A wreath laid by our Civic Chairman, David Taylor, at part of the memorial.
Relatives of the 18 men killed in the Markham Colliery mining disaster of 1973 were among those gathered at the colliery site recently to mark 50 years since the tragedy.
We organised a commemorative service on Friday 28 July 2023 comprising speeches, prayers and time for quiet reflection. Relatives were joined by volunteers from the Markham Vale Heritage Group and other invited guests.
A wreath and flowers were laid next to the Walking Together mining memorial, which honours the 18 who died in 1973 along with the 88 men who had perished in the previous disasters of 1937 and 1938. The memorial comprises a sculptural steel figure for each of the men and each sculpture bears a tag with the name of the miner, his age, occupation and the year of the disaster. Figures have been gradually added over a 10-year journey which was completed in October 2022.
Two metal benches which complement the figures have been donated by the Association of British Mining Equipment Companies and the Health and Safety Executive to mark the 50th anniversary. One of these is situated at the Markham Vale Environment Centre, at the start of the Walking Together trail. The bench gives those with limited mobility a peaceful place to sit and remember. The other bench is in an equally peaceful spot further along the trail near Enterprise Way.
Our Cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King said:
“It was very poignant to sit quietly as part of the service and remember those who died 50 years ago and the generous donation of the 2 benches means relatives and other visitors will have a place to sit for quiet contemplation in years to come.
“We have the Markham Vale Heritage Group to thank for their help with this event and for their ongoing dedication to remembering those who lost their lives.
“I hope that the event has brought some comfort to the relatives knowing that these brave men are not forgotten.”
It was Monday 30 July 1973 when the terrible disaster happened. The cage carrying the miners to go underground into Markham pit failed to stop. It was the start of the day shift and most of the miners on the shift had already been lowered into the pit. Then, the overlap rope cage carrying 15 men on the top deck and 14 men on the lower deck began its descent. Sparks were seen coming from the brake cylinder by the engine winder who then slammed on the emergency stop button. Nothing happened and the cage crashed down to the bottom of the pit some 1,329 feet below ground. The ascending cage crashed through the winding house roof. Thirteen men died at the scene and another 5 men died later in hospital. The other 11 men in the cage and one rescue worker were very seriously injured but survived.
The Walking Together project has been led by ourselves, HBD (formerly known as Henry Boot Developments) and Markham Vale Heritage Group volunteers, coordinated by Beam (arts charity) and enabled by many funders, sponsors and supporters.
Find out more about the Markham Colliery project.