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My Grandfather's trees

hywel

By hywel

35 comments


My dad’s father was a collier.
I never met him because he was killed in an accident under the ground many years before I was born.

He lived in a small village at the foot of a hill :-

He was born there, he grew up there, he worked there in the nearby colliery, he was killed there also in the colliery; and he is buried there.

In 1998, some trees were planted on the site of the old colliery. People could have one planted in memory of somebody if they wished, or just plant one for themselves.

Dad, and his sister (my auntie), decided they would like one planted in memory of their father, because he died there.

Actually they had 3 trees planted, and I went with dad to watch it being done.

Here’s the chap who was going to plant the trees.

He’s holding one of them in his hand.
I don’t know who the little girl is.

Buisilly digging …..

…… and Job Done ! :D

In the next photo you can see that each tree was numbered with a tag

It was quite an event, and was broadcast on the news.

They gave us certificates to prove the trees were in memory of my grandfather.

Recently when we were clearing out my mother’s house I found the certificates – one for each tree.

Here’s a photo of the grandfather I never met,
with dad when he was a little boy

The trees were planted in memory of him,

But since there were three trees, I now think of them as
one for my grandfather
one for my auntie
and one for dad
…… because they have all gone now.

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Comments

 

Such a lovely family memory. Thank you for sharing it.

21 Mar, 2011

 

How nice to have that memory, and a shame that the trees are no longer there. Were they felled Hywel, as I would have thought they would still have been there.

21 Mar, 2011

 

Yes the trees are still there. They were only planted in 1998.
My dad my auntie and my grandfather are the ones that are not here lol

21 Mar, 2011

 

Hope they grow well for your Grandfather, your Dad and your Auntie!

21 Mar, 2011

 

How lovely! Couldn't think of a better way to remember someone!
When I had my daughter last year we had a letter after she was born saying that every baby that has been born here a tree was planted for them to help the environment. We were given a certificate too and we are able to go and see the tree. We are waiting for the weather to get a bit better and we are going to take Amelie to have her photo taken next to the tree!
I've got to say it was a lovely surprise and such a lovely thought thinking of that tree growing (hopefully) as Amelie is growing up too!

21 Mar, 2011

 

What a nice way to remember you family, my Dad was killed in the pit I was just five. there is now a country park dedicated to all the miner's killed locally at Herrington near Penshaw which was home for me. I have also seen his name in miner's remeberance book at Durham Cathederal.

21 Mar, 2011

 

Such a good way to remember people by.
Thanks for sharing this Hywel :)

21 Mar, 2011

 

I like the living trees/plants that go on in remembrance of those who have died. It's nice that you found the certificates and I hope one day you can go to where they are planted and show us how big the trees are now, Hywel.

A lovely, interesting blog once again. :)

21 Mar, 2011

 

What a lovely and more permanent way of remembering those close to you. I am sorry that your grandfather died before you had a chance to know him - grandads are always a real treasure and give us such a lot of themselves. Mine were lovely.

I'm glad that the trees are still there - perhaps you could post a more up to date picture of them sometime ?

21 Mar, 2011

 

This made interesting reading, Hywel. So sad you weren't able to meet your grandfather, tragic for him to have died in a mining accident. I think the trees are a lovely way to remember family members. : o )

21 Mar, 2011

 

Another wonderful blog Hywel, and such memories, thank you for sharing it with us. That really made intresting reading,

21 Mar, 2011

 

thanks for the blog Hywel, is was an interesting read. A lovely way to remember!

21 Mar, 2011

 

A lovely way to remember your family Hywel....

21 Mar, 2011

 

Wonderful blog, a special story to be told, shared and passed on :-)

21 Mar, 2011

 

what a great way to remember your loved ones Hywel. I have been helping with a woodland garden around our local hospital today there are some huge trees there that were planted in memery of people in the past. we have decided it would be nice to clear it up and maybe plant more trees. cant have too many trees..:-)

21 Mar, 2011

 

aww hywel how lovely to have these trees and a wonderfull thing for them to do, so sad when anyone died underground, he was a handsome man hywel, have you got a photo of the trees now hywel, would love to see how they have grown :o)

21 Mar, 2011

 

what a nice thing to do in memory of the miners for loved ones..i have roses planted on our allotment in memory of OHs mum & dad & also my mum, i cant wait for them to bloom.sad you never got to meet your grandad Hywel, i never met mine..he died from blood poisoning from a war wound.glad the trees are still there & will be for a long time to come..

21 Mar, 2011

 

Thats lovely Hywel, as i've said before we had a tree dedicated to a friend who died in an accident. When my daughter was born in 1994 the local council were giving away silver birch trees to each baby born that year, i went to collect mine its at the bottom of the garden and quite a height now, so is my daughter lol, taller than me, although my husband says thats not difficult lol.

21 Mar, 2011

 

We would really love to see the trees now Hywel. Maybe you could photograph them once they are in leaf.

21 Mar, 2011

 

What a wonderful thing Hywel and how cute that photo of your grand dad and dad is, you look like your dad. Would be lovely to have a photo of the trees now bet they have come along lovely now.

21 Mar, 2011

 

Hywel, what would we do without your blogs. I like the way you have shared the trees out to remember your relatives, thats like us taking mum and her sisters ashes to the family ancesters grave, thats where we go to put our flowers and do our thinking as well, we never had any grandparents on my dads side, they died before he left school, we have visited a cemetery in Stoke where they were laid to rest , can`t help wishing they`ed had a tree instead, something to live on, Like my one I planted for mum last year.. Its good that the old colliery has the trees on its site, to me its giving back to the earth to replace what was taken out, as well as remembering those brave souls who perished there....

21 Mar, 2011

 

Lovely blog.

21 Mar, 2011

 

That's a lovely blog Hywel, it's nice to plant something in memory of a loved one. We have a little sponsored girl in India, and the people in her village are planting trees for the folk who are sponsoring their children, and in return we plant something at home here for the child we have sponsored.

21 Mar, 2011

 

Whot a lovely blog, Somthing to remember them by

21 Mar, 2011

 

I cannot think of a nicer way to remember loved ones who have passed away;0)

21 Mar, 2011

 

Thank you everyone for reading my blog, and all the nice comments. It was interesting to read such lovely stories :)

22 Mar, 2011

 

Lovely blog Hywel, very interesting and I know like me that you have been searching your family tree, I think its wonderful to plant a tree in memory of loved ones, they certainly will outgrow us, we hope! In our family we have three wooden benches with plaques on, one in Eastbourne for my Gran, one in Sussex for my Uncle & one for my mum and dad at their golf club in Bromley!! I expect thats is how we will end up too, 'a wooden bench' !! Lol.

22 Mar, 2011

 

Thank you Grandmage. It's nice you have something to remember your family by.

23 Mar, 2011

 

What a lovely blog although sad aswell, thanks for sharing this story with us are the trees still there.

26 Mar, 2011

 

Yes they are there.They only planted them in the late 90's. I will go to see how they have grown soon

26 Mar, 2011

 

Nice one Hywel. Emotive blog. Can we see the trees when you go there?

26 Mar, 2011

 

a tree is a lovely memorial. i planted a rose to remember my dad ~ its called alpine sunset ~ he loved the alps. a tree would have been better but i havent really got the room and i couldnt take it with me if i moved.

26 Mar, 2011

 

Yes Ponty I'll take a photo
You haven't been around for a long time !

A rose is nice for remembrance aswell S.toffee, and easier to move :)

26 Mar, 2011

amy
Amy
 

How nice to have a living memory of your family members Hywel , I hope they grow big and strong for many more generations to come and remember them by x

8 Apr, 2011

 

Thank you Amy :) x

9 Apr, 2011

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