Working in the pits was a dirty and hard job. 

It was a common sight to see a wife refusing to let her husband into the house after he had been down in the pits, and often they made the dirty husband change outside the house! 

Although working in the pits was a dirty and labors job, many enjoyed it as the work was varied and unusual. One of the pit workers who greatly enjoyed their job was Arthur Ramson of Forsbrook who comments, 'working in the pits was a varied job and I loved the idea of doing a different job every day.' Arthur also loved the great teamwork atmosphere that was so obviously present down in the pits if you want to find out more go to www.iea-coal.org.uk