While many labour landmarks commemorate collective experience, several reveal stories of a more personal nature. These personal commemorations provide insight into many of the same collective meanings as the more general landmarks. In 1984, for example, a commemorative stone was erected just outside the gates of the No. 26 Colliery in Glace Bay. This stone, a small grey granite marker engraved with the image of a smiling coal miner in the upper left corner, reads:
In loving memory of Ronald Winston McDonald. Born September 22, 1941. Died April 5, 1984 in mine fire in No. 26 Colliery. “God Bless you in a special way. Every hour, every day.” Always loved, never forgotten by wife Muriel, sons Howard and Jay.
The marker resembles a gravestone and memorializes 42-year-old Ronald McDonald, whose body was never recovered from the mine after a fire broke out underground in 1984. As the fire spread, the decision was made to seal sections of the mine to deny oxygen to the flames. [1]
Although the inscriptions and imagery of the monument specifically reference the events of 5 April 1983 and the significance of that day for the McDonald family, they also serve as a reminder of the dangers of the coal mining profession well into the 20th century. The No. 26 Colliery never reopened after the fire in 1984. The monument to Ronald McDonald, erected as a memorial to his life and death, thus also symbolizes the decline of coal mining in the community. This monument contains a duality of personal and public meanings; not only does it signify the approximate resting place of McDonald, but also the end of the coal mining era in the town of Glace Bay. Although the monument is located far from the city centre, its placement outside of the gates to the No. 26 mine indicates a strong connection to the workplace where many men and women in the town found employment. While it is unlikely that this monument, placed on an inconspicuous patch of grass off “One B Road,” will be stumbled upon by visitors or tourists, for those who know of its existence it holds a great deal of personal and collective importance. To the friends and family of the individual miner, the monument commemorates their personal memories as well as their loss. To other members of the community, the memorial symbolizes the sacrifices of coal miners and their families, the identity of Glace Bay as a coal community, and the end of that industry in the town.
Footnotes
[1] Labour Canada Mine Safety Office, Sydney, Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, “Report of Investigation into Mine Rescue Operations at No. 26 Colliery Fire on April 5, 1984,” PR-84-004, 3: http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/
In loving memory of Ronald Winston McDonald. Born September 22, 1941. Died April 5, 1984 in mine fire in No. 26 Colliery. “God Bless you in a special way. Every hour, every day.” Always loved, never forgotten by wife Muriel, sons Howard and Jay.
The marker resembles a gravestone and memorializes 42-year-old Ronald McDonald, whose body was never recovered from the mine after a fire broke out underground in 1984. As the fire spread, the decision was made to seal sections of the mine to deny oxygen to the flames. [1]
Although the inscriptions and imagery of the monument specifically reference the events of 5 April 1983 and the significance of that day for the McDonald family, they also serve as a reminder of the dangers of the coal mining profession well into the 20th century. The No. 26 Colliery never reopened after the fire in 1984. The monument to Ronald McDonald, erected as a memorial to his life and death, thus also symbolizes the decline of coal mining in the community. This monument contains a duality of personal and public meanings; not only does it signify the approximate resting place of McDonald, but also the end of the coal mining era in the town of Glace Bay. Although the monument is located far from the city centre, its placement outside of the gates to the No. 26 mine indicates a strong connection to the workplace where many men and women in the town found employment. While it is unlikely that this monument, placed on an inconspicuous patch of grass off “One B Road,” will be stumbled upon by visitors or tourists, for those who know of its existence it holds a great deal of personal and collective importance. To the friends and family of the individual miner, the monument commemorates their personal memories as well as their loss. To other members of the community, the memorial symbolizes the sacrifices of coal miners and their families, the identity of Glace Bay as a coal community, and the end of that industry in the town.
Footnotes
[1] Labour Canada Mine Safety Office, Sydney, Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, “Report of Investigation into Mine Rescue Operations at No. 26 Colliery Fire on April 5, 1984,” PR-84-004, 3: http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/