Gresford, the Miners' Hymn
Soul Music
BBC
4.7 • 831 Ratings
🗓️ 7 February 2012
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
An exploration of the haunting melancholy of Gresford, the Miners' Hymn.
Written by a former miner, Robert Saint, to commemorate the Gresford pit disaster in 1934, it has been played at mining events ever since. George Leslie Lister wrote the words in 1970.
With the thoughts of Albert Rowlands who was working in the lamp-room of Gresford colliery when there was a devastating underground explosion. His father was among the men lost.
Plus the composer's grandson, David Saint, organist at St. Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham.
And Cecil Peacock, a former miner who recalls playing Gresford at the funerals of 83 miners who died following the Easington Colliery disaster in 1951.
With thanks to Trevor Sutherland and the Llay Welfare band.
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on Radio 4 in February 2012.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to quickly tell you about some others. |
| 0:05.1 | My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland. |
| 0:11.3 | It's a job I really love because we get to tell the stories that really matter to people here, |
| 0:16.2 | but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world. |
| 0:19.6 | And because the team is such a diverse range of skills and strengths, |
| 0:23.0 | we have trained journalists, people who love digging through archives, |
| 0:26.6 | we've got drama and even comedy experts. |
| 0:28.9 | We really can do those stories justice. |
| 0:31.5 | So if you like this podcast, head to BBC Sounds |
| 0:34.2 | where you'll find plenty more fascinating stories from all around the UK. |
| 0:39.3 | You're listening to a download of soul music from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:44.3 | My name is Albert Rowlands, born 2038, 1920, near Wrexham. |
| 0:53.9 | My father was a minor |
| 0:56.1 | working down Grassford Colory |
| 0:58.0 | regular nights |
| 0:59.2 | And in July |
| 1:00.9 | We broke up at school |
| 1:02.8 | For the summer holidays |
| 1:04.2 | And he just said to me |
| 1:06.3 | Well it's pointless you're going back |
| 1:08.0 | Because you'll only be back for a short time |
| 1:10.1 | And you'll be finished Because at 14 he finished school those days. |
... |
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