Next a photo from 1970, shared by Andy Lynch. Pictured that year is 69 year old Sanny Frew, taken at the back of his house at 68 Auchinraith Road, Blantyre. Some people may remember Sanny sitting on the dyke outside his home and chatting to passers by?
This photo appeared in the newspaper in 1970, some 54 years ago. Alec (Sanny) Frew back in 1936 in pre WW2 years could not afford to stay off work after he had been trapped in a stone-fall 600 ft. down Priory Pit at Blantyre, Lanarkshire. After all he had a young wife and two children depending on him. So after his workmates had dragged him out, he struggled straight back to his place on the coalface although he had a leg and foot badly crushed.
He was determined to go on earning his 52 shillings a week pay.
But three weeks later gangrene set in. The leg was amputated. When he left hospital unable to work and hobbling on crutches all those years ago, he got compensation of 15 shillings a week from the coal owners and another 7s. 6d. a week from a miners fund.
His wife Agnes had to take a job in a factory to pay the rent.
Fast forward to 1970 to this time of this picture and 69-year-old Alec, still on his crutches and Agnes of Auchinraith road Blantyre were drawing £10 14s from the welfare office each week.
Alec said: “Cash is so short that we often have meals of vegetables which I grow in the back garden”
Economic times were especially hard in the 1970s, but like so many in distress Alec had thoughts for others commenting, “I honestly don’t know how other people manage to make ends meet on their allowances If it was not for friends and relatives we would never manage”
Sanny’s pit accident unfortunately is just one of hundreds of miners accidents in Blantyre over the decades. Accidents which so seriously affected how those people and their families lived the rest of their lives. Sanny is remembered here on Blantyre Project.
