Old King Coal was a merry old sole, and a merry old soul was he ..

Photograph Quiz:

Photo no. 140:- This gentleman was not a particular star …. but he knew how to work his handicap!! I don’t suppose you know his name Blog, or why he was special … what did he organise??? Where did he work???? All the answers are contained in my ‘History of Coventry Godiva Harriers and Other Clubs in the City’. If I could finance it, I would produce it in three volumes:- Volume 1 “The First 67 Years”, Volume 11 “The Second 67 Years” and Volume 111 “Me, Myself and I”.

Dear Blog,

          One of my trudges, used when tired, is from the Warwick University to the Greenway (the old railway track) and around the country pathways, taking in Crackley Woods, and back. Twenty five years ago, there was great concern because the area around the old railway track was the preferred site for the proposed new super coal pit. Part of the reasoning for that particular choice was the simplified infra-structure offered to the coal mine by the easy reinstatement of this railway, closed by the Dr Beeching cuts of 1963 (March 27^th is the 50^th anniversary of his report – a report that change the face of transportation in this country, Blog, I kid you not). Now Daw Mill, a few miles to the north was closed down for good last week due to an underground fire with the loss of several hundred jobs. Daw Mill was the site of the foundation of the Democratic Mineworkers Union, which backed Thatcher in her fight with the National Union of Mineworkers, the conflict causing so much family strife when close relations opted to support different factions in the dispute, brother against brother, father against son; I taught in a mining village at the time and it was not a nice place to be. Daw Mill leaves millions of tons of coal reserves under Warwickshire. Interesting that not only those reserves but the vast coalfield stretching towards Birmingham would be easily accessible from the Greenway area … and of course, with the building of High Speed 2 railway line, a means of distribution of mined coal stocks would be available with no cost of expensive infra-structure in the form of a rail head, falling on the Coal Company – a mouthwatering prospect, killing a whole flock of birds with a single well aimed stone. It has been tentatively suggested already in high energy places (or so I am lead to believe, hint, hint, nod, nod) and at least one Freedom of Information Act request has been made for any details that may or may not be available to the public at the moment. Six months down the line (pun intended Blog!! Is that clever or is that clever??) the newspapers will climb on board the train (oh Colin, you are such a literary tease). It will be intriguing to see which way the politicians play the story with an election not too far away … HS2, environment, national energy shortage looming, stacks of easily accessible coal (without the need for a deep mine?). Mmmmmm interesting.

       As part of my ‘History of Coventry Godiva Harriers and Other City Clubs’ I get requests for information about relatives who may or may not have been in Godiva. I have said this to you before Blog. Also I get supplies of information from interested relatives which often opens up new lines of enquires to me. One such request last week, involved me doing a search of results in the 70s. Have I told you before Blog, that I never kept a training log Blog, of my performances. Slogging through pages and pages of past results, I was amazed to find that I had run on the track at Crystal Palace in the Inter Counties!!! I could remember running in the 20 mile road race (32 kilometres to you Blog) for my county but have not the slightest recollection of running 10 kilomtres on the track. Worrying or what Blog?????????????? Now ask me what my trudge was ten days, ten months, ten years ago and there is no problem, but yesterday’s evening meal. Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

               Cloin