Topic: Roger Guppy
hi Roger, just curious to know if you recieved my e-mail on Spring hill.,....
...Badeye
one caper after another
- Roger Guppy
- The Laid Back Moderator
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Re: Roger Guppy
Hi Badeye,
I received the about your Dad and that you were trying to get a photo of him for me and also the link to the Glace Bay mining museum. By the way a photo of the award he received from Prince Phillip would be great if you can manage that too.
And for anyone who is wondering about these cryptic messages. Badeye's Father was in the rescue team for the 1958 mining disaster at Springhill, Nova Scotia. A very brave man.
Roger
"Do, or do not; there is no try"
Re: Roger Guppy
I found the picture Roger, need to take digital pic. will send when that gets done. Thanks Roger.
...Badeye.
one caper after another
Re: Roger Guppy
Hi Badeye,
Wonderful stuff. You must be so proud of your Dads memory?. While the disasters are sad,
they make great reading as to the bravery of the human spirit.
I to have some great memorabilia in my possession. A grand father saved 15 people at sea and was awarded the Albert Medal. I have all his medals and parchements, Also a beautiful Hunter Fob watch and chain,
This was presented to him by a very wealthy well known woman at that time. He saved her and her baby from drowning that day. He had to drag a heavy furcoat off of her, as it was pulling her and her baby down with the weight of it. He was a powerful swimmer. Cold water never bothered him. He would swim everyday, christmas day
included.
This womans baby died some years ago, a very old lady. Her wishes were to have "Her ashes" brought from abroad back to Dunlaoigre to be cast on the Irish Sea. Which was done with a beautiful ceremony.
They were wonderful proud brave men.
God to them.
Old Doll.
Why Blend in with the Crowd ? When you were made to stand out !
Re: Roger Guppy
Thank you Old Doll,I enjoyed reading your post.
At 8:06 pm, October 28 1958,A tremendous roar shook every home in Springhill,dishes rattled,windows cracked and telephones throughout town went dead. It could be felt in town miles from the mine.It left 76 men dead with 11 trapped 13 thousand feet underground. My dad and his
draegerman crew were the first to reach those miners that were still alive. He talked about the horror of finding the dead miners and the joy of finding the 11 that survived.The story goes to say that after 5 days their food and water ran out so they lived on hope and songs to keep sane. Prince Phillip of England presented my dads crew with Gold rings for bravery. There is only five known rings in the world.
CBC telivision has footage of the rescue and you can see my dad bringing the first alive miner to the surface. My dad was a coal miner for forty years and well respected in our town which I am very proud of. When he passed on he left the ring to me and I will pass it on to a nephew when the time comes.
Roger Guppy recorded "The Ballad Of Springhill" and is a beautiful version of the events at Springhill. Thanks Roger.
I have a book of coal mining songs that I like to play
as it reminds me of my father.
Thanks... Badeye.
one caper after another
Re: Roger Guppy
Nice post badeye, much respect to your Father and you............
Kindest regards,
SouthPaw41L
Give everything but up.
Re: Roger Guppy
Thank you Southpaw,coal mining was a very dangerous job.
Today the coal mines that operated since 1720 in Cape Breton are all closed down. When coal was king on Cape Breton it empolyed over 12,000 men. Seems everything in our town of Glace Bay was run on coal. Today young people have to leave town and go to Alberta or other places to find jobs. The economy in Glace Bay and surrounding areas is in bad shape. There is some talk of opening a new mine but seems to be always delayed by goverment. It is so bad that the school kids find it hard to get homework.[joke]
thanks again... Badeye.
one caper after another