1918-39
Dorothy
Previous | Contents | Next As a kid I don’t recall Mum ever losing her aura of motherly capability, even though I did eventually come to suspect that Dad wasn’t quite Superman — when he took off his glasses, for example, and his eyes seemed to shrink into his head. ... Read more
Bible Class and the Post Office
Previous | Contents | Next In early 1936 Cliff started attending Bible classes, mainly because some of his friends were. Working on farms had meant few opportunities for socialising, and there were boys and girls in Bible class. The fact they were getting home from church as late as 11pm ... Read more
1936-41: God, Dorothy and the coming war
Contents When I visited him and Mum, and saw that he was still doing this I’d repeat my lecture about computer memory, and saving your work, and he’d say, “But surely it must be full up by now.” It reminds me of myself now — not bothering to comprehend or ... Read more
Tragedies
Previous | Contents | Next From Cliff’s notes ~ Ian. There was a large winch to haul skips of coal up the long underground drive — the tunnel that led to the coal face. A heavy, endless wire rope was used, which at the top and bottom of the drive ... Read more
The mine again, and a social life
Previous | Contents | Next After Cliff was fired by the miserable WH on January 7th 1936 he moved back home to his parents and started his second stint at the mine. Once again this is partly in his words, partly in mine from his notes. ~ Ian Cliff was ... Read more
Coal dust, hard work and hospital
Previous | Contents | Next These pages, which cover Cliff’s coal mining stories, are partly written by him, and partly by me, in the third person, based on his notes. His first job was at the Ackers mine, where he worked on at least three separate occasions, he said, as ... Read more
Coal mining in Hikurangi
Previous | Contents | Next Notes to give context to Cliff’s coal mining stories ~Ian. Coal was discovered in Waro (North of Hikurangi) and Kamo (North of Whangarei) in the 1860s, and commercial mining began in the ’70s. Cliff’s father John, or Jack, was just one of several miners and ... Read more
From Westhoughton to Hikurangi
Previous | Contents | Next This page is an extract from The Coal Miner’s Son, Cliff’s stories about the Depression and WW2, and the navigation reflects that. Click here if you want to return to THE BAUGHS. ~ Ian § Most of the following is in the first person, written by Dad, ... Read more
1936: Coal mining
Contents Some of the following is in the first person, written by him, some in the third person, written by me and based on two separate sets of his notes. I’ve summarised a bit in the interests of a clearer narrative. His original scanned notes fill in the (occasionally conflicting) ... Read more