Hero ‘Abe’ In Underground Rescue
I would like to tell the story of what happened on the night
of 17th January, 1944 regarding my Dad, George Smith, who then
lived with my mother, Rose, at 4 Richard Street, North Skelton.
My Dad was a deputy in North Skelton Mine and during one of his
‘shifts’ down the pit he was buried by a roof-fall. He
ended up face down, his leg trapped under a prop beneath the
great pile of stone and shale.
I will never forget that night when my late brother, George, ran
all the way home from Ings Lane, Brotton. The men going home from
‘back shift’ had called to see if he knew of Dad’s
accident – he didn’t, so he came to see if we knew
anything and we didn’t either, even though they had called
men out of North Skelton Workingmen’s Club and the
Bull’s Head to see if they could help.
This leads to my story of one brave hero called George Bradley
from Lingdale, known to everyone as ‘Abe’, 25 years old
and married with a baby girl.
A number of his mates, all family men with children, had laboured
unsuccessfully to free my Dad and the situation looked hopeless.
Then ‘Abe’ suggested that the only way was to get to
the back of the fall and work from that side – and that he
was the lad to do it. Every man there knew the risks involved
– he had to squeeze himself through a small hole, 23 inches
by 8 inches, left by the roof-fall! Any further fall would have
buried ‘Abe’ as well as my Dad, but that night the gods
smiled on the brave. There was no further fall and , with great
difficulty, ‘Abe’ managed to free Dad’s leg and
stayed with him a further 40 minutes until he could be rescued
– he’d been buried for 4 hours, his leg was fractured
in two places, and it was encased in plaster for the following 13
weeks.
‘Abe’ Bradley was awarded the British Empire Medal, The
Carnegie Trust certificate, the Daily Herald’s Order of
Industrial Heroism and a bronze medallion, as well as a cash
award.
‘Abe’ was horribly embarrassed at ‘all this fuss
about nowt’. The authorities, of course, did not regard it
as ‘nowt’. John T Hall, the Northern District President
of the Miner’s Union, in presenting ‘Abe’ with his
awards said, “You’re a right ‘un ‘Abe’,
I’m proud to know you, and if these medals were as big as
frying pans, they’d be none too big to express my
feelings.”
My dad always praised ‘Abe’ because he knew, had it not
been for him, he would have died. I can remember my Mam going mad
because Dad was late and we were having to build the fire up at a
time when coal was rationed.
I think ‘Abe’ would be the only ironstone miner to
receive the accolade and am only sorry he has never had any
mention in Tom Leonard’s Mining Museum at Skinningrove. I
will always say “thanks” to ‘Abe’ who I am
sorry is no longer with us but I am certain my Dad would not have
lived until 1964 if ‘Abe’ had not been down North
Skelton Mine that night.
By the way, ‘Abe’ was uncle to Mr George Benson who is
now manager of the Bulls Head. George’s Mam, Mary, must be
very proud of her hero brother.
Grace Wynn, 42 De Brus Way, Guisborough