'Perhaps Lottery funding could help to achieve a permanent tribute to our heroic miners'.

Star letter DAN O'Neill's suggestion of a miners' cenotaph is an excellent idea.

I can imagine such a memorial being established close to the statue of Nye Bevan in Queen Street, two icons of Welsh life standing together.

Maybe your writing skills, Dan, and the good offices of the South Wales Echo could launch this project, perhaps Lottery money might help to achieve a permanent tribute to a heroic group of men. In your article you mention Edith Lilian Humphries. This lady was my aunt, always known as Aunty Lil in my house. Her husband John Philip Humphries was my father's brother. I was called John Humphries after him.

John Phillip was working with his father at the time, and they perished together. My grandfather's brother also died in the Senghenydd explosion.

Senghenydd pit was in two parts. The explosion wreaked havoc in the west side. My father had two other brothers working in the east side, they both came out alive.

There are many tales of remarkable escapes that day. My father's story is somewhat poignant.

The wife of a friend of my father, gave birth on the Saturday before the explosion.

Because neighbours would help out the wife and newborn child during the day, the husband wanted to be at home at night for the first week or so to care for his wife and for her not to be alone.

This my father changed shifts with his friend. This meant my father working the night of October 13/14 in the west side. He had arrived home when the explosion occurred.

His friend sadly died along with so many others, leaving wife, newborn child and several other children. My father was one of the last to come out of the west side alive. He gave evidence at the inquest and official inquiry. I have been able to read reports of both in the local archive office at City Hall. It was moving to read exchanges between my father and lawyers after so many years.

I would however, like to thank you for your efforts to establish a memorial and believe that ultimately you will succeed. Good luck in your efforts.

John Humphries Princes Avenue, Caerphilly So moving I WAS very moved by Dan O'Neill's idea for a remembrance cenotaph, for the miners who tragically lost their lives in the mines which made Cardiff what it is today.

I have read the article over and over again and I think it is nothing short of a literary masterpiece, a pleasure to read. On the subject of the Senghenydd disaster of 1913, I was moved to tears.

Being a former native of the area, it brought back memories of the stories my grandfather used to relate to us as children. My schoolmaster was the first person to tell us the story of the worst mining tragedy in the UK ever.

We then questioned granddad but he did not like talking about it that much but, however, he eventually succumbed to our demands and the stories came flowing out.

He had worked in nearby Llanbradach colliery shortly after the disaster occurred and he had known some of the men who lost their lives. He had cousins who perished down that mine and was always thinking about them on October 14 every year. He gave me his sympathy card that he received from the authorities at that time, along with a message from King George.

I did not know who my relatives were who got killed, but every time I drive past the site of that pit it brings a lump to my throat an sends a shiver up my spine. I want to let people know there are others constantly thinking about those losses and would welcome the sight of a cenotaph in memory of all miners who lost their lives over the years.

I was very shocked by some of the things my grandfather said but in particular I was most disturbed when he told me that the pit horses were worth more to the coal owners than miners.

He said that if a horse was lost, the coal owners would have to buy another, but if a man was lost they just got another one and paid them next to nothing for working long hours, sometimes in complete darkness while risking their lives in the bargain.

In other words they valued horses and equipment more than their workers.

I wish Dan and all concerned well in their quest for the appropriate cenotaph in memory of all those men and boys.

Barrie Evans Friars Road, Barry Island Lucky escape I AGREE whole heartedly, with Dan O'Neill, that it is high time a memorial of some kind should be erected in Cardiff, or maybe in some other part of South Wales, to remember all those brave men and boys who lost their lives down in the bowels of the Earth and were paid a lot less than pounds 1 a ton.

With so much dust about you could not see your mate three foot away only his lamp showing red not white as it should be.

If you have never been underground to look around, never mind work, you have no idea what it's all about, like the old saying "ignorance is bliss".

I worked in the coal mines too, and I shall never forget the last afternoon shift I worked, with my mate Eddie Hughes. It had been raining heavily for days on end and we were working in a small mine on the outskirts of Tonmawr.

We were only in about 100-150 yards, the ground on the mountainside was saturated. It was 10.30pm. I looked at my watch and said to my mate "come on, we should have been home now".

We had done our work repairing and putting up props. He said "let's fill this drain first", I said "no, I am off". I walked back into the main road I thought my eyes were playing tricks with me. The bottoms of the timber were spreading out at the base. I called my mate and shouted "come on Eddie we have a squeeze on, it's caving in".

He came back and saw it. I said "we are not going to prop that lot up. Run for it". The entrance to the mine was about nine foot. I got through four foot and my mate three foot on his hands and knees.

We looked at each other in the light from our lamps and then looked back at where we had come from as the earth caved in and just like a sigh all the air that was left just blew out. We were at most, 15 seconds from being buried alive. I wake up now at night and think about it after 60 years and it gives me the creeps. I don't go back to sleep after that.

We stood on the mountainside under the stars. Eddie's father, my father and about four to five others were walking towards us and were relieved to see us, they thought the worst had happened. Eddie's father and Ike Allen were part owners. There were nine of us who worked there just for fun, we called the mine "Step and Fetch it". If you wanted anything you walked out for it, tea break 11.30am, walk out to the shed for it. We had some fun in that place.

Get the lads going Dan, I am sure you will get 100% support.

Bernard George Tharsis Close, Adamsdown, Cardiff

CAPTION(S):

The coffins of miners are carried after the Senghenydd pit disaster in 1913. Readers have backed Dan O'Neill's suggestion of a miners' cenotaph