Haigh, Donald 1924 - 2003

Donald Haigh was active between 1946-1985 as a coal mine engineer specialising in mine ventilation.

Haigh was born on the 21st January 1924 in Glossop. He earned a scholarship to Glossop Grammar. On his eighteenth birthday he was told that he was going to work in the pits as a Bevan boy. He was paid by Lancashire Collieries to complete a Fuel Technology and Mining Engineering course at Wigan Technical College. In 1951 he became Undermanager at Sandhole, where he was also Arthur Scargill's boss. Donald was asked to specialise in ventilation problems with Lancashire mines so he trained himself.

From c1954 to 1985 Donald worked through ventilation problems for Lancashire mines working for the National Coal Board, NW and N mines from Haig to Staffordshire where he was responsible for all ventilation and supervised repairs. In 1968 he was responsible for Worsley mines part of the Bridgewater Colliery which had an underground canal into which the coal was loaded directly from the mine at Worsley Delph.

Donald retired in 1985 to Leek in Staffordshire as engineer of James Brindley's mill. He died on 1 June 2003. He was a personal friend of LS Lowry, and his father (the Mayor of Glossop) burnt 2 Lowry originals.