St Johns Ambulance

Henry Simmons was a leader of St Johns Ambulance for many years and unfortunately collapsed and died during an Operatic Society performance at the ‘Stute.   There was a plaque to him in the porch above the door.

St Johns Ambulance met regularly at the Institute for many years.    Management still holds a rusting collection tin labelled “Penny-A-Week Fund.”     Its appearance shows great age.   Miners were trained by the St Johns Ambulance as First Aiders.   They worked underground, and used their skills for anything from minor injuries up to full-scale disasters; anything from a cut hand to a crushed limb or more.   

Men trained with St Johns could, possibly, have received an extra remuneration for acting as First Aider.   There was no medical centre or pithead baths until 1944.   One incident related to me was of a youth ‘cut in two with blades’ in an underground accident.   First Aiders then attempted to piece him together with bandages.   A task requiring great courage and strength of character.

Often men enlisted with their friends to fight in World War I.   They would march to war as a group.   The St Johns Ambulance team of Llanhilleth Pit were no exception.   They enlisted as stretcher bearers.

Button found at the Institute from a St John's Ambulance uniform

In 1923 The First Llanhilleth St. Johns Ambulance Team Instructed by Mr T Beeks were the first winners of the Lawrence Cup.

In 1936 they offered First Aid Classes at the Institute (every Wednesday).   This was the start of training for a young lad who was to become part of a very successful colliery ambulance team .   The group entered county heats  of the coal board competition.    The team would perform the first aid within the confines of a mock up of a pit.   They attended Margam, Pontypool and then after success, moved on to Porthcawl and eventually Skegness and Derbyshire to compete in the finals for the Martin Cup and Shield.   Members of the team also entered competitions for individual prizes.      

In 1938 a young boy of 14 received terrible injuries underground.   The only St. Johns Ambulance member nearby was 16 years old himself.   There was no medical centre or pithead baths for the patient to be cleaned up, so patient and first aider both went to the Royal Gwent;  the 14 year-old patient on a canvas stretcher.    They were both “black as the ace of spades,” no time or place to wash.   The young lad waited in the corridor whilst his patient was taken into a cubicle.   After a while, a nurse came out, crying.   She looked at the ‘guardian.’ “How old are you?   You should both be in school,” she said.

Later this same boy was injured himself whilst working underground.   A horse slipped and fell across his legs, damaging both his knees.   The diagnosis was severe.  
   “You will never work underground again.   Ask the Manager for a light job.”   The manager’s reply was adamant.  
   “There are no light jobs here.  It’s underground or nothing.”   Needing the money, he went back down the pit for another thirty years.   But he later attended Cardiff University and worked his way up through the ranks in various pits around the valleys, eventually becoming Under Manager and Manager.  A well respected member of the Llanhilleth community, he later advised mine owners in Borneo and the Phillipines.

A new group of Ambulance team members decided in 1964 to build on the awards already won by the well-trained team.   They doubled their training from one night to two nights per week.   The obtained a new coach from outside coal mining.   He was from the steelworks in Ebbw Vale.   He increased their training even further to include Sunday afternoons as well as the two evenings.   After two years solid work they achieved the area championship in 1965.   They took 14 major titles in the next four years including the welsh National in Aberavon.   On the Monday they won the shield from 38 teams.   They went on to win

            the Lady Lewis Cup,
            the steel and Coal Co. Cup and
            the Challenge Shield
            South Western Divisional Bowl at Porthcawl (by a lead of 23 points)

They won a competition in Cardiff and felt everything was going well, and then the following week the closure of Llanhilleth pit was announced.

The St Johns Ambulance Brigade also used their skills at events held at the Institute.   A team were always present at performances of the Illtyd Operatic Soc.

St Illtyd's Operatic Soc performing 'The Geisha' at Llanhilleth Institute in 1953