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Working down the mine was a dreadfull experience for me as I was so timid and nervous, having no confidence in myself and also, it was embarrassing for me because I had not been used to hearing the language that I had to listen to continuously from the colliers. My Mother never swore and did not allow abscene language in our home.

We were protected from the nastier side of life and so when I started work, it was like throwing a sheep to the wolves who destroyed us by their obscenities and crude vulgar talk, it was nothing to see a man get his private parts out in front of everyone at the pit bottom when we were all waiting to get on the "chair" (cage which brought us out of the pit.)

My first experience of homesexuals was down the pit, as I had never heard of one and didn't know what they were or what they did and I was horrified when I found out and couldn't bring myself to even talk to them and they said of me ( isn't he a funny bugger ) he won't even talk to us and therefore I got a bad name, and I still feel revulsion at the mention of gays or queers.

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