Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
SPECIAL DAY FOR THE MINER HERO
Family gift treasured items to Summerlee museum
A teenage miner’s bravery was celebrated at Summerlee with a poignant presentation a century after his courage saved scores of lives.
The inscribed watch and replica royal medal belonging to Stanrigg miner John McCabe are now on display at the industrial museum, after being gifted by his family to mark the 100th anniversary of the pit disaster.
Now proudly framed and setting out his story, the items will be on show in the mining section of the Coatbridge attraction following a special handover ceremony attended by mining representatives and local politicians.
Caldercruix resident John was a drawer at Stanrigg colliery when tragedy struck the Plains pit on July 9, 1918, as its workings were overwhelmed by a sudden inrush of peat and moss which killed 19 men, with 11 of the bodies never being recovered.
The brave 17- year- old ran for a quarter of a mile back into the pit to warn 62 others working below ground, allowing them to escape – and was honoured with the Edward medal, exchanged later in life for the George Cross, plus the personalised silver pocket watch and chain from the Carnegie hero fund.
Representing John’s family at the official handover ceremony were his grandchildren John McCabe and Fiona Adams, nephews Owen Gillespie and Archie McCabe, and Archie’s wife Anne.
Grandson John and Stanrigg memorial committee secretar y Peter Downie made the presentation to North Lanarkshire provost Jean Jones, who made a speech thanking the miner’s family for the gift to Summerlee.
Also addressing the event were Nicky Wilson, of the National Union of Miners, and Airdrie MSP Alex Neil, who spoke about his own family’s mining history.
Event organiser Peter told the Advertiser: “It was a brilliant day and the atmosphere was so lovely; there were around 40 people there and Summerlee staff even switched off machinery so that the sound was heard right through the whole museum.
“Alex Neil gave a full history of his grandfather and father and their working lives as miners down the pits; Nicky Wilson suggested that we get an additional plaque telling John’s story; and Jean Jones was excellent – everybody was full of praise for all the speakers.
“The family, especially John who’d first handed over the watch at the Stanrigg centenary ceremony in July, were full of excitement and over the moon, thanking us very much for the occasion.”
He added: “John McCabe ran back into the mine without fear to shout a warning to his fellow workers that water and moss had broken in and the roof had collapsed, and his actions saved the lives of 62 men.
“John continued to work in the mines throughout his life; he died in 1974 and is buried at St Joseph’s cemetery in Airdrie.
“His family have treasured the commemorative watch over the years so it was unexpected and a lovely thing to receive, especially at the centenary service.
“It’s great that the watch and medal are there for everybody to see and on show for people to remember what John did; Summerlee thanked us for thinking of them and the whole presentation event was first class.”
It was unexpected and a lovely thing to receive