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The Apprenticeship
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Well on leaving school...it was a local craft...and I took up
my apprenticeship at Collyweston and the firm I worked for was J.J Harrod- who
did...the full range from the mines to putting slates on the roof. As an
apprentice ...obviously- I think one of the first things I did was- because it
was the middle of winter when I started- we went down the...slate mine
and...this was obviously when the weather was bad and not fit to work on the
roof- so possibly it was snow- in fact I remember it was snow- and ...the mine
was about 40 feet deep along a 50 foot shaft, which used to branch out to face
at either side, erm...and the er...the work progressed on one of the faces and
when we was down there we used candles and paraffin lamps- because most of the
lamps we could get down there were was paraffin lamps and we had iron tools.
Click on the button to view Collyweston Log in the
MineUnderneath a layer of slate was a bed of
sand, and we used to prop the slate up and pick the sand out- propping the
slate we went, and then when we got so far and the whole lot started to creak
and break, the little stones what we we using for props they used to break in
half with a loud crack and it was quite frightening this is what they termed as
a fall, the sand was all thrown behind...this was letting the slate fall down
...there was a nice thick layer of limestone above the working area that we
used to use term the ceiling I suppose, and this would be propped up with over
burdens above the slate- some stone...that was not suitable for slate, in fact
some of it used to look like slate but it wouldn't split and they term that
bastard- that was just one of the terms down there- you know a widely know
term. And er...so when we got this fall- this was terribly frightening for me
as an apprentice because we perhaps got four or five feet and there was about
twenty to twenty-five tonnes of material fell down in front of you- and there
you were with candles- paraffin lamps and this would come down with a
thundering crash and there was no where to go- and it was quite an
experience.
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more of David Ellis' memories...
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