Christmas at work!

[malcolmsanford]

Though I was topside I managed to get a few Christmas morning shifts, but none beat the underground "pump" duty.

A sparks and a fitter would get the pump duty to check that the water pumps below ground were ok, as if they failed it would not just be Christmas day that the face had off, so down @ first shift in overalls, only time underground wore them, as they had their clothes on under them, once round the face and up again for 8 hrs treble time and day off in lieu. Then second shift and back shift did the same.

The only time I did it was when a lad broke his leg, and luckily I did the first shift, in/out an hour, back up into the canteen, which opened only for the emergency shifts like us, to a full English, free as emergency work, and becasue it was skeleton catering staff, no coffee just tea, and only choice was the full English ...............wonderful, made the pub by 12am for the 2 hour drink............can still taste the full English

 

[Des 56]

How many I wonder, realise how frighteningly quiet it is in a mine, when your the only one wondering around down there

The absolute and complete darkness if you turn your light off,the total silence except the creaking of the planet as it compacts the strata

Most miners never experienced the above, it was an experience for electricians
Those shifts were well paid,but it was nerve racking to say the least

 

[pmac10]

How many I wonder, realise how frighteningly quiet it is in a mine, when your the only one wondering around down there

The absolute and complete darkness if you turn your light off,the total silence except the creaking of the planet as it compacts the strata

Most miners never experienced the above, it was an experience for electricians
Those shifts were well paid,but it was nerve racking to say the least

know what you mean Des,
travalled down a disused mine in Wales years ago and the silence is deafening!
as for the blackness, frightening! you've never been in the dark 'till you witness that.

 

[Knobhead]

I fell for (I was railroaded in to it) Christmas and Boxing on 24hr call out. So informed the manager that he’d better have some contingency plans especially for Boxing day (birthday), I will be bladdered. Sorry it’s you on call unless you find someone else, fat chance of that! He phoned me up at 11pm to see if I was still sober! I was in a club completely off my face!

Called in to office in the New Year and it wasn’t for a party.

 

[millwall ken]

stop whinging Ken, some of us frekkin live there. (and much respect to your Da by the way ; )

Aye, My old dear hails from Dundonald mate.

 

[pmac10]

yep, finished a shift on Boxing Day, spent five minutes looking for my car in the company car park before seeing my Da waiting for me outside the gates, got a taxi into work, apparently.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Best one Des I knew was the loco men, a lad I think bought a brand new mark III cortina doing an upgrade over the Christmas period on a loco gear box .................

Being mostly topside mate it never affected me so much the quiet, and I never went to the older workings as such where you had wooden props, but I was told that the noises they made, made a man out of you, and many a squeaky bum time.

 

[pmac10]

Aye, My old dear hails from Dundonald mate.

was good people like your Da inspired me to sign on the dotted line and i don't mean social security, in the meantime i got inflicted with this pile of junk...........:shocked: