02x10 - Gresford

[bunniefuu]

[fans shouting]

PHIL PARKINSON:
Come on, boys.

Relish it.
We're playing at home.

Okay, we spoke about yesterday

about it being a special day
for the club, okay,

and how we pay tribute to that

is by putting in
a really good performance.

[announcer speaking
indistinctly]

MARK GRIFFITHS:
As both sides make their way

onto the Racecourse pitch, Wrexham

looking to try and make it...

CROWD:
Wrexham! Wrexham!

MARK: This is a football town.
It's a hardworking town.

We've been through
difficult times lately,

but the mining
is a massive part of that.

[light music]

We had
the most horrific disaster.

And I'm not saying most

in a pejorative sense.

Factually
the worst mining disaster

in the history of Britain
happened in the 1930s

just on the edge of Wrexham
in the Gresford mine.

And before things
get underway here,

there will be a minute's silence

for the Gresford Colliery disaster.

♪ ♪

WAYNE JONES:
It was well over 200 people

that perished that day.

The story of Wrexham supporters

that swapped shifts
so they could watch Wrexham,

and then, sadly, the people
that obviously replaced them

passed away, so it's
another example, I guess,

of what the football club
means to the people,

that they would swap shifts

to go do a night shift
rather than a day shift

just to be able to come
and watch the football club

going back all them years,
you know?

So, you know, the people from
the outside now that will say

the way they are,
Hollywood FC and all that,

they have no idea about us
as a club.

You know, they have no idea
of the disaster

that was Gresford Colliery
that these people went through

to be able to come
and watch this football team.

SCOTT GALLOWAY:
A disaster like that

in a town of that size

can literally kind of
be the starting g*n

for a slow demise to oblivion.

There's the economic damage.

There's the emotional trauma.

It's not a foregone conclusion
that a town like this survives.

[birds chirping]

SINGER: ♪ Don't forget
where you came from ♪

♪ Don't forget
what you're made of ♪

♪ The ones who were there ♪

♪ When no one else
would care ♪

♪ Don't be afraid to cry now ♪

♪ Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪

[birds chirping]

ALAN JONES:
Well, I've been before.

I don't know if you remember
the talk we did.

It's about the coal mining
industry in Wrexham,

the Gresford Colliery
in particular.

Have we got any
Wrexham supporters?

Wow, that's brilliant.

Anybody got the shirt?

What's the numbers on the back?

ALAN: So it's a real big
remembrance of what went on.

My name is Alan Jones.
This is my wife, Margaret.

I'm chair of the Friends of the
Gresford Disaster Memorial.

And Margaret is the secretary,
sweeper-up,

pot-washer,
and everything else associated.

Now, that's a picture of the
shaft when it was being dug.

Can you imagine?

It's nearly half a mile deep

with tunnels
running under this area.

Very close connection
to this school.

Now, we come to
September the 21st, 1934.

If they'd have obeyed
the new legislation,

every coalface would've
had fresh air.

But because
of the old legislation,

the same air was going round
every piece of the colliery,

picking up dust, picking up gas,

and then eventually,

a spark or a flame
ignited the gas.

[expl*si*n booms]

NARRATOR:
A terrific blast

awoke the sleeping town
of Wrexham.

expl*si*n and fire at Gresford

was the dread message.

NARRATOR: While at the
pithead, groups of miners,

their wives and children,

are waiting
and fearing the worst.

NARRATOR 2: Men from the
surrounding pits ceased work

and rushed to help
in the task of rescue.

Already three
of these heroic men

have lost their lives,
and as they fall,

overcome by the dread gas,
others are waiting, undaunted,

to take their places.

ALAN: The 22nd,
people waiting for news.

All them people
looking for their family.

Their dads, their uncles,
their sons.

Men arriving, desperate to help,

whatever they could,

to do what they could
on land or underground.

At one time, there were
over 200 men underground

fighting the fires and trying
to hold the roof up.

But it was impossible.

MARGARET JONES: There were 261
left without a dad.

[church bells ringing]

PRODUCER: And how old were you
when your father passed away?

Three year old.

My father's name
was William Crump.

He was 38...

When he was k*lled
in the disaster.

But I used to peek
through the window,

'cause you'd hear them going
up the street in their clogs.

I remember Mum,
she used to scream,

used to shout
'cause she was in so much pain.

They decided
to brick that part off.

And my youngest brother,
he went to work down the mine

and he said,

"I wanted to knock
that wall down."

Because somebody had said that
the bodies could be recovered.

There's no need for them
to be down there.

They could've brought them out.

RUBY'S DAUGHTER: They wanted
them to have a burial, Mum,

didn't they?

And... yeah, was...
That didn't happen.

They should've tried
a bit harder that they can

get them out, you know.

Why couldn't we have Dad out?

BRYN LAW: The history
is very significant

in terms of the football because

I think it's got to be important

that there were
so many mining communities

around Wrexham
that Wrexham took to football

almost before anywhere else.

That's why you have
that 1864 on the badge.

You know, that's very,
very early on

in the history of football.

Because you've got guys
who are working underground,

the hardest jobs,
the worst jobs,

looking for some form
of recreation

when they get back
above the surface.

They like a pint,
plenty of pubs around,

but they want to do something
as well.

And football took off massively
in this part of the world.

NARRATOR: Legend has it
that many years ago,

whenever a first-class
football club in the North

or Midlands wanted a player,

the club manager just went
to the nearest coal mine

and shouted down the pit shaft.

ROB McELHENNEY: Hi.
MARGARET: Oh, hi.

How are you?
Rob McElhenney.

This is my father, Bob.

BOB: Well, hello.
- Hey, Bob. Big Al.

- Big Al.
- I don't know why.

I can see that. I get that.
[Margaret laughs]

ROB: So here we are.

You've got mining connections.

- We do.
- Is that on your dad's side?

Yes, it is. My great...
BOB: Yeah, yeah.

Would it be
your great-grandfather

was a miner in...

My great-grandfather was, yeah.

Right, they... first
they started off in Donegal,

right, and then they came over
to Milford.

You know, Glasgow.
ALAN: Yeah.

[upbeat funky music]

After the First World w*r,
industry was left...

In this country,
was just left to go.

The shipyards were struggling,

the steel industry
was struggling,

and it was vital for Wrexham

that the coal industry
kept going.

It employed the vast majority

or involved the vast majority
of the town.

Coal mining
is what put the "Great"

into Great Britain.

The coal that was raised
drove the ships.

It drove the railways.

It was the only
real employment in the area,

and people were desperate,
desperate for work.

SCOTT: The great arbitrage
of the 20th century

that fueled the economy globally

was this arbitrage
between fossil fuels,

turning them into energy.

Pittsburgh where there was,
you know, steel mining

or Detroit building automobiles

or the town of Wrexham
and mining,

but it's come at a huge cost,

and that cost is primarily
to middle-class people

who are more manual jobs
who aren't living in a city.

You know,
there was pretty much one,

you know, buyer of your labor.

And so you weren't...
There wasn't a negotiation.

It was a decision.

Do you want to provide
for your family or not?

There's this tragic life
before the disaster.

This is hard living,
to try and get through this.

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

Another point.

Um, they were paid on
the Friday, a lot of the men,

so when they went down the pit,

their wages were
in their pockets.

BOB: Oh, jeez.

Seven shillings
and three-quarter pence.

That was it.
- That was per week.

- That was per week.
- Per week, yeah.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

So they're still
lying there now.

So the families
didn't even get that.

ALAN: They didn't get zilch.

And the wages
of the miners that d*ed

actually stopped at...

- 2:00 in the morning.
- 2:00 in the morning.

They didn't get paid
for a full shift.

The time of the expl*si*n.

The owners ruled
with an iron rod.

Health and safety was...
It didn't exist.

It was get the coal out
at all costs.

♪ ♪

ROB: So how long has
the memorial been here?

ALAN: Uh, since 1982.

MARGARET:
Which was 48 years in waiting.

There wasn't a memorial
put up straightaway

after the disaster,
the reason being

the vested interests
of the mine owners

who wanted to avoid punishment.

NARRATOR:
Nationwide interest

centers on Wrexham church hall,

where the Ministry of Mines

opens its inquiry into
the Gresford pit disaster.

Miners thrown out of work
by the catastrophe

eagerly queue up for places.

Many of these men were among
the 480 at the coalface

when the expl*si*n occurred,
k*lling 264 men.

This being Britain,
the upper classes win.

In the end,
Bonsall and the mine company

were convicted but only for
inadequate recordkeeping.

They were fined
a pathetic ££140.

BRYN:
I think people still know

that you've got to be very,
very careful about those

who come in and profess to say,
"We're gonna...

You know, you're gonna
help us do this."

Rob and Ryan might have
encountered it

to an extent, you know?

That was one of the hurdles
that they had to overcome

because of things like Gresford.

I think it's very worthwhile
that we remember

that one
awfully significant event

as a part in the bigger picture

in terms of the history
of the place.

So what does
the colliery wheel actually do?

We'd have an engine house
there, yeah,

with a rope going up

around the wheel
and down the shaft.

So there'd be a cage that would

wind up and down with the men.

So this is actually
how the men traveled down...

ALAN: Yeah, yeah.
- Into the mine?

ALAN: Yes. Half a mile.

ROB:
Half a mile into the ground?

Okay, can you take us
to the other wheels that were...

ALAN: To the sister wheel?

ROB: To the sister wheel, please.

ALAN: Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
It's not very far up the road.

The wheel was abandoned
by the previous owners

and buried it
in the ground here.

ROB: Ah.

But you can see the size.

ROB:
Take a picture of it for Ryan.

ALAN: Yeah.
- He'll wanna see this.

♪ ♪

It was always in the plans

when we were working
with the local architects

and engineers about the design
for the new Kop...

ALAN: Yeah.

ROB: That we wanted to make
sure that we were honoring

the coal mining industry
in any way that we could,

so as you can see
with the façade of the brick

and then in the color.
BOB: Mm-hmm.

ROB: And then we wanted
to find ways in which

we could just be pretty overt
with our respect,

and I think this would
be a good way,

to take the sister wheel,
to put it in a respectful place

up near the stand
for the new Kop.

For this to go to the Racecourse

and be mounted up would be the...

[chuckling] Wow.
The utmost pleasure of my life.

ROB: Mm.
- Sorry, Mag.

[laughter]

But it would...
It's so important.

Anybody in Wrexham
with a mining connection,

and there's not many
that haven't,

they're gonna be so pleased.

Well, thank you so much
for showing us this.

Hopefully, we can do it justice.

♪ ♪

ROB: All right, what were you
saying when we got in the car?

BOB: Yeah, so we were
getting in the car

and I'm just thinking...

ROB: Actually, if you hit
that button here,

it'll close that
so it's not so loud.

Right:
BOB: This guy?

ROB: Window open? Yeah.

Yeah.

ROB: We're running sound,
though, still?

ROB: So is picture running?

ROB: Okay, great.

So this is so great that

we're dealing with fog issues
on the lens.

BOB: Right.

'Cause it's indicative
of how ridiculous

modern life is

compared to... compared
to the way it used to be.

You know, those guys
would have to go to work

in these same conditions

and they wouldn't have to worry
about defogging a lens

to sh**t their bullshit
Hollywood documentary.

They'd be going a half a mile
into the ground.

Into the ground, right,
just gobbling them up.

I was struck by the fact

that they were going down
like that,

and I thought to myself,
how unfortunate

that I never had a chance
to talk to my dad

about going down into
those ships, those cargo ships.

I think, as a longshoreman,
that's what they did, right?

Back in his earlier days,

they would literally go down
into the bowels of these ships

and get all the stuff
out of there.

And I never took that
into consideration as a kid.

I just figured, well,
he went to work,

he brought his check home,
and we... you know,

we went off to school.

But, you know,
the symbolism of the wheel,

I just hope that it's just
a symbol of what people were.

You know, these are the people
whose shoulders,

you know,
that we're standing on.

ROB: It's just
a reminder that, you know,

everybody can find a connection

to what that means
in their community

or in their life.

My father was
talking about Vietnam,

and he was saying how
everybody knew somebody

who was k*lled in Vietnam.

Certainly in our community.

There's something quite
unifying about that.

Even though one is a vocation,
one is w*r,

it was a very specific
kind of person

that was k*lled in that w*r,

and it was a very specific
kind of person

that was k*lled in that mine.

And I think almost everybody
across the world

can identify with people
like that.

BOB: The people were waiting,
they're raising their family,

and now all of a sudden,

you know, your husband's
not coming home tonight.

And yet they go on, right?
ROB: Yeah.

Life goes on.

ROB: No other choice.
- Nope. Nope.

♪ ♪

BRYN: So we get further away
from it,

but the connection
still remains strong.

But the football club
took that up,

and it's largely driven in
many ways by the football club,

that this has become a big part

of what's happened
in Wrexham's recent history,

to be honest, and the football
club should take credit,

I think, for reminding people

about what's gone on
in this community

beyond the football club.

And if they wonder why

people have fought so hard
for their football club,

then perhaps these kinds of
things are the reason for that.

[band playing "Yma o Hyd"]

MARK:
There's a folk song

about 40 years old
and written in Welsh

that was written originally
as a political song

referring to our relationship
with England

that's been adopted
by the football fans

in some Welsh towns,
including here in Wrexham.

It has a lot of resonance for us

because of what
we've been through,

like the Gresford disaster.

It's called "Yma o Hyd,"

which translates
as "We're Still Here."

Because we are.

♪ ♪

There's pride in it,
and even though the mines

were shut down in the '80s,

I don't think you change

from your character
that quickly.

♪ ♪

[applause]

All those things are entwined
in terms of the DNA,

as we might now describe it,
of Wrexham.

That industrial past
is hugely significant,

and football's
also hugely significant.

The idea that miners
are trading shifts

so they could go out
and watch a match

before going back down
speaks volumes

to how ingrained and how much
of a part of the fabric

of culture in Wrexham
this club is.

It's nothing to be trifled with.

That's for sure.

ROB: The disaster happened


but those people are still here.

Miners,

porters,

painters,

bartenders, teachers...

The people who wake up every day

and put in an honest shift.

[light music]

And every Saturday, they want
to come to the Racecourse

and feel victorious,
so every win, every goal

is a victory for them.

And if we don't
do everything on our end

for them to feel that,
then shame on us,

because they deserve it.

Because Wrexham is the town
that's still here.

[whistle blows]

[crowd cheering]

["Yma o Hyd"]

♪ ♪

MARK:
The corner is whipped in.

SINGER: [singing in Welsh]

MARK: Oh, it's a chance!
It's a goal!

♪ ♪

Jones!

Oh, it's a ricochet in!

[crowd yelling]

♪ ♪

MARK: Oh, it's a cross
this time towards Mullin!

[crowd cheering]

MARK: Corner comes in again.

Hayden!
Oh!

♪ ♪

It's Lee! Cuts it back!

Dalby!

♪ ♪

[all singing in Welsh]

MARK: [speaking indistinctly]

MARK: Oh, what a pass that is!

[child giggles, seagull cries]