NCB
In 1976 the National Coal Board held a competition in
which they invited people to compose songs about the importance of following
safety procedures when you're working down a mine. The winning entry,
by Jack Birchall, was put to music by Ron Goodwin, recorded by Max Bygraves
& the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and issued by the NCB as a single - the
single was handed out, rather than sold. There is no catalogue number
on the label, but a matrix number in the run-off reads 'GCB-2', which presumably
refers to the Grimethorpe Colliery Band; this suggests that there may have been
a GCB-1 of some sort. Whether or not the song had any effect on mine
safety is debatable; a few years later the Thatcher government rendered the
whole subject redundant. Along with the workforce.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.