This monument was unveiled on 11 June 1980 in Glace Bay by two local coal miners, Steve Warcop and Fred Binder. The date, 11 June, is significant. It is known as “Davis Day” in Cape Breton, in honour of New Waterford coal miner William Davis who was killed during the 1925 strike. The monument, produced by John D. Steele Company in North Sydney, is composed of a tall, black-granite shaft topped with the bust of a coal miner. The bust that sits upon the monument is an exact replica of the bust on top of the miners’ monument in Sydney Mines.
An inscription reads:
Miners’ Monument. Erected in grateful memory to the coal miners from Glace Bay and surrounding areas who have lost their lives in the coal industry. Their contributions to our industrial society have been incalculable, their sacrifices great.
The dedication ceremony began with a rendition of O Canada, followed by an opening prayer and the unveiling. After the dedication, read by Rev. Terrance Power of St. Leo’s Parish, those present joined together in a minute of silence in remembrance of miners who had been killed in the local collieries. [1] This was an especially somber occasion because the previous year, on 24 February 1979, an explosion at the Dominion No. 26 Colliery in Glace Bay killed 12 men and seriously injured four others. The explosion was the result of concentrated methane gas. The Glace Bay miners’ memorial commemorates the men killed in this explosion, as well as many other citizens in the community who had been injured or killed in the mines.
Footnotes
[1] Cape Breton Post, 10 June 1980.
An inscription reads:
Miners’ Monument. Erected in grateful memory to the coal miners from Glace Bay and surrounding areas who have lost their lives in the coal industry. Their contributions to our industrial society have been incalculable, their sacrifices great.
The dedication ceremony began with a rendition of O Canada, followed by an opening prayer and the unveiling. After the dedication, read by Rev. Terrance Power of St. Leo’s Parish, those present joined together in a minute of silence in remembrance of miners who had been killed in the local collieries. [1] This was an especially somber occasion because the previous year, on 24 February 1979, an explosion at the Dominion No. 26 Colliery in Glace Bay killed 12 men and seriously injured four others. The explosion was the result of concentrated methane gas. The Glace Bay miners’ memorial commemorates the men killed in this explosion, as well as many other citizens in the community who had been injured or killed in the mines.
Footnotes
[1] Cape Breton Post, 10 June 1980.