Blantyre residents are invited along to a special ceremony at Blantyre Cemetery this Saturday, as a brand new Memorial is unveiled to the public, commemorating Blantyre Miners.
For the first time, individual names and ages of hundreds of miners who lost their lives in three major local Pit Disasters, will be listed on a permanent outdoor display, preserving their memory for generations to come.
The free event, open to the whole community will take place on Saturday 4th February 2023 at 12.30 at the old Cemetery, just off Cemetery Road, High Blantyre and is expected to last 30 minutes.
The new memorial, made of the finest granite and matching aesthetics to nearby stones, will be unveiled by Mary Crowe, a Blantyre woman who remarkably is directly descended from two of the victims of the 1877 Pit Disaster.
The sentiment to respectfully remember Blantyre miners specifically by name, has long been in the minds of local people, but it took the dedication and enthusiasm of Blantyre men Jimmy Small and Paul Veverka to organise the work and spearhead the significant fundraising campaign. This proved successful with the kind help of Blantyre Miners Welfare Charitable Society in their capacity as Treasurer.
Saturday’s unveiling will be the culmination of 2 years of hard work, which was only made possible by the many kind donations from individuals, churches and organisations and thanks go out to everybody who contributed making this possible. Seeking Council permissions, planning, grant applications, competitive tendering and contracting work out was then all efficiently organised.
A number of special guests have been invited to the ceremony, including local clergy and Councillors. Prayers will also be offered, wreaths will be laid and all attendees will be most welcome to come back to the Miners Welfare at Calder Street afterwards for tea and cake.
Coverage of the unveiling and a full list of thanks will be posted online in the coming days. We hope you all can make it too. See you there!
