check first aid boxes,replace items and check on morphia supplies.

My proudest moment was in 1978 when I wasinvited to the miners annual dinner in Porthcawl andpresented with a stereo music system. All those pres-ent stood and drank my health and said ‘Thank you’;something I'll remember all my life. An item on theoccasion was also published in Coal News.

Betty Barker, Colliery Sister

Embroidery and ear syringingPAN OFYNNWYD I MI LENWI’R BWLCH yng nghanolfan feddygol Glofa Bargod am dri misym 1958, wnes i erioed feddwl y byddwn i’n arosyno am 21 mlynedd tan fy ymddeoliad ym 1978.Roedd iechyd galwedigaethol yn faes eithaf newyddi mi, ond wrth edrych yn ôl, cefais brofiad fel nyrsyn ysbyty argyfwng yr Eglwys Newydd drwy gydolyr Ail Ryfel Byd, gan ofalu am gannoedd o filwyr aganafiadau drwg, felly roeddwn i’n hen gyfarwydd âthrawma. Yn ddiweddarach, yn Ysbyty Llandochau,roeddwn i’n gweithio fel sister ar y wardniwmoconiosis – clefyd y llwch – a oedd ar gyferglowyr sâl, wrth gwrs (Dr Charles Fletcher oeddpennaeth yr uned ymchwil, ac roedd mor garedig tuag at y glowyr, ac yn eu galw’n ‘halen yddaear’).

Roeddwn i hefyd yn sister mewn ysbyty TB amflwyddyn, ac ar ôl priodi ym 1949, byddwn i’ncynorthwyo yng Nghlinig y Frest Caerffili, a oeddyn llawn glowyr ag anhwylderau’r frest, ac felly feymunais i â chanolfan brysur iawn a chael bywydprysur iawn. Roedd tua 2,000 o lowyr, gwaithpeirianneg, gorsaf b!er, swyddfeydd NCB achanolfan hyfforddi; roedd angen archwilio’rhyfforddeion cyn mynd o dan y ddaear. Roedden nihefyd yn archwilio’r glowyr a oedd yn rhy sâl iweithio tan eu bod yn 65 oed, a byddai einmeddygon caredig ac ystyriol yn yr NCB yn euhasesu wedyn ar gyfer eu pensiwn.

Roedd nifer y cleifion dydd yn uchel iawn. Roeddangen rhoi bath a phyjamas glân i bob claf a oeddangen triniaeth ysbyty ar ôl cael damwain, oni baieu bod angen archwiliad ar gyfer anafiadau penneu’r asgwrn cefn. Hyd yn oed ar ôl damwainangheuol, byddem yn golchi’r corff ac yn gwisgo’rglöwr mewn pyjamas; doeddwn i byth yn defnyddioamwisg. Roedd y rhan fwyaf o’r anafiadau’n cael eutrin yn y Ganolfan, lle’r oedd yr holl waith ail-rwymo’n cael ei wneud. Roedden ni’n sterileiddioein rhwymynnau ein hunain, ac ni chefais erioedunrhyw broblemau gyda heintiau. Roedden ni’ncofnodi pob damwain yn y llyfr triniaeth ddyddiola’r gofrestr damweiniau. Yna, roedden ni’n llenwiffurflen gyda’r holl fanylion perthnasol, cyn i’rswyddog a oedd yn gyfrifol am y dynion ei llofnodi,a’i chydlofnodi gan y rheolwr, fel bod tystiolaethlawn ar gael er mwyn gwneud cais am iawndal amgolli gwaith.

Roeddwn i’n gorfod pwytho mân-anafiadau ynrheolaidd, ac un diwrnod, fe wnes i ddigwydd clywed

llais dieithr yn dweud ‘Gadewch iddi hi bwytho;mae hi’n dda am frodio!’ Roedden ni’n tylino’r corffgyda gwres i’r rhai oedd ei angen, ac yn rhoi pigiadtetanws er mwyn osgoi ymweliadau â’r ysbyty. Fewnes i archwiliad diabetig o’r rhan fwyaf ddaeth i’rclinig, a chafodd 13 o ddynion eu hanfon at ymeddyg i gael archwiliad pellach. Roedd dynion yncael archwiliad pelydr-x bob blwyddyn, ac roeddglowyr yn cael eu cyfweld yn y ganolfan ac o flaenbwrdd meddygol fel bo’r angen, er mwyn caelasesiad iawndal. Roedd galw mawr am chwistrelluclustiau! Hefyd, fe wnes i ffilm fer ar gyfer yr NCByn pwysleisio’r angen i wisgo esgidiau da, menig,padiau pen-gliniau a sanau gwlân (nid neilon, ganfod tarwden y traed yn broblem gyffredin).

Roeddwn i’n ymweld â’r glowyr yn yr ysbyty, acyn aml yn helpu glowyr gyda’u problemau neu euteuluoedd. Treuliais wythnos yn y ‘Rest’, cartrefgwyliau ym Mhorthcawl i lowyr ag anafiadau drwg(dim gwragedd!). Fe es i a’m cydweithiwr i wersyllgwyliau Butlin’s yn Minehead, gyda llond bws olowyr wedi’u hanafu â’u teuluoedd. Roedd yn gyfnodprysur iawn, ond roedd y rheolwyr yn gymwynasgara charedig bob amser. Fe gynorthwyais i hyfforddi’rtîm cymorth cyntaf iau ac fe aethon ni i’rgystadleuaeth genedlaethol ar gyfer CymorthCyntaf yn Blackpool ym 1969. Er na enillon ni’rflwyddyn honno, llwyddodd y tîm i gael y wobrgyntaf mewn cystadleuaeth ranbarthol ymMhorthcawl y flwyddyn ddilynol. Yn ystod achos o’rfrech wen ym 1964, fe wnes i gynorthwyo DrBattram, meddyg yr NCB, i frechu cannoedd olowyr a phobl eraill.

Hefyd ym 1969, gofynnodd y Coleg NyrsioBrenhinol i mi a’m cydweithiwr i fynd i Montréal igynrychioli’r maes iechyd galwedigaethol mewnCynhadledd Nyrsio a gynhaliwyd bob pedairblynedd. Roedd yn hynod ddiddorol, ac fe ddysgonni lawer am nyrsio galwedigaethol mewn gwledydderaill. Ar ôl y gynhadledd, cawsom gyfle i ymweld agEfrog Newydd, Washington a Mynwent Arlington iweld rhosyn yn cael ei osod ar fedd John F. Kennedy.

Cefais yrfa gyfoethog wrth weithio ym Margod.Roedd y glowyr yn wych; a bob amser yn gyfeillgar,yn ddewr ac yn llawn hiwmor. Roedd gennyfberthynas dda gyda rheolwyr da a chymwynasgar, achyda’r NUM ac eraill. Roeddwn i’n ddiolchgar i’rysbytai lleol, a oedd yno bob amser mewnargyfwng, a’r meddygon lleol hefyd yn gwneud eurhan. Nid gwaith oedd popeth chwaith; roedd yna

Brodwaith a chwistrellu clustiau

25

ERTHYGL O’R COAL NEWSYN ADRODD HANESYMDDEOLIAD MRS A.E. (BETTY) BARKER FELSISTER YNG NGLOFA BARGOD, 1978

CUTTING FROM COAL NEWS ABOUT MRS A.E.(BETTY) BARKER'S RETIREMENT AS NURSINGSISTER AT BARGOED COLLIERY, 1978

MRS A.E. (BETTY) BARKER, SISTER Y LOFA ACALVIN QUICK (CYNORTHWY-YDD CYMORTHCYNTAF) YNG NGLOFA BARGOD, 1973

MRS A.E. (BETTY) BARKER, COLLIERY NURSINGSISTER AND CALVIN QUICK (FIRST AIDATTENDANT) AT BARGOED COLLIERY, 1973

I WAS FOURTEEN IN AUGUST 1936 AND READYto start work. My father was working in Ty DrawColliery and said that they might be starting some boysthere. So I went to the colliery and there were twelveof us boys in a row and the fireman looked at us, feltour muscles and then went into the office to fetch themanager. The manager, I think he was an ex armyofficer, came out with this stick and he went up anddown the row and the fireman was said to him aboutme ‘Look he is a strong boy this one’ and the managersaid ‘Oh, yes aye’ but he started the twelve of usanyway. I’d finished school on a Friday and the followingFriday I was starting work underground as a collier’sboy. It was exciting as it was good to even have a jobin those days.

I was down to work as a ‘collier’s boy’ with a collierwho was living two doors down from me. He came tomy house at quarter past six on that first morning andsat down on the chair by the door waiting for me toeat my breakfast. When I was ready I followed him upto the colliery, with a flagon of water in the one pocketand a box of food in the other weighing me down as Iwas only five foot four tall. The cage was on rigidguides not ropes at Ty Draw and it shook you to deathas it travelled down the shaft! Then we walked to thecoal face from bottom and, Good God, I wasexhausted!

When we got to our ‘stall’ [a working place on thecoal face], we sat down for a few minutes. ‘Alright then’said my butty ‘Let’s get the tools off the bar and we’llstart work’ – I was exhausted already, I’d had enoughbefore I even started work. I had a heavy two voltbattery lamp and he had an oil lampHe took my battery lamp off me andtook it up to the coal face and hungit up on a post [‘pit prop’].

The collier was on his knees infront of me cutting the coal with hismandrel and I was loading it into thecurling box, dragging it back andtipping it in the empty dram waitingbehind us. The stall was about twofoot six in height and you had tocrawl on your knees along the facepushing this curling box and my backwas hitting against the roof at everymove. My back was bleeding in bitsand I just wanted to go home, I wasslammed out after filling the firstdram! Then the collier said ‘Right,we’ll get the dram rails extendedready now for tomorrow’.

After that he showed me howto hand bore the roof for theexplosives so that we could haveheight in the roadway. You had tostart with a foot long drill rod, thena three foot one and so on. Therewas a handle on the drillingmachine and you had to turn it.Sweat! Good God, It was runningout of me! Then the empty dramcame in. You could smell the horse

who was pulling it before he actually appeared becausehe had ‘grease heel’ [a fungal infection caused by dampconditions] and had what looked like bunches of grapeson his feet, covered in them he was. Then the haulierwould bring him in, hitch up the full dram on and takehim out and give us an empty dram in return and you’dstart to fill it with coal again. I don’t remember howmany curling boxes it took to fill a dram but it took along time! I had go six yards up the face and then dragthe full curling box back down to the dram hitting myback all the way.

I only had a bottle of water to last through the shiftand after you had finished boring the shot holes at theend of the shift you had to mix clay with water to makestemming [to stop the explosive charges blowing out]to put into the holes after the explosives charge.Because I had no water left you can guess where theliquid came from!

When I came home that afternoon, I was sittingdown to have food at the table and I was in agony andmy father said ‘What’s the matter boy?’ I said ‘I’ve gotfive black nails’. He said ‘I’ll bore a hole in them for youafter now’. After I finished my food he got a needle andhe made holes in my finger nails for the blood to runthrough. When it came time to have a wash we had totake it in turns, my father, my brother and me. When itwas my turn I was on my hands and knees leaning overthe bath to wash my top half I had my head in thewater and was falling asleep until I heard the othersshouting ‘Watch out, you’ll drown!’

Aye, my first day underground!!!

Sylvanus Thompson, Collier

2726

ROEDDWN I’N 14 OED YM MIS AWST 1936,ac yn barod i gychwyn gweithio. Roedd fy nhad yngweithio yng Nglofa T¥ Draw, ac wedi clywed eubod nhw’n chwilio am fechgyn ifanc yno. Felly, fe esi’r lofa a gweld bod rhyw ddeuddeg o fechgyn ynsefyll mewn rhes. Edrychodd y ffeiarman arnom,teimlo’n cyhyrau ni, ac yna aeth i’r swyddfa i nôl yrheolwr. Rwy’n meddwl mai cyn swyddog y fyddinoedd y rheolwr, ac fe ddaeth e mâs gyda’i ffon acedrych i fyny ac i lawr y rhes. Cyfeiriodd y ffeiarmanataf i a dweud ‘Ma’ hwn yn grwtyn cryf ’ ac ateboddy rheolwr ‘Ody wir’, ond cafodd pob un o’r deuddegohonom waith beth bynnag. Roeddwn i newyddorffen yn yr ysgol ar ddydd Gwener, ac yn cychwyngweithio fel gwas colier y dydd Gwener canlynol.Roedd yn brofiad cyffrous iawn, a chael swydd yndipyn o gamp yn y dyddiau hynny.

Cefais fy anfon i weithio fel ‘gwas colier’ i löwr aoedd yn byw drws nesaf ond un i mi. Fe ddaethheibio’r t¥ am chwarter wedi chwech ar y borecyntaf hwnnw, ac eistedd ar gadair wrth y drws yndisgwyl i mi orffen fy mrecwast. Pan oeddwn i’nbarod, fe ddilynais ef i’r lofa gyda fflasg o dd!r ynun boced a bocs bwyd yn y llall yn fy nal i lawr, ganmai dim ond pum troedfedd pedair modfedd odaldra oeddwn i! Canllawiau solet, nid rhaffau, oedd yn tywys y gaets yn Nh¥ Draw, ac roedd yneich ysgwyd yn ddidrugaredd wrth inni fynd i lawry siafft! Yna, roedden ni’n gorfod cerdded i’r ffas loo’r gwaelod ac erbyn cyrraedd roeddwn i wediblino’n lân!

Ar ôl cyrraedd y ‘talcen’ (man gweithio ar y ffaslo), eisteddom ni am ychydig funudau. ‘Iawn te’meddai fy nghyfaill ‘Dere i ni gael codi’r t!ls o’r bari ni gael dechrau arni’ – roeddwn i wedi hen flino’nbarod, ac wedi cael mwy na digon cyn cychwyn hydyn oed! Roedd gen i lamp fatri ddwy folt trwm acroedd ganddo fe lamp olew. Cymerodd y lamp fatrioddi arnaf a’i hongian ar bostyn (postyn pwll) yn yffas lo.

Roedd y glöwr ar ei liniau o’m blaen i, yn torri’rglo gyda mandrel, ac roeddwn i’n llwytho’r cyfan ifocs cwrlo, a’i lusgo yn ôl a’i wagio i’r dram wag y tucefn i ni. Roedd y talcen rhyw ddwy droedfedd chwemodfedd o uchder, ac roeddech chi’n gorfodgwthio’r bocs cwrlo hwn ar eich pedwar ar hyd yffas, a minnau’n bachu fy nghefn yn erbyn y to bobgafael. Roedd fy nghefn i’n gwaedu mewn ambell le,

ac roeddwn i’n ysu am gael mynd adref. Doeddgennyf ddim nerth ar ôl llenwi’r ddram gyntaf! Yna,meddai’r glöwr ‘Nawr ’te, fe nawn ni ymestyncledrau’r dram yn barod ar gyfer yfory’.

Wedyn, fe ddangosodd i mi sut i dyllu’r to â llawar gyfer y ffrwydron er mwyn creu mwy o uchderyn y twnnel. Roeddech chi’n gorfod cychwyn gydarhoden ddrilio troedfedd o hyd, yna un tairtroedfedd ac ati. Roedd angen troi handlen ypeiriant drilio. Sôn am chwysu! Roeddwn i’n diferu!Yna, roedd y dram wag yn cyrraedd. Roeddechchi’n gallu arogli’r ceffyl a oedd yn tynnu’r dramymhell cyn iddo ymddangos oherwydd roeddganddo fe’r seimwst neu ‘grease heel’ (haintffwngaidd a achoswyd gan yr amgylchiadau llaith) arhywbeth tebyg i glwstwr o rawnwin dros ei draedi gyd. Yna, byddai’r halier yn ei lusgo i mewn, ynbachu’r dram llawn, ac yn tywys y ceffyl oddi ynoeto, gan adael dram wag er mwyn i ni ei lenwi eto.Dwi ddim yn cofio sawl bocs cwrlo a gymerodd ilenwi’r dram, ond roedd e’n cymryd ache!Roeddwn i’n gorfod mynd chwe llath i fyny’r ffas allusgo’r bocs cwrlo llawn yn ôl i’r dram eto, gangrafu fy nghefn yr holl ffordd.

Dim ond un botel o dd!r oedd gennyf ar gyfery shifft, ac ar ôl i chi orffen tyllu’r tyllau ffrwydronar ddiwedd pob shifft, roeddech chi’n gorfodcymysgu clai a d!r i stensio neu lenwi’r tyllau ar ôlgosod y ffrwydron (i’w hatal rhag chwythu). A channad oedd gennyf yr un diferyn ar ôl, dyfalwch o bleges i dd!r!

Pan es i adref y diwrnod hwnnw, fe eisteddaiswrth y bwrdd i gael fy mwyd gan wingo mewnpoen. Holodd fy nhad, ‘Beth sy’n bod achan?’Atebais i ‘Ma’ da fi bum ewin du’. Ac meddai ’nhad,‘Mi wnâi dyllu nhw i ti nawr’. Wedi i mi orffenbwyta, dyma ’nhad yn gafael mewn nodwydd agwneud tyllau bach yn ewinedd fy mysedd er mwyni’r gwaed lifo drwyddynt. Adeg ymolchi wedyn,roedd rhaid i ni gymryd ein tro, fy nhad, fy mrawda mi. Pan oedd hi’n bryd i mi ’folchi, fe wnes i blyguar fy mhedwar dros y bath i olchi hanner ucha’rcorff, gyda ’mhen yn y d!r. Dechreuais gwympo igysgu nes clywais y gweddill yn gweiddi ‘Gwyliarhag ofn i ti foddi!’

Ie, dyna fy niwrnod cyntaf danddaear!!!

Sylvanus Thompson, Glöwr

elfen gymdeithasol dda hefyd. Er hynny, rhaid taluteyrnged i’m cynorthwywyr cymorth cyntaf amweithio mor galed; Calvin Quick, Harry Pritcharda’i fab Arthur, Walter Smith, ‘Chick’ Davies a MossChowles ein gweithiwr nos. Yn ogystal â chadw’rganolfan fel pin mewn papur (er mawr syndod i raio’n hymwelwyr pwysig), roeddynt hefyd yn mynddanddaear i wirio’r blychau cymorth cyntaf, yn euhail-lenwi ac yn gofalu bod gennym ddigon ogyflenwadau morffin.

Rwy’n arbennig o falch o’r achlysur honno ym1978 pan gefais fy ngwahodd i ginio blynyddol yglowyr ym Mhorthcawl, a phan gyflwynwyd systemsain i mi. Safodd pawb ar eu traed i godi’u gwydraua dymuno iechyd da i mi, a dweud ‘Diolch yn fawr’,rhywbeth y byddaf yn ei gofio am weddill fy oes.Cyhoeddwyd hanes y digwyddiad yn y Coal Newshefyd.

Betty Barker, Sister yn y lofa

Fy niwrnod cyntaf danddaear

My first day underground

LLENWI GLO GYDABOCS CWRLO 1902FILLING COAL WITH ACURLING BOX 1902

28

1938 OEDD HI, AC ROEDD TOM, BACHGEN14 oed a oedd yn byw ar yr un stryd â mi wedi bodyn gweithio danddaear fel gwas colier erspythefnos. Roedd ei ‘byti’ h¥n wedi gadael iddosefyll ar ddram o lo er mwyn crafu’r glo oddi ar yto i wneud lle i’r ceffylau basio drwodd. Disgynnoddy glo a rhan o’r to carreg ar ei ben. Roeddwn i’n 16oed ar y pryd, a’r unig un oedd â chymwysteraucymorth cyntaf yn yr ardal. Pan gyrhaeddais safle’rddamwain, gwelais fod ganddo anafiadau difrifoliawn. Roedd wedi torri’i fraich a’i asennau, ac roeddganddo hollt ddofn hyd at yr asgwrn ar draws eidalcen. Ar ôl ei lanhau a rhoi rhwymynnau amdano,cafodd ei gludo ar stretsier i’r ystafell cymorthcyntaf ar ben y pwll er mwyn i’r meddyg gael golwgarno a gorchymyn ei anfon i Ysbyty BrenhinolGwent. Fe es i gydag ef yn yr ambiwlans, ac roedde’n hollol ymwybodol drwy’r amser, a’r cwbl addywedodd ar hyd y daith oedd ailadrodd ‘Diolchyn fawr’ wrthyf.

Ar ôl cyrraedd yr ysbyty, roedd y ddau ohonomyn dal yn ein dillad gwaith llychlyd. Daeth y sisteri’w nôl i’w lanhau. Pan ddychwelodd ataf gyda dillad

Tom, roedd hi yn ei dagrau gan fod Tom yn diolchdrosodd a throsodd iddi. Rwy’n cofio’i geiriau’niawn ‘Alla i ddim glanhau mwy, ma’ fe dal ynymwybodol – faint yw ei oed?’ ‘Pedair ar ddeg oed’atebais. ‘A faint yw dy oed di?’ gofynnodd. ‘Un arbymtheg’ atebais. Edrychodd arnaf a dweud ‘Yn yrysgol ddylech chi fod, nid ’lawr y pwll’.

Fe es yn ôl i’r pentref, dal yn fy nillad gwaith, achnocio ar ddrws t¥ Tom. Daeth ei fam i’r golwg,gofyn os oedd ei ddillad gwaith i gyd yno, a chau’rdrws. Es i adref i’n t¥ ni ychydig ddrysau i ffwrdd,ymolchi yn y bath sinc, a newid i ddillad glân.

Arthur Lewis, Rheolwr y Lofa

Dechreuodd Mr Arthur Lewis OBE weithio fel gwascolier pan oedd e’n 14 oed, ym 1936. Roedd wedi bodyn aelod o Urdd Sant Ioan ers 8 oed. Adeg yddamwain uchod, ef oedd yr unig arbenigwr cymorthcyntaf ymhlith 350 o ddynion. Yn ddiweddarach,daeth yn rheolwr glofa ac yna’n ddarlithydd mewnpeirianneg lofaol.

“Yn yr ysgol ddylech chi fod!”

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ARTHUR LEWIS, 10OED, CADÉT GYDAGURDD SANT IOAN, 1932

ARTHUR LEWIS AS ATEN-YEAR-OLD STJOHN’S AMBULANCECADET, 1932

IT WAS 1938 AND TOM, WHO LIVED IN MYstreet, was aged fourteen and had been undergroundfor only two weeks as a collier's boy. His adult 'butty'had let him stand on a dram of coal to rip the roof topcoal down to make room for the horses to passthrough. The top coal and part of the stone roof fellonto him. I was sixteen years old and the only qualifiedfirst-aider in the district. When I was called to thescene I saw that his injuries were very severe. Apartfrom fractures to his arm and ribs he had a gash thewhole width of his forehead which had exposed hisskull.

After splinting and bandaging his injuries, I had himstretchered to the first aid room on the surface wherea doctor examined my first aid and ordered that he betaken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport. Iaccompanied him in the ambulance and he wasconscious at all times but kept saying ‘Thank you’ to meall through the journey.

When we arrived at the hospital both of us werestill in our working clothes and covered with coal dust.The sister in charge took him away to clean him up.

When she came back to me with his clothes she wasin tears because Tom was continuously thanking her. Iremember her words ‘I can't clean him any more as heis still conscious – how old is he?’ I replied ‘Fourteenyears old’, ‘And how old are you?’ she asked, ‘Sixteen’ Ireplied. She looked at me and said ‘You both should bein school not down the pit’.

I travelled back to the village, still in my workingclothes, and knocked on Tom's door. His motheranswered, asked if all his working clothes were thereand closed the door. I went home to my house a fewdoors down, bathed in our tin bath and changed intoclean clothes.

Arthur Lewis, Colliery Manager

Mr Arthur Lewis OBE began work as a collier's boy agedfourteen in 1936. He had been in the St John'sAmbulance Brigade since he was eight years old. At thetime of the accident above he was the only First Aideramong 350 men. He later became a colliery managerand, eventually, a lecturer in mining engineering.

“You both should be in school”

AR ÔL I LOFA’R GROES-FAEN GAU, COLLAISfy swydd fel clerc y rheolwr a chefais fynhrosglwyddo yn ôl i Ystrad Fawr, pencadlys yrNUM rhanbarth y de-orllewin. Dyma ble ydechreuais fy ngyrfa, ond nid dychwelyd i’r swyddfadeipio oeddwn i, ond i’r Adran Ddiogelwch. Roeddhi’n deimlad rhyfedd gweithio gyda’r merched eto.Roedd y Swyddog Diogelwch yn foi mawr a siriol –cyn belled â’i fod mewn hwyliau da, a’n bod ni ddimo dan draed. Roedd e’n mynnu bod pawb yn cadw’ndawel (yn enwedig pan roedd e’n llenwi’r cwponspêl-droed!).

Roedd pedair ohonom yn rhannu swyddfa, lle’roedd pawb yn gyfrifol am ei gwaith ei hun. Fynyletswydd i oedd cadw cofnodion holl byllau’rardal yn ymwneud â diogelwch a rheoli llwch.Roeddwn i’n arfer mynd i’r ganolfan gyfrifiadur ynNhredomen bob dydd, rhyw filltir i ffwrdd, i gasgludata a’i drosi. Roedd y cyfrifiadur yn anferthol ac ynllenwi’r ystafell gyfan. Tu ôl i’r drysau gwydr, tebyg irai mewn rhewgelloedd archfarchnadoedd, roeddriliau maint platiau bwyd yn troi a throsi, gyda’rtapiau yn weindio a dadweindio. Roedd pobl ynagor a chau’r drysau hyn er mwyn newid y riliaugwag neu eu trwsio os oedd rhyw anffawd fach. Wni ddim sut ar y ddaear roedd y menywod yn gallugweithio a chyfrannu data yng nghanol yr holl s!n.Roedd y data wedi’i argraffu ar res o daflenni tyllog,gyda thyllau ar bob ochr a oedd yn plygu drostynteu hunain yn awtomatig. Roeddwn i’n gorfoddisgwyl nes bod holl ddata’n glofeydd ni wedi’uhargraffu, a’u cludo yn ôl i’w darllen yn y swyddfa

ddiogelwch. Roeddwn i’n cario llwyth o bapurau ynôl ag ymlaen i’r car. Roedd angen bod yn heini iawny dyddie hynny!

Yna, daeth y newyddion fod y Brif Swyddfa ynLlanbradach i gau, ac y byddai’r staff yn symud i’rPencadlys Rhanbarthol. Doedden ni ddim yn blês ogwbl. Roedden nhw’n credu eu bod nhw’n well nani, yn ôl y sôn (achos eu bod nhw’n gweithio yn yBRIF SWYDDFA!) ac y bydden nhw’n cymryd ydesgiau a’r cadeiriau gorau, ac yn bachu’r safleoeddgorau ac ati. Efallai fod hyn yn swnio braidd yn bitwheddiw, ond roedden ni’n poeni’n fawr ar y pryd.

Daeth y diwrnod pan ymunodd criwffroenuchel, hollwybodus, y brif swyddfa (fel roeddpawb ohonom wedi’u bedyddio) â ni. Pangyrhaeddais y gwaith, roedd HI yn eistedd yn fynghadair I. ‘Fy nghadair i yw honna!’, cyhoeddaisinnau, ac er mawr syndod, fe safodd ar ei thraed acymddiheuro. Roedd ‘hi’ yn wraig dal ac esgyrnog,ond yr hyn a’m synnodd fwyaf oedd ei thraed hir amain. Doeddwn i erioed wedi gweld traed tebyg o’rblaen, a oedd yn llawer rhy hir i’w hesgidiau.Roeddwn i wedi disgwyl rhywun haerllug athrahaus o blith gwrachod y brif swyddfa; ynhytrach, roeddwn yn teimlo’n flin amdani. Erbyndeall, roedd ei g!r, a fu’n briod o’r blaen ac a oeddyn dad i ddau o blant a oedd yn byw gyda nhw –wedi’i gadael am ferch ifancach, a llwyddo i droi eiblant yn ei herbyn. Ac i wneud pethau’n waeth,roedd e’n codi braw arni trwy sleifio i’r t¥ pan oeddhi yn y gwaith, a chwalu’r lle. Hefyd, rhyw ddwy neudair gwaith yr wythnos, byddai’n crwydro oamgylch y byngalo yn oriau mân y bore, yn gwneuds!n crafu a thapio a fflachio golau drwy’r ffenestri.

Does dim rhyfedd ei bod hi mewn ffasiwn stad.Fe ddaethon ni’n ffrindiau da, ac fe gysgais yn eichartref rhyw unwaith neu ddwywaith yr wythnoser mwyn cadw cwmni iddi a rhoi cyfle iddi gaelnoson dda o gwsg. Dwi ddim yn berson dewr iawn,ac roeddwn i’n dychryn gyda’r s!n lleiaf. Y borecanlynol, roedd hi’n hollol ffres yn y gwaith tra’roedd golwg ofnadwy arnaf i!

Roedd gerddi prydferth, lawntiau, perthi arhandir yn amgylchynu Ystrad Fawr. Yn ystod einhawr ginio, byddem yn gwylio’r garddwr yn trin ytir. Dangosodd i ni sut i wneud siytni gydathomatos gwyrdd. Aeth pawb yn ddwl am siytni.Byddai pawb yn dod â’u siytni i’r gwaith i gymharu,ac er bod cryn dipyn o gystadleuaeth, dim ondtipyn o hwyl oedd y cyfan. Adeg tymor salad,roedden ni’n bwyta letys, tomatos, ciwcymbr ashibwns fel cwningod!

Fyddwn i ddim byth wedi colli’r cyfle na’rprofiad o weithio gyda’r NCB. Mae rhai’n gorfodteithio o amgylch y byd i chwilio am gyffro – ondgallen nhw fod wedi arbed arian a gweithio i’r NCB!

Anne Jenkins, Swyddog Clercio ac Awdur

Roedd angen bod yn heini iawn

GHOSTS OF THE PAST

The wheel has stopped, it winds no more

Sheep now sleep behind rotted stable door

Wind whistles through broken windowpanes

Locker and lamp rooms, reduced to shame

The pithead baths once painted white

Glowed and sparkled in winter light

Now derelict and broken down

It bears close resemblance to our town

Night has devoured all daylight

Making way for silver moonlight

Transforming pithead into Eiffel Tower

Restoring faith and trust by people in power

Dreams are broken when the sun starts to shine

Bringing back memories of friends lost in mine

Wind carries their voices on mountaintop

Listen, listen, don’t ever stop

Anne Jenkins

30

AFTER GROESFAEN COLLIERY CLOSED, I LOSTmy job as manager’s clerk and transferred back toYstrad Fawr, the Headquarters of the NCB SouthWestern Division. This had been the place I startedfrom, but not into the typing pool this time, but intothe Safety Section. It was strange working with girlsagain. The Safety Officer was a very large jolly man –jolly if he was in a good mood but if not we kept outof his way. He demanded quiet (especially when he didhis football coupons).

There were four of us in the office each responsi-ble for the work designated to us. I keptrecords of all the pits in our area withregards to safety and dust control. For thelatter I visited daily the computer centre inTredomen about a mile away to collect dataand translate it. The computer was huge andfilled the large room it was in. Behind glassdoors, similar to those in a supermarketfreezer section, reels and reels the size ofdinner plates, kept whizzing around withdata tape winding and unwinding. Peoplekept opening and shutting these doors toeither change the empty reels or mendthem if there had been a little accident.How the girls worked inputting data in allthat noise I do not know. The data thatcame out was printed on large perforatedlined sheets with holes down each sidethat were folded over and over on them-selves. I had to wait for all my collieries tobe printed out and transport them back tothe safety office to be read. This meantseveral trips to my car. You had to be fit inthose days!

News came that Llanbradach, theHead Office, was to disband and that staffwould be merged into the RegionalHeadquarters. We did not like this at all.We were told that they thought them-selves a cut above us (because theyworked in HEAD OFFICE!) they wouldseize the best chairs, desks, command thebest positions, etc. Saying it now seems so petty but atthe time we were very worried.

The day arrived when these toffee nosed, know itall, citizens of the hierarchy (as we had worked our-selves up to think of them!) were due to start. When Iarrived at work ‘SHE’ was sitting in ‘MY’ chair but I saidstraight out ‘That is my chair!’ and, to my surprise, shegot up and apologised. ‘She’ was tall, big boned andextremely skeletal, but what fascinated me was herfeet, they were long and thin. I had never seen such along thin feet that could not stay in their shoes. I hadexpected a bossy overpowering witch from the headoffice coven; instead I felt sorry for her as she lookedso wretched. It turned out that her husband, who hadbeen married before and had two children, who livedwith them, had left her for a younger woman and hadturned the children against her. As if that was notenough he was terrorising her by entering her homewhen she was at work and trashing the place. In addi-tion, twice or three times a week in the early hours of

the morning he would creep around the bungalow,scratching, tapping and shining a light through windows.

No wonder she was in the state she was. Webecame good friends and I slept down her home onceor twice a week to keep her company and for her tohave a good night’s rest. I am not a brave person andjumped at every little sound. In work the next day shewould be as bright as a button whilst I would look as ifI had been dug up!

Beautiful gardens, lawns, shrubberies and an allot-ment surrounded Ystrad Fawr. In our lunch hour we

would watch the gardener tending his beloved plot. Heshowed us how to make chutney from green tomatoes.We went chutney mad.

We brought our jars of chutney in to compare, anda fair bit of competition took place, but it was all in fun.In the salad season we ate lettuce, tomatoes, cucumberand spring onions faster than Brer Rabbit.

I would not have missed my experience workingfor the NCB. Some have to go back packing aroundthe world to find excitement – they could have savedtheir money and worked for the NCB!

Anne Jenkins, Clerical Officer and author

You had to be fit

31

ANN JENKINS YNG NGLOFA’RGROES-FAEN, 1965 ANN JENKINS AT GROESFAENCOLLIERY, 1965

LLUN CYSYLLTIADAUCYHOEDDUS AGYMERWYD YN BIG PITAR GYFER BERLEILINGERIE A AGORODDFFATRI YN FORGESIDE YNYSTOD Y 1970AU

PUBLIC RELATIONSPHOTO TAKEN AT BIG PITFOR BURLEI LINGERIEWHO HAD OPENED AFACTORY AT FORGESIDEDURING THE 1970S.

3535

IT WAS MY AMBITION TO BECOME A COLLIERYmanager from a very early age. I left school on FridayJuly 13th, 1948, on my fifteenth birthday and I wentstraight up to the Cwm Colliery and asked the manag-er for a job. He asked me why I wanted a job there andI said ‘Because I want to sit in your chair!’

Not having had much education I had to go to nightschool. I had to get up half past five in the morning forwork and go to school in the evening. It took mesomething like ten years to become a colliery manag-er. I had to do the P1, P2, S1, S2, S3 and all the NationalNA1, NA2 and the Higher National Certificates andthen eventually the Diploma in Mining. Then I had totake the Colliery Manager’s certificate in mining lawwhich I did in 1962. In 1963 I became an overman inCwm, in 1967 I became under manager and I remainedin that post until 1973 when I was promoted to deputymanager, and I spent ten years doing that.

I went into the Cwm on my fifteenth birthday anddid thirty three years there. When I became undermanager a lot of people thought, particularly at man-agement level, that it would be very difficult for themen to stop calling me Desmond George and call meMr Caddy instead. However, I was pleasantly surprisedthat they accepted it like a duck taking to water. Therewere the odd occasion when I would be with the pro-duction manager or the deputy director and somebodywould forget themselves and say ‘We never used to doit like that Des’ and the director would look at me tosay something, but I used to ignore it and the nextminute it would be ‘Mr Caddy’ again.

I’m proud of what I achieved in the Cwm. I wouldlike to think that I could have kept the colliery open fora much longer period of time, but you can’t prove thatnow of course. Cwm was renowned throughout theUK for its unique type of coking coal. Now the onlyother pit in south Wales that came near to that wasNantgarw and that wasn’t a pit that could produce vastamounts of coal as it was a very, very difficult pit tomine because of its steep gradient. The only other coallike it in the world is in America where there are onlypatches of it. But at that the only market was thepower station and our coal was too good for that.Our coal was too rich for the markets available.

I left the Cwm in October 2nd 1984 and moved toMerthyr Vale first and then to Oakdale in July 1985.When Oakdale was ready to close I was asked to takethe challenge of my life which was to manage Maerdyand Tower collieries. After going to both pits, andspending twelve, fourteen hours a day there to makesure I knew my facts, I came to the conclusion thatMaerdy didn’t have a future but Tower did. However,there was a heck of a lot of work to be done and a lotof money had to be spent, and knowing the labourforce of Tower and knowing the attitude of TyroneO’Sullivan, the union leader there, who thought the sunshone out of Arthur Scargill’s backside. I told him thatthere was a future for the pit but it would remain openon one condition and that was that we would have toget private contractors in and we’d have to get them inimmediately. Well, he told me ‘Over my dead body youwill!’ I said ‘Well it’ll be either that or you’ll close.You’re not going to make the decision; it will be the

labour force.’ I spoke to all three shifts on the surfaceand told them about my plan and they went on strikefor a day or two. However, they came back, acceptedwhat I had said and within twelve months the pit wasin profit.

It was vital to get private mining contractors intoTower because they were specialists in high speed driftmining. Although there were some good individualsalready in the pit, they weren’t sufficient in number toman a sixteen foot roadway, twenty four hours a day.Thyssen mining contractors eventually won the con-tract and drove the roadway down, almost a mile inlength, one in seven drift gradient, and they did it inonly twelve months.

That one roadway replaced sixteen other roadwaysso we now had one conveyor going all the way into theheart of the pit instead of sixteen. That’s when Towertook off and it's still going today, although they’re justabout ready to close now [Mr Caddy was interviewedduring autumn 2007 and Tower closed in March 2008],but they’ve had a very good run. If you talk to theworkforce today, I bet they’re very happy about thedecision I made in those days.

I don’t want to take the accolade for it but I wassent there to do a job, a managerial job, which I thoughtI did reasonably well but I’ve got to say that it was myplan that put that pit where it is today, not the NUMbecause they didn’t have a clue, whatever they may say.I retired from Tower just before it was ‘bought out’ bythe workforce.

I went into the colliery because all my familyworked in the Cwm. There was nothing else; I thoughtthat if my father could do it and my brothers could doit, so could I. My mother didn’t want me to go theremind. She said ‘There’s enough of you there now!’ Ifthe colliery hadn’t been there I would have gone to thearmed forces and made a career there instead. I wasnever going to be just ‘one of the lads in the village’ thatjust put his hands in his pockets and be happy with anine ’til five job or whatever, a factory job, I didn’t wantthat. Looking back I would never, ever change my life. IfI could turn the clock back to 1948 I would do exact-ly the same thing again.

Desmond Caddy, Colliery Manager

“I want to sit in your chair!”

3434

ROEDD HI’N UCHELGAIS GENNYF FOD YNrheolwr glofa ers pan oeddwn i’n ifanc iawn.Gadewais yr ysgol ar ddiwrnod fy mhen-blwydd yn15 oed, ddydd Gwener 13 Gorffennaf, 1948, ac fe esi’n syth at reolwr Glofa’r Cwm i ofyn am waith. Panofynnodd i mi pam roeddwn i eisiau swydd yno,atebais ‘Oherwydd rwy’ moyn eistedd yn eichcadair chi!’

Roedd rhaid i mi fynd i ysgol nos am na chefaisfawr o addysg. Roeddwn i’n gorfod codi am hannerawr wedi pump y bore a mynd i’r ysgol yn y nos. Fegymrodd hi tua deng mlynedd i mi fod yn rheolwrglofa. Roedd rhaid i mi wneud profion P1, P2, S1,S2, S3 a’r holl dystysgrifau cenedlaethol NA1, NA2a’r Tystysgrifau Cenedlaethol Uwch, cyn gwneudDiploma mewn Mwyngloddio. Yna, roedd rhaid i miwneud cwrs tystysgrif Rheolwr Glofa mewnCyfraith Gwaith Glo ym 1962. Ym 1963, cefais fymhenodi yn oruchwyliwr neu’n oferman yngNglofa’r Cwm, ac yna’n is-reolwr tan 1973 pangefais ddyrchafiad i fod yn ddirprwy reolwr am ydeng mlynedd nesaf.

Fe es i’r Cwm yn bymtheg oed a threulio 33mlynedd yno. Pan ddes i’n is-reolwr, roedd llawer o

bobl – yn enwedig ar lefel rheoli – yn meddwl ybyddai’n anodd iawn i’r dynion fy ngalw i’n MrCaddy yn lle Desmond George. Yn hytrach, fesynnais pa mor hawdd y gwnaethon nhw dderbynhynny. Ambell waith pan oeddwn i gyda’r rheolwrcynhyrchu neu’r dirprwy gyfarwyddwr, byddairhywun yn anghofio am eiliad ac yn dweud ‘Nage felhyn oedden ni’n arfer gwneud pethau, Des’ abyddai’r cyfarwyddwr yn troi ataf i ddweudrhywbeth, ond roeddwn i’n anwybyddu hynny, a’rpeth nesaf, roedden nhw’n dweud ‘Mr Caddy’unwaith eto.

Rwy’n falch o’r hyn lwyddais ei wneud yngNglofa’r Cwm. Hoffwn i feddwl y gallwn i fod wedicadw’r lofa ar agor am gyfnod llawer hirach, ondallwch chi ddim profi hynny mwyach wrth gwrs.Roedd Glofa’r Cwm yn enwog ledled y DU am logolosg unigryw. Yr unig lofa debyg arall yn y Deoedd Nantgarw, ond doedd y lofa honno ddim yngallu cynhyrchu cymaint o lo â ni gan ei bod ynanodd iawn, iawn, i’w chloddio oherwydd y llethrauserth. Yr unig le arall yn y byd sy’n cynhyrchu glocystal yw America, gyda chlytiau ohono yma ac acw. Ond yr adeg honno, yr unig farchnad ar

“Rwy’ mo’yn eistedd yn eich cadair chi!”

GLEN JOHNSON A DES

CADDY (AR Y DDE) YNG

NGLOFA TWR

GLEN JOHNSON AND DES

CADDY (RIGHT) AT TOWER

COLLIERY

^

3736

gyfer ein glo ni oedd gorsaf b!er, ac roedd y glo yn llawer rhy dda ar gyfer hynny. Roedd ein glo ni’n rhy gyfoethog ar gyfer y marchnadoedd oeddar gael.

Ffarweliais â Glofa’r Cwm ar 2 Hydref 1984 asymudais i Ynysowen yn gyntaf ac yna Oakdale ymmis Gorffennaf 1985. Pan oedd Oakdale ar fin cau,gofynnwyd i mi ymgymryd ag un o heriau mwyaf fymywyd, sef rheoli glofeydd y T!r a’r Maerdy. Ar ôlymweld â’r ddwy lofa, a threulio rhwng 12 ac 14awr y dydd yno i wneud yn si!r o’m ffeithiau, feddes i’r casgliad nad oedd gan Lofa’r Maerdyunrhyw ddyfodol, yn wahanol i Lofa’r T!r. Roeddpeth wmbredd o waith i’w wneud, fodd bynnag, allwyth o arian i’w wario, o adnabod gweithlu’r T!rac agwedd Tyrone O’Sullivan, arweinydd yr undebyno, a oedd yn meddwl bod yr haul yn tywynnu oben-ôl Arthur Scargill. Dywedais wrtho fod gan ylofa ddyfodol, ond y byddai’n parhau ar agor ar unamod, sef y byddai’n rhaid i ni gael contractwyrpreifat yno, a hynny ar unwaith. Wel, fe drodd ata ia dweud ‘Dros fy nghrogi!’ Ac meddwn i ‘Wel, naillai hynny neu gau’r pwll yn gyfan gwbl. Nid dybenderfyniad di fydd e; ond y gweithwyr.’ Cefais airgyda thair shifft o weithwyr ar y wyneb, gan eglurofy nghynlluniau iddynt, ac fe aethon nhw ar streicam ddiwrnod neu ddau. Ond dychwelyd wnaethonnhw, derbyn yr hyn a ddywedais i, ac o fewndeuddeg mis, roedd y lofa’n gwneud elw.

Roedd hi’n hanfodol cael contractwyr glopreifat i’r T!r oherwydd roedden nhw’n arbenigomewn cloddio lefelydd yn gyflym iawn. Er bodunigolion da iawn yn y pwll eisoes, doedd dim digonohonynt i gloddio trwy dwneli 16 troedfedd, 24 awry dydd. Cwmni contractwyr Thyssen gafodd y

contract yn y diwedd, ac aethant ati i dyllu twnnelgraddiant 1:7 bron filltir o hyd, mewn cwtadeuddeg mis. Fe wnaeth yr un twnnel hwn gymrydlle 16 o dwneli llai, felly dim ond un cludfelt oedd ynmynd i galon y pwll bellach yn lle’r 16 blaenorol.Dyna pryd y dechreuodd T!r fynd o nerth i nerth,ac mae’n dal ar waith heddiw, er ei bod ar fin cau(cafodd Mr Caddy ei holi yn ystod hydref 2007, achaeodd Glofa’r T!r ym mis Mawrth 2008), ond fegawson nhw rediad da iawn. Pe baech chi’n siaradgyda’r gweithwyr heddiw, rwy’n sicr eu bod nhw’nfwy na bodlon gyda’m penderfyniadau i bryd hynny.

Dwi ddim eisiau cymryd y clod i gyd, ond cefaisfy anfon yno i wneud gwaith, gwaith rheolwr, a’iwneud yn eithaf da yn fy marn i. Er hynny, rhaiddweud mai fy syniad i roddodd Glofa’r T!r ar benffordd, nid yr NUM, oherwydd doedd ganddyn nhwddim clem, beth bynnag maen nhw’n ei ddweud. Fewnes i ymddeol o’r T!r ychydig cyn i’r gweithwyr eibrynu.

Fe ymunais i â’r lofa oherwydd bod fy holldeulu’n gweithio yn y Cwm. Doedd dim byd arallyno; a meddyliais i, os yw fy nhad a’m mrodyr yngallu’i wneud e, gallaf i wneud e hefyd. Cofiwch chi,doedd mam ddim eisiau i mi fynd yno. ‘Mae ’na henddigon ohonoch chi yno nawr’ meddai. Oni bai amy lofa, bydden i wedi ymuno â’r lluoedd arfog yn llehynny. Doeddwn i byth am fod yn ‘un o fois yn ypentref ’ sy’n fodlon gyda swydd naw tan bump neubeth bynnag, rhyw waith ffatri. Doeddwn i ddimeisiau hynny. Wrth edrych yn ôl, fyddwn i byth, byth,yn newid fy mywyd i. Pe bawn i’n gallu troi’r cloc ynôl i 1948, byddwn i’n gwneud union yr un peth eto.

Desmond Caddy, Rheolwr y Lofa

Gweithio ar ben y pwllCEFAIS FY NGENI YM MIS RHAGFYR 1925.Ar ddechrau’r 1930au, rwy’n cofio fy nhad yn dodadref o’i waith, ac yn rhoi ei gyflog ar y bwrdd âgolwg bryderus iawn arno, a mam yn dweud ‘Cermas i chwarae Desmond, fe alwa i arnot ti pan fyddswper yn barod’. Ychydig flynyddoedd wedyn,deallais nad oedd dad yn derbyn yr isafswm cyflogoherwydd bod y talcen glo (man gweithio) yn rhyanodd ei drin. Roedd gennym ni dân agored gydagard tân mawr o’i amgylch, lle byddai’r dilladgwaith môlsgin yn hongian i’w sychu. Rwy’n cofiomam yn chwerthin oherwydd ei bod yn gallugwneud i drowsus dad sefyll ar eu traed eu hunaingan fod chwys yr oesoedd yn ei gwneud mor stiff achaled.

Ar 1 Ionawr 1940, dechreuais weithio ynrhidyllfa’r lofa yn Glyncastle. Erbyn hynny, roedd dadyn fyr ei wynt ac yn rhy wael i weithio danddaearmwyach, a chafodd ei anfon gan y GorchymynGwaith Hanfodol i weithio ar y rheilffyrdd, a wnaethfyd o les iddo gan ei fod yn gweithio tu allan yn yrawyr iach. Roedd ganddo glefyd y llwch a silicosis.Pan fu farw ym 1972, dangosodd yr awtopsi maidim ond hanner un ysgyfaint oedd ganddo.

Roedd llwch difrifol yn y rhidyllfa. Roedd pobbachgen newydd yn gweithio wrth y cludfeltiau, yncodi slag a malurion o’r belt – a hyd yn oed ynsgubo’r llwch oddi ar y glo ar gyfer Bragdy Mitchell& Butlers. Roedd y darnau bach o lo yn cael eugolchi a’u graddio fesul ‘nuts’, ‘beans’, ‘peas’ ac ati.Dylid cofio bod y darnau bach o lo oedd yn llithrodrwy’r bylchau yn cael ei bwyso a’i dynnu ogyfanswm tunelli’r glowyr, felly doedd y glowyr bythyn cael tâl am y glo drud oedd wedi’i olchi.

Yn fuan wedyn, cawsom ddyletswyddau erailli’w cyflawni. Un ohonynt oedd creu mortar ar gyferyr adran adeiladu, trwy gymysgu lludw, calch a d!rgyda pheiriant â rholeri mawr. Roedd dynion ooedran penodol wedi’u galw i’r fyddin, a chyn hir,doedd dim llawer o fechgyn yn eu harddegau hwyryn gweithio ar ben y pwll. Cludwyd llond bysus oddynion di-waith o ardal Merthyr, ac roeddwn i’ngorfod dangos i un ohonyn nhw sut i wneud mortar.Doedd e ddim wedi gweithio ers deng mlynedd, achlywais am ddyn arall a oedd heb weithio ers 14mlynedd.

Erbyn hyn, roeddwn i’n 16 oed. Roedd llawer ofechgyn eraill o’r un oed â mi, a ni oedd yn gwneud

Working on the surfaceI WAS BORN IN DECEMBER 1925. IN THE EARLY1930s I remember my father coming home from workputting his wages on the kitchen table and being verydistressed, my mother said “Go out and play Desmond,I’ll call you when tea is ready ”. In later years I knew myfather hadn’t earned the minimum wage as his stall(working place) was too difficult. We had an open firewith a big fire guard around it, on which the workingclothes were draped to dry. I remember my motherlaughing because she could make my father’s moleskintrousers stand up on their own because they were sostiff with dried sweat.

On January 1st 1940 I started work in the screensat Glyncastle Colliery. By then my father was veryshort of breath and unfit to work undergroundanymore and was directed by The Essential WorksOrder to work on the railways which probably did himgood, as he was working outside in the fresh air. He hadpneumoconiosis and silicosis. When he died in 1972,the autopsy showed he only had half of one lung.

The dust in the screens was dreadful. All the newboys worked on the conveyors picking slag and debrisoff the belt – even brushing dust off the coal orderedby Mitchell and Butlers Brewery. The small coal was all

washed and graded into ‘nuts’, ‘beans’, ‘peas’ and so on.A point to be made here is that the small coal droppedthrough spaced bars and was weighed and deductedfrom the colliers’ tonnage so the miners were neverpaid for the expensive washed coal.

It wasn’t long before we were given other jobs todo. One of them was to make mortar for the buildingdepartment from a mixture of ash, lime and water allground up in a machine with great big rollers. Men ofcall up age had to join the forces and soon thereweren’t many older teenagers working on the collierysurface. We had bus loads of unemployed mentransported down from the Merthyr area and I had toshow one of these men how to make the mortar. Hehadn’t worked for ten years he said and I heard of oneman who hadn’t worked for fourteen years.

By now I’m sixteen years old. There were otherboys around the same age and we did everything,weighing the drams as they came up from the pit,hitching them onto the endless rope, working with theblacksmiths when needed, i.e. straightening rings[arched roof supports] with a thirty-ton hydraulic press,sharpening, hardening and tempering the coal cutterteeth and mandrels, fitting new handles to sledge

GLOFA GLYNCASTLE

GLYNCASTLE COLLIERY

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popeth – pwyso’r dramiau a oedd yn dod i fyny o’rpwll, eu bachu’n sownd yn y rhaffau diddiwedd,gweithio gyda’r gof fel bo’r angen, h.y. sythu’rcylchedd (cynhalbyst bwaog) gyda gwasg hydrolig30 tunnell, hogi, caledu a thymheru’r mandreli adannedd y torrwr glo, gosod coesau newydd argeibiau, gyrdd, bwyeill ac offer eraill. Yr unig dro esi danddaear oedd gyda’r gof i wirio cadwyni olwynweindio’r pwll. Roedd yr hen ofaint yn dibynnuarnom ni’r bois ifanc â llygaid da i sylwi ar unrhywgraciau yn y dolenni.

Erbyn 1944, roedd Bois Bevin wedi ymuno â ni,sef bechgyn ifanc o oedran galw i’r fyddin, a gafoddeu hanfon i’r pyllau glo yn hytrach na’r lluoeddarfog. Roedden nhw’n feirniadol iawn o amodaugwaith y pyllau, ac fe fynychais i sawl un o’ucyfarfodydd lle’r oedd y rheolwyr, undebau a’rglowyr dan y lach go iawn! Myfyriwr o Rydychenoedd eu llefarydd, ac roedd e’n siaradwr gwych acyn dipyn o rebel. Roedden nhw’n methu credu boddynion yn gweithio dan amodau mor uffernol.

Pan oeddwn i’n 21 oed, ymunais â’r felin lifio lle’roedden ni’n cynhyrchu trawstiau ar gyfer cledrautramiau, coed danheddog o bren llwyfen 3troedfedd, blociau brêc o bren llwyfen 8 x 6 x 5troedfedd o hyd ar gyfer olwyn weindio’r pwll, wedi’u

leinio gyda leinin brêc Ferodo. Erbyn hyn, roeddPowell Duffryn wedi trosglwyddo rheolaeth i’rNCB, a chafodd miloedd o dunelli o goed rhagorolo Norwy eu hanfon atom. Hefyd, rwy’n cofio dauoffer torri glo newydd sbon yn cyrraedd, a’r glowyryn dod i lawr i’w dadlwytho o’r lorri eu hunain agofalu eu bod yn cael eu cludo’n ddiogel i’r pwll.Doedden ni erioed wedi gweld cyfarpar newyddcyn i’r pyllau gael eu gwladoli, gan mai pethau ail-law o lofeydd eraill oedd gennym cyn hynny.

Yna, cafodd y Gorchymyn Gwaith Hanfodol eigodi mwya’r sydyn ar 1 Ionawr 1950. Roedd fy nhadyn falch o’r ffaith nad es i danddaear o gwbl, er fymod wedi cael sawl cynnig i fynd, ac y gallwn i fodwedi ennill arian mawr. ‘Dwyt ti ddim eisiau bod felfi, grwt’, roedd e’n arfer dweud, felly dyma oedd fynghyfle i ddianc o’r pyllau glo ar ôl deng mlyneddyno.

Dechreuais weithio gyda chwmni ceir Vauxhallar 28 Chwefror 1950. Cyrhaeddais Luton ar ddyddIau, ac fe wnaeth Swyddfa’r Di-waith fy anfon i gaelarchwiliad meddygol a chyfweliad ar y dydd Llun.Roedd deg ohonom yn ceisio am ddwy swydd.Dechreuais weithio’r diwrnod canlynol.

Des Jones, Gweithiwr pen pwll

hammers, picks, axes and other tools. The only time Iwent underground was with the blacksmith to checkthe pit winding chains. The old blacksmiths liked usboys with our good eyesight to see the cracks in thelinks.

By 1944 we had the Bevin Boys who were young

men of call up age who were directed to the minesrather than conscripted into the armed forces. Theywere very critical of the working conditions in themines, I went to many of their meetings andmanagement, unions and miners all came in for a realgoing over! Their spokesman was an Oxford studentwho was a marvellous speaker and very rebellious.They couldn’t believe that men worked under suchawful conditions.

At twenty-one years old I went to work in thesawmill, here we made tramline sleepers, cog timbersfrom three-foot logs of elm, pit winder brake blocksfrom elm wood 8 x 6 x 5 feet long, lined with Ferodobrake linings. By this time the National Coal Board hadtaken over from Powell Duffryn and we had thousandsof tons of marvellous Norway timber delivered to us. Ialso remember two brand new coal cutters beingdelivered and the colliers came down and unloadedthem off the truck themselves and supervisedtransporting them up to the pit. We’d never seen brandnew gear before the pits were nationalised, it wasalways second hand from some other collieries.

Then all of a sudden the Essential Works Orderwas lifted on January 1st 1950. My father was proud ofthe fact I’d never gone underground although I’d hadmany offers to do so and I could have earned bigmoney. 'You don’t want to become like me my boy', heused to say, so here was my chance to get away fromthe mines altogether, I had done exactly ten years.

I started at Vauxhall Motors 28th February 1950. Iarrived in Luton on Thursday and was sent by theUnemployment Exchange for a medical and interviewon Monday. There were ten of us and only two of usgot a job. I started the next day.

Des Jones, Surface Worker

Aur

I JOINED THE NCB FROM SCHOOL AND DIDmy training in Oakdale Colliery. I did my undergroundtraining at Tirpentwys Colliery and eventually went toBig Pit where I spent quite a few years. When I gotmarried I went to Hafodyrynys Colliery and then backto Tirpentwys again. It was at Tirpentwys that I had theaccident.

From what I was told the stone slab that fell wassix feet by eighteen inches by six inches. The coal faceI was working in was only two feet nine inches high soit didn’t fall very far, but it fell edge on. So the edge ofthe slab actually caught my spine as I was bent over andI couldn’t go anywhere. I tried to push it off my backbut I was up against the coal face and I was stuck, so Ishouted for help.

When help arrived they tied something around mywaist or back. I don’t know what it was, it may havebeen a sling but, whatever it was, the first thing thatwent through my mind was that there wasn’t muchroom there. I think they dragged me down the face ona blanket and I was on my back. I didn’t realise at thetime that this was the wrong thing to do and, whenthey got me down the face into the main heading theyactually lifted me in the blanket so it arched my backand I screamed.

Even then, from the waist down, I was just a massof ‘pins and needles’. A doctor met me about half wayout to pit bottom, and asked me if I could feel anythingand I told him about these pins and needles and he said“You’re going to be OK, great”. Even in the ambulance

I was lying on my back which was a bad, bad move. SoI was on my way to the Royal Gwent Hospital and thepins and needles feeling grew and then faded awaydown my legs till it got to my knees and then there wasjust nothing.

I know now that what they should have done wasto turn me onto my stomach, to take the pressure offmy back. These days they have the knowledge of howto treat spinal injuries correctly and, if the spinal cordisn’t completely naffed, you’ve got a good chance ofgetting sensation or something back. With my spinalchord it’s kinked, not severed, and there’s no sensationfrom there down because the pressure hadn’t beentaken off from the beginning. At the time they did whatthey thought best, but it was the wrong thing.

What did come out during the investigation wasthat the extension bars on the roof supports, whichwould have prevented a stone falling, were all fitted theday after the accident. This was strange because theyweren’t there the day before!

The NUM representative told me that he couldn’tprove that they weren’t there, but you take it from me,they weren’t. However the compensation was OK at thetime because I was only on about twelve quid a week.

These days though the compensation is tremen-dous, paraplegics like me are getting around a millionpounds but I’ve got no money worries to be honest. Imiss the mines though, your mates were great. If youneeded help the miners were there for you. They weregood days.

Gold

FE YMUNAIS Â’R NCB AR ÔL GADAEL YSGOL,a chefais fy hyfforddi yng Nglofa Oakdale. Gwnes fyhyfforddiant danddaear yng Nglofa Tirpentwys acyna Big Pit, gan aros yno am sawl blwyddyn wedyn.Ar ôl priodi, fe es i weithio yng Nglofa Hafodyrynysac yna yn ôl i Dirpentwys eto, lle cefais i’r ddamwain.

Yn ôl y sôn, roedd y slab o garreg a’m trawoddyn mesur chwe troedfedd wrth ddeunaw modfeddwrth chwe modfedd. Dim ond dwy droedfedd nawmodfedd o uchder oedd y ffas lo lle’r oeddwn i’ngweithio, ac felly ni ddisgynnodd yn bell iawn. Ynanffodus, fe ddisgynnodd ar ei hochr yn erbyn fyasgwrn cefn oherwydd roeddwn i wedi plygu ac ynmethu mynd i unlle. Ceisiais ei wthio oddi ar fynghefn, ond roeddwn i’n dynn yn erbyn y ffas lo acyn methu symud, felly gwaeddais am help. Panddaeth rhywun o’r diwedd, fe wnaethon nhw glymurhywbeth o amgylch fy nghanol neu fy nghefn. Wni ddim beth oedd e, sling efallai, ond beth bynnagydoedd, y peth cyntaf feddyliais i oedd pa morgyfyng oedd hi yno. Dwi’n meddwl eu bod nhwwedi fy llusgo i lawr y ffas gyda blanced, a minnauar fy nghefn. Wnes i ddim sylweddoli ar y pryd bodhyn yn gamgymeriad, ac ar ôl cyrraedd y prif hedin,fe wnaethon nhw ddefnyddio’r blanced i ’nghodi i,a minnau’n sgrechian mewn poen wrth blygu fynghefn.

GERALD ANSLOWGYDA’I FEDAL AUROLYMPAIDD. GERALD ANSLOWWITH HIS OLYMPICGOLD MEDAL

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YM 1982, CEFAIS FY NISWYDDO’N SYDYNfel ysgrifenyddes i’r Rheolwr Cynhyrchu a oedd yngyfrifol am nifer o lofeydd. Cefais waith dros droam ychydig wythnosau, ac yn sgil marwolaethsydyn Clerc Rheolwr Glofa Markham, fe wnes i gaisam y swydd honno a llwyddo i’w chael.

Ar ôl bod yn Swyddfa’r Rheolwr Cynhyrchu am7 mlynedd, roeddwn i’n awyddus i barhau i weithiogyda’r glowyr cyffredin yn hytrach na symud iSwyddfa’r Pencadlys. Er hynny, roedd symud oswyddfa gysurus llawn offer yn gryn sioc, ac ar yr ail

ddiwrnod, roedd rhaid i mi hwfro llwch y glo o’rcypyrddau ffeilio.

Roeddwn i’n adnabod Mr Morris, y Rheolwr, ersfy swydd flaenorol pan arferai weithio yng Nglofa’rMaerdy. Ar y diwrnod cyntaf, dywedodd ei fod ynymwybodol o’r gwahaniaethau rhwng y ddwyswyddfa a’i fod yn barod i gefnogi unrhyw gais amoffer newydd. Archebais deipiadur newydd, ffeiliauac offer ysgrifennu newydd, cadair swyddfa, cadairymwelydd, drych yn ystafell gotiau’r merched (addefnyddiwyd gan ddwy gydweithwraig o’r ystafell

Llwch glo yn y cwpwrdd ffeilio

IN 1982, MY POST AS SECRETARY TO A PROD-uction Manager in charge of several collieries wassuddenly made redundant. For a few weeks, I was giventemporary work and then, following the unexpecteddeath of the Manager’s Clerk at Markham Colliery, Iapplied for and was given the job.

Having been in a Production Office for seven years,I was eager to stay near the grass roots of the miningindustry and not move into a Headquarters Office.The move from the comfort and good equipment ofmy previous office to the basics of a colliery officecame as something of a shock, however, and on mysecond day, I took in my vacuum cleaner to get the coaldust out of the filing cabinets!

I knew Mr Morris, the Manager, from my previousjob when he was at Maerdy Colliery. On that firstmorning, he told me he was aware of the differences inthe two offices and he was prepared to support anyrequests for new equipment. The orders went in for anew typewriter, new files and stationery, an office chair,a visitors’ chair, a mirror in the ladies’ cloakroom (usedalso by two female colleagues from the timekeepers’office), roller towels in both cloakrooms, etc. etc. andall were quickly approved.

The request for a photocopier was not so speedilygranted but, for a few weeks, it gave me the chance toleave the office and visit Oakdale Colliery in order touse their machine. Quite soon, much to the relief of all

Coal dust in the filing cabinets

So I am paralysed from the waist down and it tookme about five years to accept it. At first I pooh-pooheddoing sport in a wheelchair but eventually gave in andstarted training. In 1969 I competed in archery in boththe Welsh Games and the National Games at StokeMandeville (I came first and second respectively). In1970 I competed in Archery at the CommonwealthGames in Scotland; it was good experience but nomedal. Although I won both the Welsh and NationalGames between 1971 and 1973, I wasn’t picked forArchery in the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.Instead, I was selected for Fencing, which wasn’t mymain sport! However, I managed to win a Bronze Medal.

I was selected for the Great Britain Team for theOlympic Games in Toronto, Canada in 1976 and won team gold for Archery. However, despite continuing my training, I wasn’t picked for the 1980Paraplegic Games which were held in Holland asMoscow, where the Olympic Games were being held,

apparently didn’t have any disabled sports people!!!I carried on with sport until 1984 competing in

Open Championships against both disabled and ablebodied competitors in both Archery and Bowls through-out Britain (including NCB Games). I then decided tocall it a day as we had just bought the new house andhad a heck of a lot of work sorting the gardens out soI just battle on with that. I did bowling for a few yearsafter but I just couldn’t find the time for sport.

The biggest eye opener for paraplegics who take upsport is to go to Stoke Mandeville. You think that youare good in a wheelchair until you go there and seepeople who are more or less paralyzed from the neckdown – what they can achieve in a wheelchair is an eyeopener. I have always recommended any paraplegics togo to Stoke Mandeville and you can achieve a lot if youpractise. But you’ve got to practise.

Gerald Anslow, Collier and Olympian

Hyd yn oed bryd hynny, roedd rhan isaf y corffyn binnau bach i gyd. Daeth meddyg ataf hannerffordd i lawr y pwll, a gofyn a oedd gennyf unrhywdeimlad o gwbl. Soniais i am y pinnau bach adywedodd ‘Ry’ch chi’n mynd i fod yn iawn’.Roeddwn i’n gorwedd ar fy nghefn yn yr ambiwlanshefyd a oedd yn gamgymeriad mawr arall. Felly,roeddwn i ar y ffordd i Ysbyty Brenhinol Gwent, a’rpinnau bach yn fwyfwy amlwg cyn diflannu’n araf ilawr fy nghoesau, ac yna dim byd.

Erbyn hyn, rwy’n gwybod y dylen nhw fod wedify nhroi i orwedd ar fy mol, er mwyn tynnu’rpwysau oddi-ar fy nghefn. Heddiw, maen nhw’ngwybod beth yw’r ffordd gywir o drin anafiadau i’rasgwrn cefn, ac os nad yw llinyn y cefn wedi’idorri’n llwyr, mae gennych siawns eithaf da o gaelteimlad neu rywfaint o deimlad yn ôl. Mae llinyn fynghefn i wedi plygu rhywfaint, nid wedi torri’n llwyr,a does dim teimlad o fan’ny i lawr oherwydd eu bodnhw heb dynnu’r pwysau oddi arno o’r cychwyncyntaf. Ar y pryd, roedden nhw’n meddwl eu bod yngwneud y peth iawn, ond fe wnaethon nhwgamgymeriad.

Yn ystod yr ymchwiliad, fe ddaeth i’r amlwg fodbariau estynedig ar y cynhalbyst, a fyddai wedi ataly garreg rhag cwympo, wedi’u gosod ddiwrnodwedi’r ddamwain. Roedd hyn yn beth rhyfedd, gannad oedden nhw yno’r diwrnod blaenorol! Yn ôlcynrychiolydd yr NUM, doedd dim modd profi nadoedden nhw yno cyn hynny, ond dwi’n gwybod yniawn nad oedden nhw. Ond roedd yr iawndal a gefaisyn iawn ar y pryd, oherwydd dim ond deuddeg puntyr wythnos oedd fy nghyflog. Heddiw, fodd bynnag,mae yna iawndal sylweddol, ac mae pobl sydd wediparlysu’n llwyr fel fi yn cael tua miliwn o bunnau –ond does gen i ddim pryderon ariannol mewngwirionedd. Dwi’n gweld eisiau’r pyllau glo, erhynny, roedd gen i gyfeillion gwych yno. Os oeddechchi angen cymorth, roedd y glowyr yno i chi.Roedden nhw’n ddyddiau da.

Rwyf wedi fy mharlysu o’m canol i lawr, ac fegymrodd bron i bum mlynedd i mi dderbyn hynny.Ar y cychwyn, roeddwn i’n wfftio’r syniad o wneudchwaraeon mewn cadair olwyn, ond fe ddechreuaisgymryd diddordeb a hyfforddi. Ym 1969, fe wnes i

gymryd rhan mewn Saethyddiaeth yng NgemauCymru a’r Gemau Cenedlaethol yn StokeMandeville (gan ddod yn gyntaf ac ail yn y naill a’rllall). Ym 1970, fe wnes i gymryd rhan mewncystadleuaeth Saethyddiaeth yng Ngemau’rGymanwlad yn yr Alban; roedd yn brofiad gwerthchweil er na chefais unrhyw fedal. Er i mi ennillGemau Cymru a’r Gemau Cenedlaethol rhwng1971 a 1973, ni chefais fy newis fel Saethydd yngNgemau Gymanwlad Seland Newydd. Yn hytrach,fe’m dewiswyd i gystadlu mewn Cleddyfaeth - nidfy mhrif gamp hyd yn oed! Er hynny, llwyddais igipio’r fedal efydd.

Cefais fy newis fel aelod o dîm Prydain ar gyferGemau Olympaidd Toronto, Canada, ym 1976, ganennill y fedal aur mewn Saethyddiaeth. Ergwaetha’r ffaith fy mod yn parhau i hyfforddi, nichefais fy newis ar gyfer Gemau Paralympaidd1980 o gwbl, a gynhaliwyd yn yr Iseldiroedd yn lleMoscow – cartref Gemau Olympaidd y flwyddynhonno – am nad oedd athletwyr anabl o gwbl yn yrUndeb Sofietaidd!

Fe wnes i barhau gyda’r gamp tan 1984, gangystadlu mewn Pencampwriaethau Agored ynerbyn cystadleuwyr anabl a rhai nad oeddynt ynanabl, mewn Saethyddiaeth a Bowlio ledled Prydain(gan gynnwys Gemau’r NCB). Penderfynais roi’rgorau iddi oherwydd roedden ni wedi prynu t¥newydd, ac roedd cryn dipyn o waith angen eiwneud ar yr ardd felly dwi’n dal ati i arddio. Bues i’nchwarae bowls am ychydig flynyddoedd wedihynny, ond doedd gen i ddim digon o amser i wneudunrhyw chwaraeon o gwbl mewn gwirionedd.

Yr agoriad llygad mwyaf i bobl paraplegig sy’ngwneud chwaraeon yw mynd draw i StokeMandeville. Rydych chi’n meddwl eich bod chi’ngiamstar mewn cadair olwyn tan i chi weld poblsydd fwy neu lai wedi’u parlysu o’r gwddf i lawr – achael agoriad llygad o weld beth maen nhw’n gallu’igyflawni. Dwi bob amser wedi argymell unrhywberson paraplegig i fynd i Stoke Mandeville, agallwch chi gyflawni llawer o bethau trwy ymarferdigon. Ond mae’n rhaid i chi ymarfer.

Gerald Anslow, Glöwr ac Enillydd Olympaidd

AUDREY GRIFFITHSYNG NGLOFAMARKHAM PANOEDD Y SIAFFTUCHAF YN CAEL EILLENWI, RHAGFYR1985

AUDREY GRIFFITHSAT MARKHAMCOLLIERY WHENTHE UPCASTSHAFT WAS BEINGFILLED IN,DECEMBER 1985

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staff waiting to use it, we did receive our own.Each day, I arrived early to take the night shift

reports and soon knew that my decision to try andstay close to the production side had been correctsince I had a real sense of involvement. My first taskwas to speak to Mr Perrott, the Under-manager whowas underground; previously, it had always been a manwho took the reports. Now when Mr Perrottanswered the phone, he inevitably shouted, “Boys,watch your language, lady on the line!” Sometimes, henamed one of the men who were supposedly swearingin the background and it became a bit of a jokebetween us. Actually, because of the background noise,I couldn’t hear anybody but him, but he delighted inpretending otherwise and named a different culpritevery day. One sort of report, however, I always hatedtaking, and that was when there was an accidentunderground which could happen at any time.

I introduced some administrative procedures and Iremember the NUM Committee were especiallysurprised to be given typed ‘Action Notes’ followingtheir meetings with the Manager. They had to comeinto my office to get through to Mr Morris and theyoften chatted to me when waiting to go in to see him.Having come from a mining background, I enjoyedlistening to their news and views and very quicklylearned to accept the inevitable good-natured teasing.

Colliery offices were busy and sociable places andsoon I knew not just those who worked in the offices

alongside mine but also all the engineers, surveyors andmedical staff, as well as the company representativeswho called to see the Manager and usually stopped to pass the time of day. While the administration sideof filling in reports, writing letters and managing the Manager’s diary continued, there were always jokes to hear, scams to be explained, and bits of gossip to exchange and everyone was cheerful andrespectful.

At the beginning of 1984, I was in hospital for a legoperation and when at the end of March, COSAadvised their members not to cross picket lines, I wasstill on crutches but my colleagues at Markham wereout. When I finally had a medical all-clear, I supportedthem and was now on strike myself. During this time,Mr Morris transferred and a new very young manager,Mr Williams was appointed. When I met any of theengineers who as members of BACM, were stillworking, I was given the most fearful descriptions ofhim. On the first day back after the strike, he came outto greet me with the words, “I have heard a great dealabout you and I have been scared to meet you”. Well!!I soon learned that while his reputation with the menmay have been well deserved, he showed me muchkindness and we had a good working relationship. Afterthe strike the men voted for closure and, during thenext few months, the colliery and offices were wounddown. Mr Williams left the Coal Board and Mr Perrott,my teasing Under-manager, was put in charge. I have

happy memories of working with him during the lastfew months of 1985.

I decided to leave the NCB and become self-employed and applied to the Wales Tourist Board totrain as an official Tour Guide – the cause of muchinterest and many questions from all who worked atMarkham. I purchased some of the office equipment(the typewriter cost me all of £5) and, in January 1986,Markham closed down completely and my life took anentirely different turn when I passed the Tourist Boardexaminations and began travelling extensively throughWales in charge of groups from many differentcountries.

We still meet occasionally but sadly, as time passes,there are missing faces. I am privileged to have beenpart of a great industry and to have had contact withpeople who worked hard and often suffered accidentsand illness but never lost their humanity or their goodhumour. For more than twenty years, I have beenescorting visiting groups to Big Pit and I think it hasbeen possible in advance to give them a flavour of whatit has meant to be part of the mining industry; when Itake them to be kitted out, I find that the good humourstill exists. Whenever I think of my time as Manager’sclerk at Markham, it is with some nostalgia, greataffection and immense gratitude for the experience.

Audrey D. Griffiths, Manager’s Clerk

lofa a’r swyddfa fesul tipyn. Gadawodd Mr Williamsy Bwrdd Glo, a chafodd Mr Perrott, fy Is-reolwrcellweirus, ei benodi’n rheolwr. Mae gennyfatgofion hapus o gydweithio ag ef yn ystod misoeddolaf 1985.

Penderfynais adael yr NCB a mynd ar fy liwt fyhun, gan wneud cais i Fwrdd Croeso Cymru ihyfforddi fel Tywysydd swyddogol – a oedd yndestun chwilfrydedd a chwestiynau mawr gan bawba arferai weithio ym Markham. Prynais rai o’r offerswyddfa (dim ond £5 gostiodd y teipiadur!) a phangaeodd Glofa Markham yn llwyr ym mis Ionawr1986, fe newidiodd fy mywyd yn llwyr. Llwyddais ibasio arholiadau’r Bwrdd Croeso a dechreuaisdeithio o amgylch Cymru, yn gofalu am grwpiau owahanol wledydd.

Rydyn ni’n dal i gyfarfod bob hyn a hyn, ond ynanffodus, mae llai a llai ohonom wrth i’rblynyddoedd fynd yn eu blaen. Roedd hi’n fraintmawr cael bod yn rhan o ddiwydiant mor wych, achyfarfod â phobl a oedd yn gweithio’n galed ac yndioddef sawl damwain a salwch yn aml, ond byth yncolli eu dyngarwch a’u hiwmor iach. Rwyf wedi bodyn tywys grwpiau o amgylch Big Pit ers ugainmlynedd bellach, gan roi blas ar fywyd y diwydiantglo iddynt; pan fyddaf yn mynd â nhw i wisgo’r offercywir, rwy’n gweld bod yr hen hwyl a’r ffraethinebyn dal yno. Bob tro rwy’n meddwl am fy nghyfnodfel clerc y Rheolwr yng Nglofa Markham, rwy’ncofio am hynny gyda hiraeth ac anwyldeb, ac ynddiolchgar tu hwnt am y profiad.

Audrey D. Griffiths, Clerc y Rheolwr

amseru), tyweli ar gyfer y ddau doiled ac ati, ac fe’udarparwyd ar unwaith. Ni chefais gymaint o lwcpan ofynnais am beiriant llungopïo newydd, ond amychydig wythnosau, cefais gyfle i adael y swyddfa adefnyddio peiriant Glofa Oakdale. Ymhen hir ahwyr, fe gyrhaeddodd y llungopïwr, er mawrryddhad i’r holl staff a oedd yn disgwyl yn eiddgaramdano.

Bob dydd, roeddwn i’n cyrraedd yn gynnar ermwyn gwneud adroddiadau o’r shifft nos, a chyn hir,fe wyddwn ’mod i wedi gwneud y penderfyniadcywir wrth barhau i weithio gyda’r ochr gynhyrchu,gan fy mod yn teimlo’n rhan o bethau. Fy nhasggyntaf oedd siarad gyda Mr Perrott, yr Is-reolwr aoedd danddaear; cyn hynny, dyn oedd wedi bod yngyfrifol am gymryd adroddiadau. Nawr, pan roeddMr Perrott yn ateb y ffôn, roedd e bob amser yngweiddi, “Bois, peidiwch â rhegi nawr, mae ’nawraig fonheddig ar y ffôn!” Weithiau, byddai’n enwiun o’r dynion hynny a oedd yn dueddol o regi, ac feddaeth yn dipyn o destun jôc rhyngom ni. Mewngwirionedd, allen i ddim clywed neb arall ond MrPerrott oherwydd ei bod mor swnllyd yn y cefndir,ond roedd e wrth ei fodd yn esgus enwi dihiryngwahanol bob dydd. Roeddwn i’n casáu ysgrifennuun math o adroddiad yn fwy na dim, sef adroddiadar ôl damwain danddaear, a allai ddigwydd unrhywbryd.

Fe wnes i gyflwyno rhywfaint o weithdrefnaugweinyddol, ac rwy’n cofio Pwyllgor yr NUM ynsynnu cael ‘Nodiadau Gweithredu’ wedi’u teipio’ndaclus yn dilyn eu cyfarfodydd gyda’r Rheolwr.Roedden nhw’n gorfod mynd drwy fy swyddfa ermwyn gweld Mr Morris, ac yn sgwrsio gyda mi wrtharos eu tro. Gan fy mod o gefndir glofaol, roeddwn

i’n mwynhau gwrando ar eu straeon a’u sylwadaunhw, a buan y dysgais sut i dderbyn tipyn o dynnucoes anorfod ond hwyliog.

Roedd swyddfa’r lofa yn lle prysur achymdeithasol iawn, a chyn hir, roeddwn i’ngyfarwydd â’r peirianwyr, y syrfewyr a’r staffmeddygol i gyd a’r cynrychiolwyr cwmnïau a oeddyn dod i weld y Rheolwr ac yn taro draw am sgwrsi basio’r amser, yn ogystal â’m cydweithwyr yn yswyddfa. Wrth i’r gwaith gweinyddol arferol fyndrhagddo - ffeilio adroddiadau, ysgrifennu llythyrau arheoli dyddiadur y Rheolwr - roedd digonedd o jôcsi’w clywed, troeon trwstan i’w hesbonio a chlecs i’wrhannu, ac roedd pawb mewn hwyliau da ac ynparchu’i gilydd.

Ar ddechrau 1984, roeddwn yn yr ysbyty’n caelllawdriniaeth ar fy nghoes, a phan gafodd aelodauundeb COSA eu cynghori i beidio â chroesi’r llinellbiced ar ddiwedd Mawrth, roeddwn i’n dal yndefnyddio baglau tra’r oedd criw Markham i gyd arstreic. Ar ôl i mi wella’n llwyr, penderfynais eucefnogi a mynd ar streic fy hun. Yn ystod y cyfnodhwn, cafodd Mr Morris ei drosglwyddo i swyddarall, a chafodd rheolwr newydd ac ifanc iawn o’renw Mr Williams ei benodi’n ei le. Clywais bethaumawr a brawychus amdano gan beirianwyr a oeddyn dal i weithio fel aelodau o undeb BACM. Ar ôl i’rstreic ddod i ben, fe ddaeth e ataf i ar y diwrnodcyntaf yn ôl yn y gwaith gan ddweud, “Rwyf wediclywed cryn dipyn amdanoch chi, roedd gen i ofncwrdd â chi”. Wel wir! Er bod ganddo’r enw o fodyn dipyn o deyrn ymysg y dynion, roedd e’n garedigiawn i fi ac roedd gennym berthynas waith ddaiawn. Ar ôl y streic, pleidleisiodd y dynion dros gau’rpwll, a thros y misoedd nesaf, lleihaodd gwaith y

WHEN I LEFT SCHOOL AS A FIFTEEN-YEAR-old in 1954 I started work in North Rhondda Colliery.After my sixteen weeks training I worked on thescreens, which was hard, dirty work picking stones outof the coal on the conveyors and packing them behindme. At the end of the shift I had to put them all backon the conveyor to be filled in the ‘muck’ wagons.When it was time to do my underground training I wasput with Will Williams who was very strict; I had towalk behind him on the way in to work and he watchedme all the time. After training I went as a timber boysupplying wooden supports for the coal face, I some-times had to drag it up the face to where it was want-ed. The next rung on the ladder was as a collier boy,you had to work as an assistant until you were twentyone when you could work your own stent [workingplace] on the coal face.

In 1960 I decided to go as a deputy [a mine official].I didn’t really want to do it but we seemed to be hav-ing a strike every two weeks at Duffryn Rhondda forone thing or another and my savings were going fast.When I went down the dole office to ask for money

they told me that it was my responsibility to look aftermy family and would only give me milk for my youngson. So I basically went as a deputy because they didn’tgo on strike! I still wanted to be ‘one of the boys’ andmucked in helping them on the coal face, but one day Iwas talking to the safety officer and he said 'The menseem to like you' and I answered 'What’s wrong withthat?' 'Well' he said 'If they don’t hate you, you’re notdoing your job!'

I used to be very free in giving ‘early notes’ [per-mission to leave work before the end of the shift] tothe boys until one day the manager caught a pile ofmen up the pit without permission and he wasn’t veryhappy at all. Although my men all had permission I wascalled into his office with the other deputies. When Iwas going across the yard to the office all the menwere laughing and saying 'You’ll be back on the coalwith us tomorrow!' So, I changed my attitude com-pletely and I became known as ‘Bryn no notes’.

I was a shotsman for a long time and I must admitthat we tended to get a bit complacent handling explo-sives. I was on the late shift one afternoon and the men

had all gone up the pit leaving me with the ventilationofficer. We decided to fire the coal ready for the dayshift. We charged up all the holes, connected the wiresand although we knew we were the only people in thedistrict, decided to have a last check before firing.When I got to the place there was the colliery over-man sitting right on top of the explosives charges.When we pointed out what he was sitting on, he said'Oh aye', he was as casual as could be. I pointed outthat it would’ve been ‘Oh aye’ if I’d turned the key!

I was working in a private mine and had chargedthe shot holes and taken the men to a safe place andgone back to the main gate to fire the round. For somereason I had trouble firing and I had to check the wiresand try again – nothing. So I cleaned the wires andchecked again but instead of firing I walked on to checkthe shot holes. When I got to them there was one ofthe colliers playing with the charges. When I asked himwhat he thought he was doing he said 'You were sucha long time firing that I was checking the charges foryou.' We didn’t always use the proper shot firing bat-teries. If we had a couple of holes to fire we used to

use our cap lamps – we were very blasé about it!I worked in a lot of small mines. This was mainly

because the owners used to lay us off regularly so theywouldn’t have to pay redundancy money if the pit shutdown. They used to take you back on quite quickly but,by then, I had usually started in another mine. Talkabout ‘industrial gypsies’!

I spent forty-five years in the mines and wouldn’thave wanted to do anything else. I’ve been a guide inthe South Wales Miners’ Museum since 2001 and I lovetalking to the visitors although I’m not so good withthe children and tend to talk to them like I do with theadults. I don’t seem to be able to speak their language!

Bryn Jones, Shot firer

‘Bryn no notes’

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DECHREUAIS WEITHIO YNG NGLOFAGogledd Rhondda ym 1954 ar ôl gadael yr ysgol ynbymtheg oed. Ar ôl 16 wythnos o hyfforddiant,roeddwn i’n gweithio yn rhidyllfa’r lofa – hen waithcaled, brwnt, o ddidoli’r cerrig o’r glo ar ycludfeltiau, a’u pacio y tu ôl i mi. Ar ddiwedd yshifft, roedd rhaid i mi roi’r cyfan yn ôl ar ycludfeltiau er mwyn llenwi’r wagenni ‘baw’.

Pan ddaeth hi’n amser i hyfforddi danddaear, fymhartner oedd Will Williams, a oedd yn ddyn llymiawn. Roeddwn i’n gorfod cerdded y tu ôl iddo i’rgwaith, ac roedd e’n cadw llygad barcud arna idrwy’r adeg. Ar ôl gorffen fy hyfforddiant,dechreuais weithio fel gwas coed yn cyflenwicynhalbyst pren i’r ffas lo. Weithiau, roeddwn i’ngorfod llusgo’r coed i’r llefydd angenrheidiol. Y camnesaf oedd bod yn gynorthwyydd neu’n was coliertan roeddwn i’n 21 oed, pan fyddech chi’n caelgweithio yn eich talcen (man gweithio) eich hun yny ffas lo.

Ym 1960, penderfynais roi cynnig ar fod ynddirprwy (swyddog y lofa). Doeddwn i ddim eisiaugwneud hynny mewn gwirionedd, ond roedd arianyn brin wrth inni fynd ar streic bob pythefnos bronyng Nglofa Duffryn Rhondda am rywbeth neu’igilydd. Pan es i swyddfa’r dôl i ofyn am arian, feddywedon nhw mai fy nghyfrifoldeb i oedd gofaluam fy nheulu, ac y bydden nhw ond yn rhoi llaeth argyfer fy mab bach. Felly, penderfynais fynd ynddirprwy am nad oeddynt yn mynd ar streic! Ganfy mod i eisiau bod yn ‘un o’r bois’ o hyd, roeddwni’n torchi llewys a’u helpu ar y ffas lo, ond un

diwrnod roeddwn i’n siarad gyda’r swyddogdiogelwch ac meddai, ‘Mae’r dynion fel pe baennhw’n dy lico di’, ac atebais i ‘Beth sy’n bod arhynny?’. ‘Wel’ meddai, ‘Os nad y’n nhw’n dy gasáudi, dwyt ti ddim yn gneud dy waith yn iawn’.

Roeddwn i’n arfer rhoi ‘nodyn cynnar’ (caniatâdi adael yn gynnar cyn diwedd y shifft) i’r bechgyn cyni’r rheolwr ddal criw o ddynion ar ben y pwll hebganiatâd. Doedd e ddim yn hapus a dweud y lleiaf.Er bod fy nynion i wedi cael caniatâd, cefais fyngalw i’r swyddfa gyda’r dirprwyon eraill. Wrth i migerdded ar draws yr iard, roedd y dynion ynchwerthin ac yn gweiddi ‘Byddi di’n ôl ar y ffas ’dani fory!’. Felly, fe newidiais fy agwedd yn llwyr, acroedd pawb yn fy ngalw i’n ‘Bryn dim nodyn’wedyn.

Bues i’n daniwr am amser hir, a rhaid cyfaddefein bod ni’n dueddol o fod braidd yn ddi-hid wrthdrin ffrwydron. Roeddwn i’n gweithio shifft hwyr unprynhawn, ac roedd y dynion eraill i gyd wedidychwelyd i ben y pwll, a’m gadael i gyda’r swyddogawyru. Fe benderfynon ni danio’n barod ar gyfer yshifft dydd. Aethom ati i roi’r ffrwydron yn y tyllaua chysylltu’r gwifrau, ac er ein bod yn gwybod maini oedd yr unig rai ar ôl yn yr ardal, fe wnaethon nibenderfynu cael un sbec arall cyn tanio. Pangyrhaeddais i, roedd oferman neu arolygydd y lofayn eistedd reit uwchben y man lle’r oedden ni wedigosod y ffrwydron. Ar ôl i ni ddweud wrtho bethoedd dan ei ben ôl, atebodd ‘O, reit’ yn ddigondidaro! Dywedais i y byddai’n fwy na ‘o reit!’ petawni wedi troi’r switsh!

Ar un adeg, roeddwn i’n gweithio mewn glofabreifat, ac wedi llenwi’r tyllau ffrwydro, symud ydynion i le diogel, a dychwelyd i’r prif borth i danio’rffrwydron. Am ryw reswm, roeddwn i’n caeltrafferth tanio, ac roedd rhaid i mi wirio’r gwifrau athrio eto - ond dim lwc. Felly, fe wnes i lanhau’rgwifrau a gwirio eto, ond yn lle tanio, fe es i ymlaeni weld y tyllau ffrwydro. Pan gyrhaeddais yno, roeddun o’r glowyr yn ymyrryd â’r ffrwydron, a gofynnaisiddo beth oedd yn ei wneud. ‘Roeddet ti mor hir yntanio, felly benderfynais i wirio’r rhain i ti’ atebodd.Doedden ni ddim yn defnyddio’r batris iawn idanio’r ffrwydron bob amser. Os mai dim ondychydig o dyllau oedd angen eu ffrwydro, byddenni’n defnyddio ein lampau – roedden ni’n ddidaroiawn yngl¥n â’r holl beth.

Fe weithiais i mewn llawer o lofeydd bach.Roedd hyn oherwydd fod y perchnogion yn dueddolo’n diswyddo yn rheolaidd er mwyn osgoi talu ariandiswyddo pe bai’r pwll yn cau. Roedden nhw’n eichderbyn yn ôl yn fuan iawn wedyn, ond erbyn hynny,roeddwn i wedi cychwyn gweithio mewn glofa arall.Sôn am ‘deithwyr diwydiannol’!

Fe dreuliais i 45 mlynedd yn y pyllau glo, afyddwn i ddim wedi dymuno gwneud dim arall. Dwiwedi gweithio fel tywysydd yn Amgueddfa GlowyrDe Cymru ers 2001, ac rwyf wrth fy modd ynsgwrsio â’r ymwelwyr – er nad ydw i cystal gyda’rplant, ac yn dueddol o siarad gyda nhw fel oedolion.Alla i ddim siarad eu hiaith nhw!

Bryn Jones, Taniwr

‘Bryn dim nodyn’

BRYN JONES (AR Y DDE)BRYN JONES (ON RIGHT)

Bored!

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GADEWAIS YSGOL RAMADEG TRECELYNpan oeddwn i’n 14 oed, a dydd Llun 8 Ionawr 1945,fe wisgais fy siwt ysgol a cherdded o dan DraphontCrymlyn i swyddfeydd Glofa Aber-big lle’r oeddwnam ddechrau gweithio fel clerc swyddfa (‘gwasswyddfa’).

Ar ôl cyrraedd y swyddfa, roeddwn i’n teimlo felpe bawn i newydd gamu i olygfa o nofel Dickens.Roedd angen stolion uchel i weithio wrth y ddesg odan y ffenestr fawr, a oedd yn wynebu t¥’r rheolwrar y bryn. Ac ar fwrdd mawr ym mhen arall yrystafell, gyferbyn â’r ffenestr, roedd y dechnolegddiweddaraf – hen deipiadur Remington! Hefyd,roedd yna rholiwr gwlyb i’m helpu i ludo’rstampiau yswiriant a chyflogaeth ar y cardiaupriodol, ac i wlychu fy mysedd wrth gyfri’r arianpapur.

Roedd tân glo ar ganol y wal allanol yn ddigon igynhesu’r ystafell: dim ond swyddfa fach oedd hi,heb fawr o le i bedwar oedolyn a mi. Roeddem yncael amser paned yn y bore, ond roedd ciwbiauOxo yn fwy poblogaidd na the. Ar ben y desgiauuchel ac amlwg, lle gwnaed y rhan fwyaf o’r gwaithmwyaf difrifol, roedd y cyfriflyfrau talu mawr lle’roeddem yn ysgrifennu cofnod pob gweithiwr bobwythnos gydag inc. Amser paned ar y bore cyntafhwnnw, perswadiodd y Prif Glerc fi i ymuno agUndeb y Gweithwyr Gweinyddol a Chlercol, adangosais fy ngherdyn undeb gyda balchder i ’nhadwedyn.

Cefais fy nghyflogi i wneud y tasgau mwyafgwasaidd, fel gludo’r stampiau diweithdra acyswiriant ar ‘gardiau’r’ gweithwyr, helpu’r prif glercgyda’r cardiau mynegai ‘talu wrth ennill’, a’rcofnodion Treth Incwm. Ar y llaw arall, roedd dydd

Gwener yn ddiwrnod talu, a’r swyddfa’n llawnbwrlwm. Toc wedi 9 y bore, roedd cwnstabl oSwyddfa Heddlu Crymlyn a gof y lofa yn hebrwng yprif glerc ar hyd y llwybr bychan o’r swyddfa i OrsafDrenau Lefel Isel Crymlyn. Yna, roeddynt yn cwrddâ’r trên o Gasnewydd er mwyn casglu bag lledrmawr a oedd yn cynnwys yr arian i dalu’r hollweithlu o ryw 200 o fechgyn a dynion. Ar ôl i’r PrifGlerc lofnodi derbynneb y banc o Gaerdydd,byddai’r gof yn cludo’r bag trwm ar ei ysgwydd. Yna,roedd y Prif Glerc syber yn arwain y ffordd yn ôl –gyda’r gof yn cario’r bag, a’r heddwas yn ei ganlyn.

Roedd gan yr Ariannwr allwedd arbennig i agory bag yn y swyddfa. Ar ôl tynnu’r arian papur a swpmawr o arian mân allan o’r bag, byddai pawb yndechrau cyfri (gan gynnwys Bill, un o Fois Bevin, aoedd yn gweithio gyda ni yn y swyddfa). Ar ôlgorffen cyfri, roedden ni’n rhoi’r swm cywir o arianym mhob pecyn cyflog. Er nad oeddwn i’n caelgwneud hyn, byddwn i’n rhannu’r dasg o ysgrifennuenwau’r dynion ar flaen y pacedi, a rhoi’r docedi imewn. Roeddwn i hefyd yn mwynhau eistedd wrthy ffenestr fach, yn dosbarthu’r pecynnau cyflog i’rglowyr – ac yn adnabod llawer ohonyn nhw.

Roedd yn waith diflas ar y naw, felly roeddwn i’ntreulio llawer gormod o amser yn yr atig ynchwilota drwy hen gyfriflyfrau Glofa Gogledd Aber-big gan obeithio dod o hyd i gyfeiriad at fynheulu, ond yn ofer. Roedd y swydd yn fy atgoffa i oRobert Frost a ddywedodd ‘The brain is a wonderfulorgan. It starts working the moment you get up in themorning, and does not stop until you get into theoffice.’ Roedd fy rheolwr wedi penderfynu bodhynny’n wir yn fy achos i, ond fe roddodd y cyfle imi barhau ‘gyda ni’ er iddo godi’i lais rhywfaint pan

ddywedodd “O gofio’r adeg pan wnesti ludo’r stampiau yswiriant ar ycardiau anghywir, machgen i!”

Felly, roedd gen i ddewis – aros neuadael. Cefais gynnig swydd debyg iawnfel gwas swyddfa yn swyddfa bersonélLucas & Co yng Nghwmbrân, fellypenderfynais adael swyddfa’r pwllgyda rhywfaint o edifeirwch. Yn ydiwedd, gwrthodais y swydd honno aphenderfynu mynd i hyfforddi ar lawry ffatri, a dysgu sut i gynhyrchu tyredigynnau awyrennau ar raddfa fawr.

Walter Harris, Gwas Swyddfa

Am swydd ddiflas!

SLIP CYFLOG WALTER

WALTER’S PAYSLIP

WALTER MEWNPRIODAS DEULUOLYNG NGHWMBRÂN,1947

WALTER AT AFAMILY WEDDING IN CWMBRAN, 1947

I LEFT NEWBRIDGE GRAMMAR SCHOOL WHENI was fourteen and on Monday 8th January 1945, I puton my school suit and passing under the CrumlinViaduct walked to the offices of Aberbeeg SouthColliery where I was starting work as junior clerk[‘office boy’].

As I walked into the office, I felt as if I was enteringa scene from a Dickens novel. High stools were nec-essary to work at the desk under the large window,which faced the manager’s house on the hill. On top ofthe large table across the room opposite the window,was some of the latest technology – the old Remingtontypewriter! Also available was a wet roller to help mestick the insurance and employment stamps on theappropriate cards, and to wet the fingers when count-ing bank notes.

A coal fire in the middle of the outside wall was theonly heating that was needed; the office wasn’t very bigand a bit cramped for the four adults and me. We hada tea break in the morning, but Oxo cubes were morepopular than tea. The prominent high desk, where mostof the serious work was done, supported the huge payledgers where each employee’s record for each weekwas entered in ink. At break-time that first morning,the Head Clerk persuaded me to join the Clerical andAdministrative Workers Union and I was very proudwhen I later showed my union card to my father.

I was employed to do the only most menial tasks,such as sticking the unemployment and insurancestamps in the employees ‘cards’, assisting the head clerkwith ‘Pay-as-you-earn’ index cards, and the Income Taxrecords. Friday was pay day and, unlike other days, theoffice became a hive of activity. Soon after we startedat 9am, the Chief Clerk with a Police Constable fromCrumlin Police Station as an escort and the collieryblacksmith to carry the money back formed a smallprocession that wound its way along the narrow pathfrom the office building to Crumlin Low Level RailwayStation. They then met the ‘up train’ from Newport

and collected a large leather bag which contained themoney to pay the whole workforce of about 200 menand boys. The Head Clerk signed a receipt from thebank in Cardiff, which prompted the blacksmith to liftthe heavy bag onto his shoulder. The Chief Clerksolemnly led the way back – followed by the blacksmithcarrying the pay, and the policeman.

The Cashier had a special key to open the bag inthe office. When the banknotes, with a large amount ofcoins, were taken out of the bag, we all started count-ing (including Bill the Bevin Boy who worked in theoffice with us). After checking the cash, the correctamount of money was put into each pay packet. I was-n’t allowed to do this, but I shared in the work of writ-ing the men’s name on the front of the packet, and put-ting in the dockets. I also enjoyed sitting at the littlewindow to hand out the pay packets to the minersmany of whom I knew.

I found the work very boring, so I spent too muchtime in the attic browsing through the old ledgers fromAberbeeg North Colliery looking for some referenceto my family, but I was disappointed not to find a word.The job reminds me of Robert Frost who said: “Thebrain is a wonderful organ. It starts working themoment you get up in the morning, and does not stopuntil you get into the office.” The manager decidedthat in my case it was very true, however he gave methe chance to stay employed ‘with us’ although heraised his voice a bit when he said: “Particularly whenyou had stuck the insurance stamps on the wrongcards my boy!”

So I had a choice – to leave or not to leave. I wasoffered a similar job as office boy in the personnel officeof Lucas & Co. in Cwmbran, so I left the pit office withsome regret. I decided later to decline the personneljob and decided to train on the shop floor and learnabout mass production of aircraft gun turrets instead!

Walter Harris, Office Boy

I WAS ON THE TRANSFER POINT UNDER-ground, where the conveyors intersect, collecting thetime books when the phone went. It was very unusualfor the phone to go and people often didn’t usuallyanswer it anyway because it was ‘modern technology’.But I answered the phone and it was Tommy Wyn, theMerthyr Vale colliery manager who told me that he hadan urgent message. He told me that the tip had slid andthe slurry was heading towards the shafts and we hadto evacuate the pit. We had to leave just enough mento make the coal face safe and then, once they did that,to come out the pit as well.

So I scrambled up to the V20 coal face, which wasabout 500-600 metres away, got to the face and gothold of Don Morgan, the overman, but when I reachedhim I couldn’t really relay the message because I wasstammering with excitement or whatever, nerves, Icouldn’t tell him the message. But then Don sat medown and said, ‘Look Phil take deep breaths now, andthen give me the information.’ So I told him themessage, he didn’t believe me at first, he said, ‘That can’tbe.’ I answered ‘It is Don, I’m not making this up andthat’s why your belt is on stop’ – because he was quiteannoyed that the belt was on stop and he couldn’tproduce coal.

So he carried out his instructions and he sent meover to see Viv Morgan, the overman on V21 coal face

to relay the message to him. Once I’d done that, we allwent to pit bottom and I was told to stay there withmy fellow measuring clerk and check that all the menwere out the pit. Only the safety men were now leftunderground, just a couple of pumps men and a coupleof men working on the faces putting the props up andsecuring the face. I remained at pit bottom waiting forthem to come out

It was about an hour and half afterwards that we allgot up the pit. We reported to the time keepers andthe lamproom so they knew exactly where everybodywas. We were then told to go up to the Aberfan tiparea. I just followed my colleague as he knew the areaand we walked up to Moy Road. There was franticactivity, obviously the school had collapsed on the oneside and the slurry was still crossing the road. We weretold to make our way to this one big heap of slurry andgiven a shovel. So I was leaning on the shovel (typicalyoungster still not realising exactly what was going on)and I said to this guy who was digging away to the sideof me, ‘Where’s the rest of the school then, what arewe doing by here?’ He said ‘You’re standing on it;you’re standing on classrooms.’ It soon occurred tome how useless what I was doing was. We were digging holes into the slurry and it was immediatelyfilling back up as more slurry flowed down. It was digit, chuck it and then the hole would fill back up again.

Watching the pins

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ROEDDWN I WRTH YMYL Y PWYNT TROS-glwyddo danddaear, lle’r oedd y cludfeltiau’ncroesi’i gilydd, pan ganodd y ffôn. Roedd hyn ynbeth anghyffredin iawn, ac yn aml, nid oedd pobl ynei ateb beth bynnag oherwydd taw ‘technolegfodern’ oedd e. Ond fe atebais i’r ffôn. Tommy Wyn,rheolwr glofa Ynysowen oedd yno, gyda neges oargyfwng. Dywedodd fod y tip wedi llithro a bodllaid yn llifo i lawr tua’r siafftiau, a bod rhaid inniadael y pwll. Roedd rhaid inni adael digon oddynion ar ôl i ddiogelu’r ffas lo, cyn dychwelydwedyn i ben y pwll.

Felly, fe wnes i sgrialu i fyny’r ffas lo V 20, a oeddtua 500 i 600 metr i ffwrdd, cyrraedd y ffas, a chaelgafael ar Don Morgan, yr oferman – ond ar ôlcyrraedd yno, roeddwn i wedi cyffroi gymaint, neumor nerfus, fel na allen i drosglwyddo’r neges.Dywedodd Don wrthyf am eistedd i lawr, ‘’ShgwlPhil, cym’ anadl ddofn, a dweud beth sydd ar dyfeddwl di.’ Ar ôl i mi ddweud y neges, doedd e ddimyn fy nghredu i. ‘Gad dy gelwydd!’. Atebais, ‘Wyddim yn dweud celwydd, Don, dyna pam fod y beltwedi stopio’ achos roedd e’n flin nad oedd ycludfelt yn symud, ac na allai gynhyrchu glo.

Felly, fe ddilynodd y cyfarwyddiadau a’m hanfoni weld Viv Morgan, yr oferman ar ffas lo V21, ermwyn pasio’r neges ymlaen. Unwaith y gwnes ihynny, aeth pawb i waelod y pwll, a chefais

orchymyn i aros yno gyda fy nghyd-glerc mesur agofalu bod y dynion i gyd wedi gadael y pwll. Erbynhyn, dim ond ychydig o ddynion diogelwch oedddanddaear, yn ogystal â rhywfaint o fois y pympiauac un neu ddau a oedd yn gosod y props a diogelu’rffas lo. Fe arhosais i ar waelod y pwll, yn disgwyliddyn nhw ddod allan.

Tua awr a hanner yn ddiweddarach, roedd pawbar ben y pwll. Aethom i weld y cofnodwyr amser astaff y lamprwm fel bod pawb yn gwybod yn unionble’r oedd pawb arall. Yna, fe’n hanfonwyd draw i’rtip glo yn Aber-fan. Dilynais fy nghydweithiwr, aoedd yn adnabod yr ardal, a cherdded i fyny MoyRoad. Roedd y lle’n ferw gwyllt, ac roedd hi’namlwg bod un rhan o’r ysgol wedi dymchwel a’rllaid yn dal i lifo dros y ffordd. Cawsom raw bob un,a’n hanfon i gyfeiriad y domen anferthol o’nblaenau. Dyna lle’r oeddwn i, yn pwyso ar y rhaw(yn llanc ifanc heb lawn sylweddoli beth oedd ynbod), a gofynnais i’r dyn a oedd yn palu wrth fy ymyli, ‘Ble mae gweddill yr ysgol ’te, beth ry’n ni’n ’neudyma?’. Atebodd ‘Ti’n sefyll arni; ti’n sefyll ar yrystafelloedd dosbarth.’ Sylweddolais yn fuan pamor ddiwerth oedd fy ymdrechion i. Roedden ni’ngwneud tyllau yn y llaid er mwyn i ragor o laidgwlyb eu llenwi. Palu, taflu i’r ochr, a gweld bod ytwll wedi llenwi eto. Ond dal ati wnaethon ni, erbod y rhan fwyaf o’r gwaith wedi’i ganoli ar yr

Gwylio’r ‘pinnau’

But we all kept digging, although the main activity wasconcentrated in the classrooms of the part of theschool that was still standing. People were tunnellingthrough tons of muck to get into the classrooms.

On that first day I remember stopping digging towatch the first machine being brought in to clear therubble. All of a sudden we could hear a noise abouttwelve feet away from us and one of my colleagueswho lived in the area (he lost a child and his house had been destroyed in the slide) went over andcleared some of the rubble and there was a doorunder it. He lifted the door and there was a blokeunder it, he was uninjured but, with the weight of therubble on the door, he couldn’t push it off himself andhad been banging on the door for ages. That was oneof the brighter moments of that day but it wasn’t a verynice time and it’s only now that I can revisit it in mymind.

After the first day the manager sent me back toMoy Road to observe what was going into the lorries.By now there were machines cleaning out theclassrooms rather than men doing it with shovels. Themachines filled the slurry and debris into waiting

lorries and you had to watch that no body parts weremixed with the muck. There was a policeman with meand I was just taking notes for the colliery manager. Ididn’t like that task at all, although I didn’t see anythinggruesome.

Later on I was sent up the mountain side where‘pins’ (which were short wooden surveying posts)were placed in a line right along the tip. If any of thepins went out of line it might mean that the tip was onthe move again and we would have to sound a klaxonto warn the men working below us. We were providedwith a dug out (just like a First World War one, linedwith sandbags) to provide some shelter for us. We didthat right up until they secured the whole area. So wewere up there through the cold winter, just observingthese pins.

It was a very tragic time, I often listen to peoplesaying that this was done, that was done and they didthis and they did that but a lot of it is made up – a hellof a lot of it.

Phil Budding, Colliery Official

50

ystafelloedd dosbarth yn y rhan o’r adeilad a oeddyn dal i sefyll. Roedd pobl yn palu trwy dunelli ofudreddi er mwyn cyrraedd yr ystafelloedd dosbarth.

Ar y diwrnod cyntaf hwnnw, rwy’n cofio stopiopalu er mwyn gweld y peiriant cyntaf yn cyrraedd iglirio’r rwbel. Yn sydyn, dyma ni’n clywed s!n rhywddeuddeg troedfedd i ffwrdd, a dyma gydweithiwr imi a oedd yn byw yn yr ardal (a gollodd ei blentyna’i gartref yn y drychineb) yn mynd draw i gliriorhywfaint o’r rwbel, a chanfod drws oddi tano.Cododd y drws, a gweld bod dyn yn gorwedd yno,yn gwbl ddianaf. Roedd e wedi bod yn curo’r drwsers amser, ac yn methu’n glir â’i wthio oddi arnooherwydd pwysau’r holl rwbel. Dyna un ouchafbwyntiau prin y dydd. Roedd e’n amserofnadwy, a dim ond nawr rwy’n gallu dechraumeddwl amdano.

Ar ôl y diwrnod cyntaf, anfonodd y rheolwr fi iMoy Road i orchuwylio’r hyn a oedd yn cael eilwytho i mewn i’r lorïau. Erbyn hyn, roeddpeiriannau wedi cymryd lle’r dynion â rhawiau ermwyn clirio’r ystafelloedd dosbarth. Roedd ypeiriannau’r llwytho’r llaid a’r rwbel i’r lorïau, ac

roedd rhaid gwneud yn si!r nad oedd darnau ogyrff yng nghanol y llaca. Roedd heddwas gyda mi,ac roeddwn i’n ysgrifennu nodiadau ar gyferrheolwr y lofa. Doeddwn i ddim yn hoffi’r gwaithhwnnw o gwbl, er na welais i unrhyw beth erchyll.

Yn ddiweddarach, cefais fy anfon i fyny’rmynydd, lle’r oedd ‘pinnau’ (sef pyst pren tirfesurbach) wedi’u gosod mewn llinell syth ar hyd y tip.Pe bai unrhyw un o’r pinnau hyn yn symud o’rllinell, gallai olygu bod y tip yn symud eto, abyddai’n rhaid inni seinio’r larwm i rybuddio’rdynion a oedd yn gweithio oddi tanom. Paratowydtwll ymochel ar ein cyfer (fel adeg y Rhyfel Mawr,gyda llwyth o fagiau tywod) er mwyn rhoi rhywfainto loches i ni. Dyma oedd ein gwaith tra bu’r ardalgyfan yn cael ei ddiogelu. Roedden ni yno drwy’rgaeaf oer, yn gwylio’r pyst ar y domen.

Roedd yn gyfnod trist a thrasig dros ben. Ynaml, byddaf yn clywed pobl yn dweud eu bod nhwwedi gwneud hyn, llall ac arall, ond celwydd golauyw llawer ohono – llawer iawn hefyd.

Phil Budding, Swyddog y Lofa

51

CHWITH:AMBIWLANSYSA LORÏAUWRTH YSGOLPANTGLAS; DE:GLOWYR YNCLODDIODRWY’RBUDREDDI YNABER-FAN

LEFT:AMBULANCESAND LORRIESOUTSIDEPANTGLASSCHOOL;RIGHT: MINERSDIGGING INSLURRY ATABERFAN

I STARTED WORK AT PENALLTA COLLIERY INJune 1933 at the age of fourteen. The pit was workingthree days a week at this time and my wages were 2s5d a day. My brother Eric had got work for me withthe fella working in the next stall to him – a man calledHopkin Farr.

The week before I started I had to go over to thepit to meet Hopkin and the fireman and the overmanof the district. Basically as long as you were fit theywere willing to take you on. I had to go to thetimekeepers and sign on, giving details of my parents,where I lived, my doctor, and the hospital that I cameunder. Then I had to go down to the lamp room andthey gave me a lamp check. If you lost your lamp checkit’d cost you, they’d charge you half a crown – a day’swages! The lamp room then noted down the district Iwas working in and Hopkin had to sign that he wouldbe responsible for me.

We were usually over the pit by 6am. On the dayshift, the first ‘bond’, or cage, was at 6am. The collieryhooter used to blow at 6am and at 6.15am and againat 6.25am. If you hadn’t got your lamp by 6.25am youwould have to go home. And you wouldn’t get paid.

Penallta’s hooter was called the ‘old cow’ because itsounded just like one! When we got into the cage usboys were put into the centre with the men standingon either side of us. When you went down in the cageit would take your breath away. When you reached pitbottom most of the night shift were there waiting togo up. They never wasted any time winding as they hadonly half an hour to get all the men down.

The man you were working with had an electriclamp, but all the boys had oil lamps. So there was aflame lamp in each stall. All the men were capable oftelling how much gas there was by using the oil lamp.You had to take care of your lamp as that was yourlifeline.

You weren’t allowed to walk the main roadwaywhere the haulage ropes were working and where thecoal was taken out. If you got caught on the mains youhad the sack. So you had to go down through the airdoors into the return. You were walking then with thewarm air that had ventilated all the districts comingtowards you before it went up the No 2 Pit. So you’dwalk along the return airway until you come to yourdistrict. Horses used to fetch the trams of coal out of

the district to the double partings where there wereempty trams one side and full trams on the other.That’s where the haulage started. From there the ropehaulage took them back to the pit bottom.

The individual stalls were each about six feet wideand were driven off tunnels that were called headings.The seam of coal itself was made up of what we calleda bottom coal, which was the bigger coal and a topcoal, which was the smaller coal. Hopkin had a bigmandrel for the bottom coal. It gave him moreleverage. There were slips in the bottom coal. Heknew where these slips were and he could get hismandrel in there to ease it out. Sometimes you had tobreak this bottom coal in order to lift it on to the tramit was so big. And then for the top coal he had asmaller pick.

Then you had to shovel it all in the dram but onlywhen there was nobody about as you weren’tsupposed to use a shovel! The Powell DuffrynCompany insisted that you fill the tram with a curlingbox to ensure that there was no stone in it – stonethat had come off the ‘rippings’ [the rock above thecoal seam]. When the overmen and firemen were

about the word would pass up the face so you had touse the curling box [a large metal scoop with handles].You had to scrape it in with your hands, lift the curlingbox and put it in the dram. When they had gone wewould use the shovel again! But Hopkin was a cleancollier. He would always clear the rippings away intothe gob before he started pulling down the coal so thatthere was no stone about.

The drams had to be bedded, and then raced-up toabout two-foot above the rim. You put the small coalinside; you had to keep the big lumps for the top. ThePowell Duffryn only paid the colliers for lump coal. Therest would go to the washery and then be sold after all.I didn’t know these things at the time. As you got olderthe colliers would tell you these things. We’d fill five orsix trams of coal a shift, each holding a little more thana ton.

Sometimes they’d fetch you a load of stone to putinto the gob. The man you were working for would getpaid sixpence for unloading one of those. Sometimesit was the only way you’d get an empty dram to fill.Sometimes you had to unload three or four of thesetrams a day. This stone came from the headings on the

Hard days

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DECHREUAIS WEITHIO YNG NGLOFAPenallta ym mis Mehefin 1933, yn 14 oed. Roedd ypwll ar waith 3 diwrnod yr wythnos ar y pryd, acroeddwn i’n ennill 2 swllt 5 ceiniog y dydd. Fymrawd, Eric, gafodd waith i mi gyda bachan a oeddyn gweithio yn y talcen nesaf ato – g!r o’r enwHopkin Farr.

Wythnos cyn i mi gychwyn gweithio, roeddrhaid i mi fynd i’r pwll i gwrdd â Hopkin a ffeiarmanac oferman yr ardal. Os oeddech chi’n ddigon iacha heini, roedden nhw’n fodlon eich derbyn chi i bobpwrpas. Roedd rhaid i mi fynd at y cofnodwyramser, cofrestru, a rhoi manylion fy rhieni, fynghartref, fy meddyg, a’r ysbyty. Wedyn, roeddwni’n gorfod mynd ’lawr i’r lamprwm i gael tocynlamp i mi. Pe baech chi’n colli’r tocyn lamp, gallaigostio’n ddrud i chi – roedden nhw’n codi hannercoron – cyflog diwrnod cyfan! Yna, dywedodd staff ylamprwm ym mha ardal o’r pwll yr oeddwn i’ngweithio ynddi, cyn i Hopkin lofnodi y byddai’ngyfrifol amdanaf.

Roedden ni ar ben y pwll erbyn 6 y bore felarfer. Ar shifft ddydd, roedd y ‘bond’ neu’r gaetsgyntaf yn gadael am 6. Roedd corn y lofa’n arfercanu am 6 o’r gloch, 6.15 ac eto am 6.25. Os nadoeddech chi wedi cael eich lamp erbyn 6.25 o’rgloch y bore, byddai’n rhaid i chi fynd adref. Achaech chi mo’ch talu. Roedden ni’n galw cornPenallta yn ‘hen fuwch’ gan ei bod yn swnio felbuwch! Yn y gaets wedyn, roedd y bechgyn ifanc ynsefyll yn y canol a’r dynion o boptu. Roedd y daith igrombil y pwll yn mynd â’ch anadl oddi wrthych. Ar

ôl cyrraedd y gwaelod, roedd y rhan fwyaf oweithwyr y shifft nos yn disgwyl am gael dychwelydi ben y pwll. Ni wastraffwyd unrhyw amser ynweindio, gan mai dim ond hanner awr oeddganddyn nhw i gludo’r holl ddynion i waelod y pwll.

Roedd gan eich cydweithiwr lamp drydan, ondlamp olew oedd gan y bechgyn. Felly, roedd ynalamp fflam ym mhob talcen. Roedd pob dyn yngallu defnyddio’r lamp olew i weld faint o nwy oeddyno. Roedd rhaid i chi gymryd gofal o’ch lamp, ganfod eich bywyd yn dibynnu arni.

Doeddech chi ddim yn cael cerdded ar hyd yprif lwybr lle’r oedd y rhaffau halio ar waith, a ble’roedd y glo’n cael ei gludo allan. Fe allech chi golli’chswydd pe bai rhywun yn eich gweld yno. Felly,roeddech chi’n gorfod mynd i lawr trwy’r drws aer.Byddech chi’n cerdded yng nghanol yr aer cynnes aoedd yn awyru’r holl ardaloedd cyn iddo fynd i fynyPwll Rhif 2. Felly, byddech chi’n cerdded ar hyd ysianel ddychwelyd nes cyrraedd eich ardal chi.Roedd y ceffylau’n arfer â dod i nôl y dramiau gloo’r ardal i’r partins dwbl, gyda’r dramiau gwag ar unochr a’r dramiau llawn yr ochr arall. Dyna prydroedd y gwaith halio’n dechrau. Yna, byddai’r rhaffhalio yn eu dychwelyd i waelod y pwll.

Roedd y talcenni unigol tua chwe throedfedd oled, ac yn arwain o dwneli o’r enw ‘hedins’. Roedd ywythïen lo yn cynnwys y glo isaf, sef y darn mwyaf,a’r glo uchaf, sef y darnau llai. Roedd gan Hopkinfandrel fawr a oedd yn gryfach ar gyfer y glo isaf, acroedd ychydig o glai gwlyb yno. Gallai roi’r fandrel imewn i’r clai gwlyb er mwyn cael gafael ar y talpiau

Dyddiau caled

GLOFA PENALLTA

PENALLTA COLLIERY

5554

glo mawr. Weithiau, roeddech chi’n gorfod torri’rglo isaf er mwyn ei godi i’r dram, gan ei fod morfawr. Yna, byddai’n defnyddio caib llai o faint argyfer y glo uchaf.

Wedyn, roeddech chi’n gorfod rhofio’r glo i’rdram, cyn belled nad oedd neb o gwmpas,oherwydd doeddech chi ddim i fod i ddefnyddiorhaw! Roedd Cwmni Powell Duffryn yn mynnu eichbod yn llenwi’r dram gyda bocs cwrlo i sicrhau nadoedd unrhyw garreg yno – carreg a oedd wedirhwygo o’r ‘ripin’ (y graig uwchben y wythïen lo).Pan oedd yr oferman a’r ffeiarman o gwmpas,roedd rhaid i chi ddefnyddio’r bocs cwrlo (sg!pmetel mawr gyda handlen) rhag ofn y byddent ynclywed am y rhaw!

Roedd rhaid i chi grafu’r glo gyda’ch dwylo, codi’rbocs cwrlo, a’i roi yn y dram. Ar ôl iddynt adael,roedden ni’n defnyddio’r rhaw unwaith eto! Ondroedd Hopkin yn golier glân. Roedd e bob amser ynclirio’r ripins cyn dechrau rhyddhau’r glo, fel nadoedd unrhyw gerrig o gwmpas.

Roedden ni’n gorfod llenwi’r dramiau a’u sodroac ychwanegu pentwr hyd at ddwy droedfedduwchben yr ymylon. Roeddech chi’n rhoi’r glo lleiaf

y tu mewn; ac yn gadael y darnau mwyaf ar gyfer yrhan uchaf. Roedd cwmni Powell Duffryn ond yneich talu am gnapiau glo. Byddai’r gweddill yn myndi’r olchfa, cyn cael eu gwerthu maes o law wedi’rcwbl. Doeddwn i ddim yn gwybod hyn ar y pryd.Byddai’r glowyr yn dweud pethau fel hyn wrthychwrth i chi fynd yn h¥n. Roedden ni’n llenwi pumpneu chwech dram o lo bob shifft, gyda phob dramyn dal ychydig dros dunnell.

Weithiau, roedden nhw’n nôl llwyth o gerrig ichi i’w rhoi yn y gob. Roedd y dyn yr oeddech chi’ngweithio iddo yn cael chwe cheiniog amddadlwytho un o’r rhain. Dyma’r unig ffordd ygallech chi gael dram gwag i’w llenwi, weithiau. Arbrydiau, roedd rhaid dadlwytho tair neu bedairdram o gerrig bob dydd. Cafwyd y cerrig hyn ohedins y brif lefel, lle’r oedden nhw’n gorfod crafucymaint o’r to dros y wythïen lo er mwyn caeldigon o uchder ar gyfer y ceffylau. Roedden ni’narfer creu tyllau tanio gyda dril llaw ‘glöyn byw’.Byddai Hopkin yn gwneud hyn yn ei amser sbârwrth ddisgwyl i’r dramiau gyrraedd. Yna, byddai’rffeiarman yn gofyn a oedd y tyllau’n barod, cyngwthio’i ffon i mewn iddynt i sicrhau eu bod ynddigon dwfn. Yna, adeg shifft y prynhawn, byddai’rtaniwr yn dod i danio a chwythu’r to i lawr gydaffrwydron.

Y diwrnod canlynol, byddai’n rhaid clirio’r hollfaw hyn i’r gob cyn dechrau gyda’r glo! Roedd ycerrig mawr yn cael eu gadael ar gyfer y waliau oboptu’r llwybr – neu’r ‘pac’ fel y’u gelwid. Roeddangen waliau da a chadarn i gynnal y to. Ac wrth ichi weithio mwy a mwy, roedd angen ymestyncledrau’r dramiau i mewn i’r talcen. Y colier a’igynorthwyydd oedd yn gorfod gwneud y gwaithhwn i gyd.

Ym 1935, gadewais Benallta am Lofa Wyllie ermwyn cael mwy o waith. Roedd Wyllie ar agorchwe diwrnod yr wythnos. Felly, fe es i yno a sefyllmewn rhes gyda llwyth o ddynion eraill. Roeddechchi’n gorfod crefu am waith bryd hynny. Roeddechchi eisiau gwaith, a doedd dim ots beth oedd e, cynbelled â’ch bod yn gallu’i gael e. Roeddwn i’n gorfodbod yn 16 oed cyn cael arian dôl, ac felly heb waith,doedd gen i ddim byd i ’nghynnal. Doedd dim moddcael cymorth o unman arall. Oedd, roedden nhw’nddyddiau caled.

Doug Evans, Glöwr

main level, where they had to take so much of the roofaway over the seam of coal to give enough height forthe horses. We used to have to bore the shotfiringholes with a ‘butterfly’ hand boring drill. Hopkin wouldbe doing that in his spare time when he was waiting fordrams. Then the fireman would ask if the holes werebored and he would put his stick in to see if the depthwas right. The shotsman then would come to fire andblow this roof down with explosives on the afternoonshift.

When you came into work next day there was allthis muck to clear away into the gob before you couldstart on the coal! The big stones were kept for thewalls on both sides of the roadway – the pack as theycalled it. The walls had to be good on the roadsides as

a support to the roof. And of course you wereadvancing all the time so the tram rails into the stallhad to be constantly lengthened. The collier and hisassistant had to do all this.

In 1935 I left Penallta for Wyllie Colliery in orderto get more work. Wyllie was working six days. I wentover to Wyllie and stood in line with a load of others.You were bloody beggars in those days. You wantedwork and you didn’t care what you did as long as youcould get it. I couldn’t get dole until I was sixteen, sothere would be nothing to keep me if I didn’t have ajob. You didn’t get any help from anywhere. Aye, theywere hard days.

Doug Evans, Collier

“O ble yng Nghymru ’rydych chi’n dod?”CEFAIS FY NGENI YM MIS MAWRTH 1916yn Boryslaw, Galicja, i deulu o Bwyliaid. RoeddBoryslaw yn rhan o Ail Weriniaeth Gwlad Pwyl o1918 tan 1939, ond bellach mae’n rhan o’r Wcráin.Roedd gennyf frawd h¥n, Eugeniusz, a aned ym1914 a chwaer o’r enw Zofia a aned ym 1918.Roeddwn i a fy mrawd wedi cael galwad i ymuno âLlu Awyr Gwlad Pwyl, ond ym mis Medi 1939,cawson orchymyn i adael pan wnaeth yrAlmaenwyr oresgyn Gwlad Pwyl. Fe wnaethomencilio i’r mynyddoedd a’r fforestydd ar ffiniauHwngari a Rwmania, i aros am gymorth Prydain aFfrainc – ond ni ddaeth neb.

Teithiais drwy Rwmania ymlaen i borthladdVarna ger y Môr Du, a gwisgo fel offeiriad Pabyddoler mwyn cael tocyn i fynd ar long. Yna, llwyddwyd igreu tocynnau ffug er mwyn i 40 o’m cyfeilliondeithio ar y llong hefyd. Llong Americanaidd oeddhi, a chawsom ein cludo fesul deg o’r harbwr i fwrddy llong.

Ar 23 Rhagfyr 1939, daethom i Beirut ar ôlsiwrnai 30 awr. Roedd y tywydd mor ddrwg nes bobpawb yn swp sâl, ac roedden ni’n gorfod clymu einhunain wrth y rheiliau i osgoi disgyn i’r môr. Serchhynny, roedd y tywydd yn ei wneud yn anodd ilongau tanfor yr Almaenwyr ein gweld. Oddi yno,aethom ymlaen i Alexandria, a threulio deuddyddyno’n disgwyl i ryw fil gyrraedd o Tsiecoslofacia.Yna, aethom ar fwrdd llong Ffrengig o’r enw‘EXPLORATEUR GRANDIDIER’ a oedd yn hwylioam Marseille. Roedd 2,800 o Wlad Pwyl aTsiecoslofacia ar fwrdd y llong, ond gan mai dim

ond lle i 680 oedd yn y cabanau, roedd rhaid inniorwedd ar lawr y dec.

Ar ôl cyrraedd Marseille, cawsom ein cludo arfysiau i Camp de Carpiagne ym mynyddoeddCarpiagne. Roedd hi’n ddifrifol o oer, a dim ond unblanced yr un oedd gennym. Roedd llygod mawr ynrhedeg ar drawstiau’r cytiau – yn wir, roeddennhw’n bla! Dim ond un gwresogydd golosg mawrcrwn oedd yn cynhesu’r holl gwt. Roedd y bwyd ynafiach, sbarion weithiau, ond llymru yn bennaf. Dimond am dridiau y buom ni yno cyn cael ein cludo ardrên i wersyll ffoaduriaid Sbaenaidd yn Montauban.Roedd rhaid i ni gerdded dwy filltir o’r trên i’rgwersyll.

Roedd y gwersyll dan ei sang; pysgod a reiswedi’u berwi oedd y bwyd yn bennaf. Weithiau,roedden ni’n lladd anifeiliaid er mwyn cael cig.Gwnaethom gais i ymuno â Llu Awyr Ffrainc, acfe’n lleolwyd ym maes glanio Maison Blanche argyrion Algiers (sef maes awyr Algiers heddiw) ar 15Mawrth 1940, mewn gr!p o 280 o Bwyliaid. Panaeth Ffrainc i ddwylo’r Almaenwyr ym Mehefin1940, aethom ar drên i Oran ac yna Casablanca. Arfore 28 Mehefin, aethom ymlaen i Gibraltar, athreulio deuddydd yno cyn ymuno â llong filwyr‘NEURALIA’ a chael ein cludo i Lerpwl gangyrraedd yno ar 12 Gorffennaf 1940. Ar ôl cyrraeddy porthladd, daeth pawb at ei gilydd a cherdded i’rorsaf drenau er mwyn teithio i Innsworth, maesglanio tua 2 filltir o Cheltenham.

Yma, fe wnaethon ni ymuno â Sgwadron 304Pwylaidd y Llu Awyr Brenhinol. Peiriannydd

“What part of Wales are you from?”I WAS BORN IN MARCH 1916 IN BORYSLAW,Galicja and came from a Polish family. Boryslaw waspart of the Second Republic of Poland from 1918 until1939, but it is in the Ukraine now. I had an older broth-er Eugeniusz, born in 1914 and a sister Zofia born in1918. My brother and I had been recalled to the PolishAir Force but then, in September 1939, received ordersto leave Poland when the Germans invaded. Webecame part of the organised withdrawal to the moun-tains and forests on the borders of Romania andHungary where support from France and Britain wasexpected but didn’t come.

I travelled through Romania to the Port of Varna onthe Black Sea, where, to be able to get a permit toboard a ship, I dressed as a Roman Catholic Priest. Thepermit was then forged to allow another forty friendsto go on board. It was an American ship and to enableus to get on board we were rowed 10 people at a timefrom the harbour.

On December 23rd 1939 we arrived at Beirut aftera thirty-hour journey. The weather was so bad thateveryone was ill and we had to tie ourselves to the rail-

ings to stop falling overboard. However, the weatherwas good cover from the German submarines. We thenmoved on to Alexandria where we spent two dayswaiting for about 1,000 Czechs to arrive. From herewe boarded a French ship the EXPLORATEUR GRAN-DIDIER which was bound for Marseille. This ship car-ried 2,800 Czechs and Poles but there was only cabinspace for 680 so we had to lie down on the deck.

At Marseille we got on buses which took us toCamp de Carpiagne in the Carpiagne Mountains. Itwas bitter cold and we were given one blanket. Ratswere running on the rafters inside the huts – the placewas over-run with rats! There was a big, round cokeheater to heat the whole hut. Food was terrible inFrance.

We were given scraps to eat, but mostly a por-ridge-like gruel. We only stayed in this camp for threedays before being taken by train to Montauban to aSpanish Refugee camp. We had to walk two miles fromthe train to the camp.

The camp was very crowded; the food was mainlyboiled fish and rice. Sometimes we killed animals for

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oeddwn i, a chawsom ein lleoli mewn sawl maesglanio gydol y rhyfel. Fe gymrodd hi bum mlyneddi mi ddeall Saesneg yn iawn, iaith a oedd yn swniofel c!n yn cyfarth i mi’n bersonol ar y dechrau.

Ym 1943, roedd Sefydliad Cymorth Portiwgalyn anfon parseli i Wlad Pwyl. Cysylltodd fy mrawdâ nhw a gofyn iddynt anfon parsel i’n rhieni ni, ac ermawr syndod i ni, fe gawsant un. Ar yr un pryd ymmis Ionawr 1943, gofynnodd fy mrawd i’r GroesGoch chwilio am ein rhieni ac anfon neges iddweud ein bod yn ddiogel. Llwyddwyd i ddod ohyd iddynt, a chawsom neges yn ôl. Ynddi, roedd yndweud bod milwyr Rwsiaidd wedi cipio ein chwaer,a bod ein rhieni yn dal yn fyw ond wedi gorfodsymud t¥.

Ym mis Mawrth 1947, cefais fy rhyddhau o’r LluAwyr Brenhinol yn Thetford gan y CorffluAilsefydlu Pwylaidd. Cefais waith yn syth bin felmecanig a churwr paneli. Symudais i Drecelyn,oherwydd pan oeddwn i’n RAF Chivenor, fegwrddais i â’m gwraig Marion Lewis a oedd ynogyda’r WRAF.

Ym mis Awst 1951, cefais swydd gan yr NCB felweldiwr a churwr paneli yng Ngweithdai’r ArdalGanolog yng Nglofa Gogledd Celynnen, Trecelyn.£6 15s 6d oedd fy nghyflog. Yn ystod y 1960au, daethWeindiwr Symudol i garej Ardal 6 yn Nhrecelyn, achafodd ei fachu’n sownd yn barhaol i gerbydLeyland Beaver, yn barod ar gyfer unrhywargyfwng. Fi fyddai’n gyrru’r tryc a’r weindiwr arymarferiadau rheolaidd i byllau gwahanol. Roedd

rhai o’r ymarferiadau yn golygu gosod y weindardros y lein reilffordd a thynnu’r olwynion ffordd iffwrdd, yna gollwng y weindar a’i roi ar yr olwynionrheilffordd er mwyn i injan locomotif ei lusgo i’r pwll.

Hefyd yn y chwedegau, roedd garej Trecelyn yngyfrifol am y faniau arfog a oedd yn cludo cyflogaui’r pyllau. Felly, am 4 o’r gloch bob bore Gwener,byddwn i’n gyrru un o’r faniau hyn i swyddfeyddYstrad Fawr er mwyn llwytho symiau sylweddol oarian mewn pecynnau cyflog – roeddwn i’narbennig o nerfus ar ddechrau Penwythnos yGlowyr gan ein bod yn cludo mwy o arian nag arfer.Yn ystod trychineb Aber-fan, roeddem wrthi bobawr o’r dydd i sicrhau bod y lorïau’n gallu cludo hollrwbel y tirlithriad.

Teimlwn ei bod yn rhy beryglus i ymweld âGwlad Pwyl ar ôl clywed straeon am y Rwsiaid ynarestio Pwyliaid eraill oedd yn dychwelyd i’wmamwlad. Felly, wrth i’r blynyddoedd fynd heibio,daeth Cymru yn gartref i mi, er bod fy acen ynawgrymu fel arall – ar wahân i’r tro hwnnw arwyliau yn Nyfnaint, pan ofynnodd y dyn tu ôl i’r bar‘O ble yng Nghymru rydych chi’n dod?’ Ymddeolaisar fy mhen-blwydd yn 65 oed, ym 1981.

Emil Ziomek, Mecanig moduron

(Bu farw Emil ar 12 Mai 1994. Dyma’r hanes ganei blant a’r dogfennau a gadwodd.)

meat. We applied to join the French Air Force and were post-ed to Maison Blanche airfield on the outskirts of Algiers (nowAlgiers Airport) on the15th March 1940 where we were partof a group of 280 Poles. With the collapse of France in June1940, we boarded a train for Oran then onto Casablanca. Onthe morning of 28th June we travelled to Gibraltar, where westayed for two days waiting for transport by the Troopship‘NEURALIA’ to Liverpool, where we arrived on 12th July,1940. When we docked we assembled and walked to the rail-way station to travel to Innsworth, an airfield about two milesfrom Cheltenham.

Here we joined the Royal Air Force as 304 Polish Squadron.I was an engine fitter and we were stationed on many airfieldsduring the war. It was five years before I began to understandEnglish properly which at first, to me, sounded like dog barks.

In 1943 the Portugal Relief Organisation were sendingparcels into Poland. My brother contacted them and asked forone to be sent to my parents. Much to our surprise they dulyreceived one. At the same time in January 1943 my brotherasked the Red Cross to find our parents and pass a messageon to them to say we were safe. They did find our parents andthey were able to write a message to us. It said that our sis-ter had been taken away by Russian soldiers, and also that ourparents were alive but had to move house.

In March 1947 I was discharged from the Royal Air Forceat Thetford by the Polish Resettlement Corps. I immediatelyfound work as a Panel Beater and Motor Car mechanic. Imoved to Newbridge because, whilst at RAF Chivenor, I metmy wife Marion Lewis who was in the WRAF.

In August, 1951, I became employed by the NCB at theArea Central Workshops at North Celynen Colliery,

Newbridge, as a Welder and Panel Beater. My wages were £615s 6d. During the 1960s an Emergency Mobile Winder wasbrought into our Area 6 garage at Newbridge, and was keptpermanently on standby attached to a Leyland Beaver truck. Idrove this truck and winder on various exercises to differentpits. Some of these exercises involved positioning the winderover a railway line and removing the road wheels then lower-ing the winder onto its attached railway wheels for a locomo-tive to take it to the pit.

Also in the sixties, the Transport Garage in Newbridgebecame responsible for the armoured vans which deliveredthe wages to the pits. So at 4am every Friday morning I droveone of the vans to Ystrad Fawr offices to load up with the largesums of money in wage packets – we were especially nervousat the start of Miners’ Fortnight because of the extra moneywe were carrying. During the Aberfan disaster we worked allhours to keep the lorries on the road to take away the muckfrom the tip slide.

I felt it was too dangerous to visit Poland because of sto-ries I heard about returning Poles being arrested by theRussians. Therefore as time went by Wales became my home,although my accent always gave me away – except once onholiday in Devon a barman asked ‘What part of Wales are youfrom mate?’ I retired on my sixty-fifth birthday in 1981.

Emil Ziomek, Motor Mechanic

(Emil died on 12th May 1994. This is his story as told to hischildren and from documents that he kept.)

EMILE ZIOMEK YN

GYRRU’R WEINDIWR

SYMUDOL YN ARDAL

MAESTEG, 1956

EMILE ZIOMEKDRIVING MOBILEWINDER IN THEMAESTEG AREA, 1956

Six BellsDECHREUAIS WEITHIO GYDA’R NCB PANoeddwn i’n bymtheg oed, ym 1955. Cefais fynghyflogi fel clerc cyflogau ar gyfer holl lofeydd ygr!p yn swyddfeydd Aber-carn. Tua 1958, roeddswydd wag am glerc/teleffonydd yng Nglofa SixBells, a chan fy mod i’n byw yn Aber-big, roedd yngolygu y gallwn gerdded i’r gwaith yn lle dal bws iAber-carn.

Ar 28 Mehefin 1960, tua dwy flynedd ers i migychwyn gweithio yn Six Bells, cefais neges ganswyddfeydd y lofa tua hanner dydd yn dweud bodrhywbeth wedi digwydd, ac y dylwn gysylltu â’rgwasanaethau brys i gyd. Dechreuais feddwl bethyn y byd oedd wedi digwydd i greu’r fath gynnwrf.Tua phump y prynhawn, dywedodd rheolwr y gr!pwrthyf am fynd adref a pharatoi ar gyfer shifftdeuddeg awr yn ateb y ffons. Erbyn hynny, wrthgwrs, roeddwn i’n gwybod bod trychineb wedidigwydd. Roedd hi’n gyfnod pryderus iawn. Roeddfy nhad yn gweithio yn y lofa, ond roeddwn i’ngwybod ei fod yn ddiogel gan mai gof pen pwllydoedd. Er hynny, roedd rhai o’m perthnasau i’ngweithio danddaear y diwrnod hwnnw.

Pan ddes i’n ôl i’r gwaith y noson honno, roeddceir ym mhobman a miloedd o bobl wediymgynnull o amgylch y pwll, a’r swyddfeydd wedi’umeddiannu gan aelodau’r wasg a’r cyfryngau. Felroedd y cyrff yn cyrraedd pen y pwll, fy ngwaith ioedd anfon enwau’r unigolion i’r brif swyddfa.

Roedd pobl y wasg a’r cyfryngau yn drwyn i gyd acyn fusneslyd iawn, â’u bryd ar gael stori. Doedd dimswyddogion cysylltiadau cyhoeddus gan yr NCB ary pryd, ac felly roeddem ni’n gorfod ymdrin â’rwasg yn bersonol. Wrth gwrs, roedd yna straeonam ddynion a oedd yn absennol oherwydd salwchneu rai oedd wedi cyfnewid shifftiau, ond roeddenni’n dueddol o osgoi dweud gormod wrthyn nhwgan eu bod mor fusneslyd. Roeddwn i wedi ymlâddyn llwyr pan es i adref o’r gwaith y bore cyntafhwnnw, ond doeddwn i ddim yn gallu cysgu mewngwirionedd gan fod pethau’n dal i droi yn fy mhen.Cafwyd angladdau mawr, ond ni es i’r un ohonynt.

Gadewais Six Bells ym 1963 oherwydd bodcymaint o atgofion trist yno. Cefais swydd mewnffatri llawn menywod, a oedd braidd yn od ar ôlgweithio gyda dim ond dyrnaid o fenywod mewnswyddfeydd llawn dynion yn yr NCB. Er gwaetha’ratgofion drwg ers y drychineb, roeddwn i’nmwynhau gweithio gyda’r NCB. Roeddwn i’n ifanc,yn gallu cerdded i’r gwaith, ac roedd gen i gyflog.Roeddwn i hefyd yn mwynhau gweithio gyda’rdynion, oherwydd eu bod yn llawer mwy agos-atoch a ddim mor bigog â’r menywod. Roeddennhw hefyd yn parchu menywod y gwaith brydhynny, ond dynion oedd yn rheoli yno a phrin ybyddwn wedi datblygu fawr ar fy ngyrfa yno.

Mair Price, Teleffonydd

I started work as a fifteen year old with the NCBin1955. I was employed as a wages clerk for all thecollieries in the group at the group offices in Abercarn.About 1958 there was a vacancy for a clerk/telephonistat Six Bells Colliery and, as I lived in Aberbeeg, it meantthat I could walk to work instead of catching a bus toAbercarn.

It was on the 28th June 1960, and I had been at SixBells about two years, when I received a message atabout mid day from the colliery offices to say thatthere had been an incident and to alert all theemergency services. I was wondering what on earthtype of incident had happened for all the services to becalled. By about five that afternoon I was called to seethe group manager who asked me to go home andprepare to work twelve hour night shifts manning thetelephones. By then, of course, I knew that a disasterhad happened. It was really worrying, my fatherworked at the colliery but he was a boiler smith on thesurface so I knew he was all right, but I had relativeswho were working underground on that day.

When I came back to work that evening therewere cars everywhere and thousands of people aroundthe pit and the offices had been taken over by pressand media. When each body had been brought up thepit it was my job to send the name to the head office.

I found the media and press people very nosey, veryintrusive, they just wanted a story. There were noNCB public relations people then and we had to dealwith them personally. Of course there were storiesabout men who were off sick or had swapped shiftshowever, because we felt that they were just beingnosey we tended to hold back and not tell them toomuch. I left work the first morning very tired but withall the activity my mind was working overtime and Icouldn’t really sleep, I couldn’t switch off. The funeralswere huge, but I didn’t attend any of them.

I left Six Bells in 1963 because I had too many badmemories there. I obtained a job in a factory sur-rounded by women which was a bit strange after theNCB where I was one of a handful of women in offices full of men. In spite of the bad memories of the disaster, I quite liked working for the NCB. I was ayoungster, I could walk to work and I had a pay packet.I also enjoyed working with men because they weremore down to earth and not as touchy as women.They were also more respectful to working womenthen, although it was very male orientated and I would have been unlikely to have gone further up theladder there.

Mair Price, Telephonist

Six BellsDIWRNOD YRANGLADD

FUNERAL OF THEVICTIMS

DYNION ACHUB YNGNGLOFA SIX BELLS

RESCUE MEN AT SIXBELLS

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AR ÔL I MI ORFFEN GWEITHIO GYDAchwmni Glo Prydain ym 1988, dechreuais weithiofel swyddog mewn pyllau trwyddedig. Nid oeddgennym injans halio mewn un pwll, dim ond 7 ceffylyn llusgo’r dramiau i mewn ac allan. Er nad ydw i’nor-hoff o anifeiliaid, dwi ddim yn hoffi’u gweldnhw’n cael eu cam-drin, a doeddwn i ddim yn hoffimeddwl am geffylau yn gweithio danddaear. Serchhynny, gwelais eu bod yn cael pob gofal. Gan nadoes awenau ar geffylau’r pwll, mae’n rhaid iddynnhw ufuddhau i orchmynion llafar.

Y gorchymyn mwyaf amlwg, ‘come on’, oeddmynd ymlaen, ‘stand back’ i fynd yn ôl a ‘see back’ idroi i’r dde a ‘come-ee back’ i fynd i’r chwith. Roeddgennym un gaseg go styfnig o’r enw Dolly, ac yn ydyddiau cynnar, roedd rhaid inni ddefnyddio genfaer mwyn iddi ufuddhau i’n gorchmynion ni. Dimond am ychydig wythnosau barodd hynny, a buan ydaeth at ei choed. Dyma ffaith fach i chi – maeceffylau’n gallu cyfri. Dim dyfalu ydw i, ac nidrhywun sydd wedi dweud hynny wrthyf. Maennhw’n gallu cyfri go iawn! Bob dydd, bydden nhw’nllusgo’r dramiau o’r pwll, ac ar ôl dadfachu’rdramiau, roedden nhw’n dychwelyd i’r pwll. Ar ôl i’rceffylau dynnu wyth dram o lo, byddan nhw’n troi’nôl ac yn mynd i’r stablau yn hytrach nag i’r pwll.Dim ond chwe dram o lo oedd angen eu llenwi ar ypenwythnos, ac ar ôl i ni ddadfachu’r chwecheddram, byddai’r ceffylau yn dychwelyd i’w stablau.Yna, ar ddydd Llun, bydden nhw’n aros tan yrwythfed dram cyn mynd i’r stablau. Yn ogystal âgallu cyfri, felly, roedden nhw’n gwybod paddiwrnod o’r wythnos oedd hi! Roedden nhw’ngeffylau clyfar iawn, yn hollol anhygoel.

Fe gollais i un ceffyl, sef Sam. Mi faglodd Sam aryr inclein a thorri’i gefn. Roedd rhaid i ni alw’rmilfeddyg ac Arolygiaeth y Glofeydd; roedd cryndipyn o ff¥s a ffwdan yngl¥n â’r holl beth. Roeddceffylau mewn pyllau trwyddedig yn cael cryn dipynmwy o sylw a gofal na’r glowyr eu hunain, ond storiarall yw honno!

Phil Budding, Swyddog y Lofa

AFTER I FINISHED WITH BRITISH COAL IN 1988I began working as an official in licensed mines. In oneof these mines we had seven horses working there, nohaulage engines just horses pulling the coal drams inand out. I’m not really much of an animal lover but Idon’t like to see animals hurt and when I saw thesehorses I didn’t like the idea of them working under-ground one little bit. However, I found that they wereactually really well looked after. As colliery horses haveno reins, they have to obey verbal commands.

The obvious verbal command, ‘come on’, was to go

forward, ‘stand back’ was to reverse back and ‘see back’was to go the right and ‘come-ee back’ to the left. Wedid have one horse, a mare called Dolly who was a bitheadstrong and, in her early days, we had to put a bit inher to get her to obey instructions. But that was onlyfor a couple of weeks and she soon picked it up. A little story for you, horses can count, this is notguesswork, this is not somebody told me, they canactually count! Every day they would pull their dramsout of the pit and, after they had been disconnectedfrom the dram, they would turn and go back into the

mine. After they had pulled eight drams out, theywould turn and head for the stables instead of goingback underground. On the weekend we’d only have todo six drams, and, after you’d disconnected them fromthe sixth dram, they’d turn and go up to the stables.On the Monday they would wait until the eighth drambefore heading for the stable. So they couldn’t onlycount but they knew what day it was as well. They werevery clever horses, they were unbelievable.

I did lose one horse and that was Sam. Sam lost hisfooting on an incline and broke his back. We had to

have the vet there and the Mines Inspectorate; in factthere was an almighty fuss about it all. Horses inlicensed mines had more consideration paid to themthan the colliers, but that’s a different story!

Phil Budding, Colliery Official

Horses can count!

Mae ceffylau’n gallu cyfri!

CEFFYL Y PWLL YNG

NGLOFA RITHAN, 1995

COLLIERY HORSE AT

RITHAN MINE, 1995

62

GWEITHWYR GLOFADEEP NAVIGATION,GORFFENNAF 1979

DEEP NAVIGATIONCOLLIERYWORKFORCE, JULY 1979

BIG PIT: AMGUEDDFA LOFAOL CYMRU Blaenafon, Torfaen. NP4 9XPFfôn: (01495) 790311 Ffacs: (01495) 792618 [email protected]

ORIAU AGORAr agor – Pob dyddChwefror – Tachwedd: 9.30 am – 5 pm.Teithiau tanddaearol: 10 am – 3.30 pm.Ffoniwch am amserau agor dros y gaeaf.Mynediad am ddim

Bydd y rhifyn nesaf o GLO yn canolbwyntio ar feysydd glo’r gogledd. Os oes gennychunrhyw straeon neu ffotograffau o’r ardal,ffoniwch ni ar (01495) 790311 neu anfonwche-bost at [email protected].

BIG PIT: NATIONAL COAL MUSEUMBlaenafon, Torfaen. NP4 9XPTel: (01495) 790311 Fax: (01495) [email protected]

OPENING TIMESOpen – Every dayFebruary – November 9.30 am – 5 pm.Underground tours: 10 am – 3.30 pm.Please call for winter opening times.Free entry

The next edition of GLO will concentrate on the north Wales coalfields. If you have any stories or photos from the area, please call us on (01495) 790311 or email [email protected].