Public meetings to create tribute to miners killed in Kirkcaldy pit tragedy

Five men were killed when the roof of the Kirkcaldy pit collapsed on May 10, 1973. Now three former miners want to see a permanent memorial set up in the Lang Toun. Pat Egan, from Glenrothes, Iain Chalmers from Lochgelly, and Councillor Tom Adam have set up public meetings in Kirkcaldy, Cardenden, Buckhaven and Glenrothes to discuss plans for a fitting memorial - and where it should be located.

The 50th anniversary of the tragedy was marked with a moving ceremony organised by local scouts at Seafield beach in summer, with a two minutes silence at 5:45pm - the exact time of the roof collapse underground which led to the tragedy and sparked a major rescue operation.

On the evening of May 10, 1973, the roof of D22 - a steep seam which stretched out under the Firth of Forth - suddenly fell in, trapping nine men deep underground. A large section of the roof gave way, collapsing and then sliding downward. Of the 169 numbered supports holding up the ceiling, 65 in the middle had been toppled and were swept away by the falling rock. The fall itself was up to eight feet high in places, with nine men trapped in darkness, deep under the Firth of Forth.

Miners sprung into action as they set about freeing their trapped colleagues, and rescue missions continued well into the night. The town lost five miners – James Comrie, 49, assistant shearer operator; Angus Guthrie, 20, brusher; Robert Henderson, 59, chocker; James Holmes, 53, chocker and Thomas Kilpatrick, 38, leading man. The searches continued in the hope of finding more survivors. In the early hours of the following morning, four miners were brought out alive, but one of them later died. It took one month for the last body to be found and brought to the surface.

The meetings to discuss a memorial take place at Templehall Community Centre, Kirkcaldy, on November 13; Ciswo Club, Glenrothes, on November 14; Buckhaven Community Centre, November 15; and Corrie Centre, Cardenden, November 20. They start at 7:00pm and are open to all.