Interviews of David Bertram

In this interview, David Bertram, (b.1938 in Pathhead) talks about going to school in the village and then becoming a miner. David didn't enjoy school (especially recalling the very strict headmaster) and was glad to leave aged 15. His father was a miner and David also went into mining. He went first to Castle mine and he recalls how you learned 'on the job' and he describes miners as the greatest men that lived. He went on to work at Cowdenfoot (Dalkeith) and later Monktonhall. He describes the harsh, difficult and very often dangerous work he did, and this included his time as shot firer (working with explosives).

At Monktonhall, he recalls lunch was eaten at the coal face, standing at your station, in a short, 20-minute break. At Monktonhall, David eventually had responsibility for co-ordinating a workforce of 3,000 men, and was answerable only to the manager of the pit. This was the time of Margaret Thatcher and David, a strong Labour supporter, recalls the closure of the pits, which included Monktonhall. Thereafter, he got a job as a delivery driver and, later, worked as a storeman at the Esk Valley college.