The Auchengeich Mining Disaster by Hugh Gaffney. Thursday 9th January at 7:30pm in the Park Centre

 The Auchengeich disaster was Scotland’s worst mining disaster post war, which happened in the early hours of Friday the 18th September 1959, with a fire which killed 47 men who were on a death train heading deep inside Auchengeich Pit. Hugh will ask if this accident could have been avoided?

Hugh will look back at the history of Auchengeich Pit, from the village Bridgend created for the working miners through to the community of Moodiesburn. He will ask what happened to the children who today they have never forgotten their fathers, and describe a memorial service to these men, which was created from striking miners. For the first time we will see some faces of the 47 miners of Auchengeich. We learn about some of the men’s lives outside mining, we will hear from the children, whose father, brother, son have gone but they have never been forgotten.

Memorial to the Auchengeich Miners, Moodiesburn (Photo by J M Reid)

Hugh is a passionate trade union representative who believes in justice for workers. He has been an active trade union representative with the Communications Workers Union (CWU) for 35 years and was an active trade union Secretary in the North Lanarkshire Trade Union Council.  In 2017 he was a local District Councillor for Thorniewood Ward in North Lanarkshire Council and in the same year became a Labour Member of Parliament for Coatbridge Chryston and Bellshill. He remains an active trade union representative as the Scottish Political Secretary for the Communications Workers Union and at the present time is writing the history of the Auchengeich Miners Disaster.