Jock Purdon
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George "Jock" Purdon (16 November 1925 – 1998) was a British poet and songwriter. Born in Nitshill near
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, a former
coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
village whose mine had closed before Purdon grew up, by a strange twist of fate Jock Purdon spent most of his life as a
coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extrac ...
in a pit in
Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...
,
County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...
. That occupation shaped his poems and songs and gave him the soubriquet "the miners' poet". Purdon was almost 14 years old when
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
began, and he saw his older brother, Robert, enlist in the
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regiment, serving as a
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until killed in France after the
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in 1944. When it was his turn to be conscripted, Purdon's National Service number ended in 0, which meant that he would not be joining his brother in the army – he was bound for the pits (coal mines). Because of the labour shortage in 1943, 1 man in 10 (drawn by lot each week, according to the final digit of their number) was conscripted to make up the manpower needs of the coal mining industry, and Purdon was one of the first contingent designated for the mines on 14 December 1943, becoming a so-called " Bevin Boy".
Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1940 and ...
was the Minister of Labour and National Service in the wartime coalition cabinet. Purdon married, stayed in
Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...
after the war and worked in the pits digging coal in three foot seams with water up to his knees at times. He saw and shared the hardship of the miners; many of his songs reflect the sense of community that an embattled people develop. But it was not all doom and gloom. While ''The Easington Explosion'' laments the deaths of eighty one miners in one accident, ''Hally's Piebald Galloway'' laments the loss of the Lumley pit banner, eaten by a
Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
pony; ponies were used to haul coal carts underground. Mining and politics are inseparable, and Purdon's verses captured his contempt for those who, in his view, put profit before people. He coined the word "Pitracide", meaning "to murder a pit for economic reasons". His commitment to his ideals and the mining community saw him performing his songs for the benefit of striking miners in the 1984–1985 miners' strike and appearing at the
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in the "Concert for Heroes" in 1986. He is reported to have said, "For me there's three great generals –
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,
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and
Arthur Scargill Arthur Scargill (born 11 January 1938) is a British trade unionist who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1982 to 2002. He is best known for leading the 1984–1985 UK miners' strike, a major event in the history o ...
". Purdon was featured on the
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''Everyman'' TV series; six of his songs appear in Bert Lloyd's definitive collection of pit poems and songs, ''Come All Ye Bold Miners'' and he published a radical album of poems and songs entitled ''Pitworks, Politics & Poetry''. In 2004 the Cotia banner (subject of one of Purdon's songs) was remade and carried to the
Durham Miners' Gala The Durham Miners' Gala is a large annual gathering and labour festival held on the second Saturday in July in the city of Durham, England. It is associated with the coal mining heritage (and particularly that of miners' trade unionism) of th ...
with pictures of Purdon and fellow miner and folksinger Jack Elliot of Birtley on the back. The banner was unfurled by
Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...
, who was an admirer of Purdon's poetry and songs.


Further reading

* ''Songs of the Durham Coalfield by Jock Purdon,'' Pit Lamp Press, Chester-le-Street, 1977


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purdon, Jock 1925 births 1998 deaths British coal miners British male songwriters Bevin Boys Writers from Glasgow People from Chester-le-Street Date of death missing Place of death missing 20th-century British poets 20th-century British musicians 20th-century British male writers