Widows of pit victims unveil memorial to miners who lost their lives at colliery

THE widows of two coal miners killed at one of Yorkshire’s last remaining pits have unveiled a memorial to them and others who have died.

Renowned Yorkshire sculptor Graham Ibbeson recreated a pit face and a miner which now stands at the pithead at Kellingley colliery, near Pontefract, which is one of the UK’s largest collieries.

Miners at the colliery wanted a fitting memorial after the deaths of two miners at the pit in the last two years.

In September 2008 an underground rock fall killed Don Cook and another Kellingley miner, Ian Cameron, died the following month after equipment fell on him.

It is believed that a dozen miners have died at the pit since the first shaft was sunk in 1958.

Miners at the colliery decided to raise funds for a memorial to all those killed at Kellingley over the last 52 years.

The Kellingley branch secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, Keith Poulson, said: “The plan for a memorial came about after Don Cook was killed two years ago. Some of the lads said could we do something in his memory?

“We wanted it to be fitting. One of the union men is a mate of the sculptor Graham Ibbeson, who did the statues of Dickie Bird, Fred Trueman, and the miners’ memorial outside the union offices in Barnsley, so he approached him.”

The sculpture also features two coal tubs which bear the nicknames of the last two miners who died.

So far 14,000 has been raised towards the 18,000 cost of the memorial.

“We’ve done two sponsored bike rides, done the Three Peaks, the manager did the coast to coast walk with another lad, we did a charity rugby match and an auction, ” said Mr Poulson.

The union has attempted to find a record of all the men killed at Kellingley but none seems to exist.

“With the pit being sold first to one company, then another, there doesn’t seem to be a record of the men killed or their names,” said Mr Poulson. “We tried the Health and Safety Executive as well.”

The memorial was unveiled yesterday, two years to the day since the death of Don Cook.

The unveiling was carried out by Mr Cook’s widow, Sue, and Mr Cameron’s widow, Carole.

After the unveiling a reception was held at the colliery canteen.