Wigan Album

They look so weary those men,what hard lives they led. It looks for all the world as if they are in a chain gang. Looking at the planks of wood shoring up the earth, there wasn't much between them and certain death if the wood gave way. I am also reminded of the prisoners in The Great Escape tunnels using slats from their beds to stop the earth caving in on them
perhaps that was where the idea came from....

All for a few bob a week veronica no dole money then,either the army or the pit

Very true Tom - a lot of young men joined the Army before the war started - I have often wondered did they know at the time that a war was coming...my dad did the same. With regard to the 1926 miner's strike I believe many miners went to Doncaster to work - again I wondered how come there was work there and was the strike ignored? I know my grandfather went there with one of his brothers... And stayed for many years...

Veronica. If you are interested. In the Google box, type. “ Frank McKenna, R.A.F. Officer” . He was a Blackpool police officer. It has loose connections to the great escape.

I will do Albert- Thankyou. Actually it is my favourite type of reading - all true - sadly! But the ingenuity of those captured men of that generation is just - forgive the word 'flabbergasting'. But so compelling. I am reading much more now because of second hand books on the internet which I have started to buy. I can get through two a week! Much more interesting than anything on the telly..and it is all educational at the same time. God love 'em all who went through that time..

Don't forget the women veronica my grandmother and her sister's did't know whether their husband's or her brother was alive for a couple of years sadly only one came home ,he was never the same man,

Must say , that bracing is very impressive. I’ve never seen this before.
Very interesting to see how it was done. I guess the bands were riveted to the rock behind first ? Very strong though . With the timber expanding and contracting with the moisture or dryness , they could remove those small wedges as need be, I would think . Bet there weren’t many plasters on the go for these lads . If you walloped your hand or fingers you just got on with it . But hard graft as across the board in them days. I remember watching a programme about the fish wives of Aberdeen. The women retired with their hands like the claws of a bird of prey , due to the salt , water and cold . Nowadays, they’d run a mile , they just wouldn’t do the job , whereas these folk had no choice if they wanted to feed their families .
Thanks Ron

It doesn't bear thinking about what families left behind suffered and unknowing what happened to their menfolk was worse Tom. We don't know one half of it...even the fact a grave couldn't be visited if killed abroad.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_McKenna_(RAF_officer). Veronica,
If you have difficulty obtaining the web site that I referred to. Type in the web site that I ve entered.

That's an amazing photo. Incredible to think that this huge hole in the ground was "hand crafted" with brute force, and simple but incredibly effective low tech methods. An important historical record. Well posted Ron.

I have read about Frank McKenna's involvement in tracking down the murderers of the 50 escapees Albert. I did not know that a man so near to home was so important in their capture. There is enough material to make another film - it would be absolutely riveting to watch it. What a life he led as well , flying Lancasters during the war. So dedicated to doing what he claimed was his duty and not revenge to find ex- Gestapo (SS). He arrested 20 himself and hardly spoke a word of German! Mind Blowing!
I would have thought at least a book should have been written. You hear so much about Jewish Simon Weizental (sic) tracking down Nazis and yet it's not very well known about Frank McKenna's team tracking down those murderers , all with false identities and scattered about as far as Russia. Thank you for the info Albert. Who can forget what happened to those fifty men who tried their best to get home and out of the 76 only three made it. Another 23 survived purely by luck in not being picked for execution. He was one dedicated policeman.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5896993/Great-Escape-documents-secr
Veronica. Go to the above web site, and another very interesting account is given. A plaque is to be installed shortly in the new Blackpool Police Station, in the C.I.D. Office, in honour of Frank McKenna. He is buried in Leyton Cemetery, Blackpool. He must have been such a modest man. There is no mention of his high honour, of the O.B.E. Military.(gold), on his grave stone.

Thank you Albert - I looked up your information. Surely a good Documentary should be made in honour of the team who worked so hard in tracking down the murderers. Perhaps now that those top secret documents (on sale for collectors) are there to be seen it shouldn't be too difficult to do so. I believe Frank McKenna's son is still trying to find the diary he wrote in great detail - but has had no success yet. You are right he was a very modest man, as for the OBE not mentioned on his gravestone, perhaps he left instructions not to. It just goes to show as well that the film '"The Great Escape " although based on the true story, was not completely accurate in that there were no Americans involved in escaping through the tunnel, and neither was the thrilling motor bike ride towards the end. Interesting to see that the Americans were holding some of the murderers for their own enquiries for war crimes.I find it's always best to read well written accounts of escapes - I have read a great deal about the Colditz ones as well. Going back to the Japanese POWs there were very few tried to escape - mainly because of the jungle and those that did try were found and executed in public after digging their own graves. I don't know if any soldier did successfully escape - It would be interesting to know. How fortunate that of the 200 prisoners that should have gone through the tunnel, did not do so because of 'holdups' in that the tunnel fell short of the woods and daylight was against them. Fate certainly stepped in there surely for those who were initially disappointed. There would most likely have been many more shot in the back....

Interesting photo Ron, just shows how labour intensive this mineshaft sinking was, there are at least three drilling crews one man with a sledge hammer another man with the drill rod, back breaking work. My uncle Charles worked at the Vic for many years.

Veronica. You mention Frank McKenna’s son. Is there any way he can be located?.

Albert: I googled - Wartimememoriesproject.com
On the first page his son Ian McKenna gives a citation about his father then if you press on 'Ian McKenna ' in Blue writing another page comes up inviting you to type a message in a box with a code. He mentions on the first page that his father had kept a diary that he is still looking for.
Good luck - it's quite straight forward- let me know if you succeed.

Put Frank McKenna's name with the email address I gave you Albert at the end of it. The page with his details will come up first..

Thank you for the information, Veronica. Blackpool Police are desirous of contacting a relative. I have passed your information on. Thank you once again.

The lagging was temporary as the shafts were brick lined. The chap holding the drill had the worst job because if the striker missed the drill rod he would have broken fingers

That's right Fred, and I'm also reminded of the harrowing situation described by a mining historian in a Melvyn Bragg? TV doc' a few years ago. The historian told of a young boy's death during his first day at work in a mine; The boy had been set to work alongside his father - the boy holding the 'bit' while his father 'struck'. Sickening.
And to think that the young lad would probably have endured an almost sleepless previous night, with thoughts of joining 'the men' in the morning, and for him to lose his life shortly afterwards.
A son lost, and a father's life shattered.