Hello mining historians,
Peter Claughton wrote:
>>I would also like to write about the fact that there can
>>be seen strong heroism of miners in general in the
>>postcard period, which seems very different from the
>>Japanese miners. I can see the atmosphere of masculine
>>sense in the history of Japanese coal mining, but the British
>>miners' heroism seems much stronger.
>>Do you have any references on this issue in the field of
>>the social or cultural history of mines?
this is not a direct answer to your question, but I
take the liberty to add a story about 'mining-heroism'
in Germany, to be more precise, in the former GDR
(East Germany).
I own a book titled
'Er sprengte den Ring, Der Beitrag Adolf Hennekes
zur Herausbildung einer breiten Aktivistenbewegung'
('He broke the ring', Adolf Hennekes' contribution to
a wide activist-movement') telling the story
of a 'high-power shift' by the collier Adolf Henneke,
who produced 380 percent of the daily target
at the Karl Liebknecht shaft in Oelsnitz.
The book describes him as a 'hero of work'
and a shining example of a real Socialist.
The photograph on the book cover shows him
with a pneumatic hammer working a coal seam
in a pose resembling a war hero with his
machine gun.
Here are the details about the book
(but, I dont think, that it is still available):
publisher: Bergbaumuseum Karl-Liebknecht-Schacht
Oelsnitz/Erzgebirge 1986
editor: Helmut Scheibner
graphics: Manfred König, VBK-DDR
printed by: Druckwerkstätten Stollberg VOB
My subjective impression is, that there is (was?) some
kind of miners' heroism in Germany (East and West) too.
This is indicated by the proudness displayed by
miners on photographs and also by the specific
traditions accustomed by miners (e.g. wearing
uniforms, performing mining specific music).
And, of course, German miners tend to emphasize,
that a mine is a man's world (forgetting the fact,
that this was completely different in former times).
Just a few thoughts
Greetings and Glück Auf
Harald
--
Dr.-Ing. Harald Finster / Aachen Germany
http://www.finster-stahlart.de industrial history and architecture
http://www.astrid-aix.de gallery: watercolours and oil paintings
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