Remembering mine tragedies

Dear Editor

As a volunteer at the National Mining Museum Scotland (NMMS) at Newtongrange, Midlothian, I am compiling details of memorials to miners, mines and miningrelated items.

This will be included in a booklet to be placed in the memorial room at the museum, which was opened in 2013.

A regularly updated list of memorials can be viewed and downloaded from the NMMS website at https:// national mining museum. com.

I have identified a number of memorials in the Advertiser’s area of North Lanarkshire: Auchengeich disaster, Moodiesburn; Auchengeich miners, Condorrat; Commonhead disaster, Airdrie; Mosside disaster, Airdrie; Stanrigg disaster, by Plains; Stanrigg disaster park, Wattston; and Stanrigg disaster hall, Greengairs.

I wonder if your readers might be able to help me with some details about these memorials. I would like to know: ● who initiated, funded, designed, built the original Auchengeich Memorial (which was revised in 2009) and when and by whom it was unveiled; ● who initated the Commonhead disaster memorial and who funded, designed and built this memorial; ● who designed and built the Mosside disaster memorial; ● who initiated the memorials to the Stanrigg Disaster and when and by whom they were unveiled/ opened.

I would also like to know of any other mining-related memorials in the Advertiser’s area.

I am particularly interested in memorials to the miners’ strike 1984-85, memorials to miners killed in WWI (which could be war memorials or rolls of honour) and memorials to individuals who were linked to the mining industry, eg Mick McGahey.

I can be contacted at the NMMS via Ellie Swinbank on 0131 663 7519 or by emailing keeper@ nationalminingmuseum.com; or directly via email at jamesjhenry@yahoo.co.uk.

Mining memorial Peter Downie is pictured at the Stanrigg memorial