As I said during the last two mine disasters, at times like this I always remember the words of Tommy Armstrong, the Pitman’s Poet:
God protect the lonely widow,
Help to raise each drooping head;
Be a father to the orphans,
Never let them cry for bread.
Death will pay us all a visit,
They have only gone before;
We may meet the Trimdon victims
Where explosions are no more.
Those words were written after the Trimdon Grange Disaster of 1882 and have lost none of their power. Even though safety techniques have made mining a much safer profession, explosions are an ever-present danger in mines. God bless the families of Montcoal.