On You Tube as Freeminers 1986. Very interesting. No doubt you will recognise some of the photos incl. chapels. The one at Soudley was interesting to me because the retired miner pronounced it as Sewdley, the way it was spelt in the 1861 Census.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKIHH3BD4ik.

The one at Soudley was interesting to me because the retired miner pronounced it as Sewdley, the way it was spelt in the 1861 Census.

Hmm? How else would you pronounce it Roger? It's always been pronounced 'Sewdley' or 'Sowdley' as far as I know.

--
Peter

Thanks for the link Roger, yes a very interesting film indeed. Lots of the film was in my home town Cinderford, I knew some of Eric Warren's family who were very influential within the goings-on at the Miners Welfare Hall which was only 100 yards from my home, taking care of ex-miners, and also the cheapest pub in town. Ditto a few faces in the rugby club footage. Most of all I liked seeing the views from the top of Collafield as that was our playground as kids, altho sadly the Royal Foresters pub closed for good within the last 10? years or so. Lovely to see and hear Elsie Olivey again too, a well-respected local lady and historian. And of course the flippin sheep, used to walk everywhere in the town altho thankfully didn't loiter in our road, they had favourite places elsewhere. As kids we were always lectured on shutting gates to keep them out of the garden, altho they were surprisingly good at jumpiong over gates n walls to get at Dad's flowers. Sadly they've also gone now, culled during the last foot n mouth crisis in the 90s?. They used to terrify visiting drivers, as they'd sit in the sides of the roads ignoring the traffic just inches away, but by and large they'd stay put and no collisions. This film was made just after my first employer Rank Xerox was starting to cut their workforce, lots of voluntary redundancies of old workers, many ex-miners, which helped the local shops n pubs; but then other firms closed and sadly unemployment in the younger generations increased and the busy shopping town I grew-up in started to show it's age.

Thanks again.

I was sent a link to this film by a cousin back in May. Eric Warren was my 2nd cousin once removed. I understand he was known as “Ky”. His mother was born a Bowdler, which is my link to the Forest - my grandfather having been born and raised there.

What a really special film.

I knew Ky very well and he was a good friend of mine. We spent many hours discussing the mines that he and his family worked in over the years. I worked in his freemine up on Staple Edge, where we had 9 foot of coal - YES, 9 FOOT OF COAL! It was too high to mine easily.
I recently saw that film on Youtube and it brought a tear to my eyes to see and hear my old butty once again. He had a great influence on my life and I miss him greatly.