my father worked down the mines and got out when i was young, , my uncle (dads brother) worked for the mines (netherton colliery and then transfered to bates) until the 1984 strike and had to wait to retire(until the strike finished) my other uncles all worked in the mines lynmouth, ellington another at brenkley.... one of my grandfathers worked at woodhorn. they all said if there had been a choice they would have done something else. I was 'lucky' enough to go down netherton (for a look around to see what it was like) after it had stopped producing coal before being decomissioned and I personally think it was a horrible/dangerous place to earn your living, the environment is dark, dirty, stale, much better to be topside