WHAT a wonderful letter from Jimmy Taylor, of Coxhoe, (HAS, May 10) about his brother who left County Durham for a new life in America.

I was born into the mining village of Easington Colliery and, as expected, went to work in the mines in 1948.

I hated it.

I can only describe it as dirty, dangerous and hard work.

I survived the colliery disaster of May 29, 1951. Sparks from a cutting machine ignited flammable gas 900ft below ground and 83 men died. After six years I left to join the Royal Navy.

Initially I served on surface ships in the Mediterranean. I thought “this is the life” but it wasn’t to last. I was drafted into submarines during the Cold War doing three-month trips in the Arctic. It was back to more dirty dangerous work.

However I survived and celebrate my 80th birthday – exactly 62 years after the Easington disaster.

Bill Burns, Chester-le-Street.