A Fitting Legacy

Post by Cllr Alasdair MacPherson, 29th October 2025

My late grandfather William Smith was killed in Polmaise Colliery, Millhall on the 1st March 1940, aged 30 years old. My grandather left four young children, my mum was only three when he was killed down the pit.

Here is a link to the Scottish Mining website which lists his death:

1st March 1940: Pit Fatality – A Cowie man, William James Smith (30), miner’s brusher, 2 M’Gowan Row, was killed yesterday when following his occupation in No. 1 pit, Polmaise Colliery, Millhall, near Stirling. He was struck by a large stone. Deceased was a married man. [Scotsman 2 March 1940]

My late grandfather’s headstone in Bannockburn cemetery

My family is only one of over 50 who lost a loved one down Polmaise and Millhall collieries. That figure does not include those “hastened to an early grave” by injury or mining-related diseases.

Specific disaster or accident totals for Millhall are not immediately clear from records making it impossible to give a precise combined figure. Therefore, the confirmed, individually-named fatalities at the Polmaise 3 & 4 Colliery Memorial are 54.

Potential Economic Benefit

The potential social benefits of a minewater thermal energy project would foster hope and relief in a community that has often been economically disadvantaged since the pit closures.

  • Tackling Fuel Poverty: The prospect of providing cheap, secure, low-carbon heat to homes and community buildings directly addresses a significant modern challenge in former coalfield areas: fuel poverty. This brings genuine relief and improved quality of life.
  • New Opportunities: The potential for creating new, green jobs (in construction, maintenance, and system operation) and offering a unique learning opportunity for local school children instills optimism for the younger generation.
  • Stability: Unlike other forms of energy which are subject to volatile markets, minewater heat is locally sourced and consistent. This sense of energy security provides psychological comfort.

Pride and Redemptive Justice

Its fantastic to think that our miners hard work may have left an invaluable inheritance. I am hopeful if this project proceeds that its changes the negative impression people have on Fallin, and all our former mining villages, from industrial decline to a new, exciting green legacy.

A New Purpose for the Pit

The mining works, which brought prosperity and poverty, tragedy and community, could be given a dignified new purpose. It would celebrate the ingenuity and labour of our fomer miners while benefiting the current generations.

A Tangible Connection to the Past

I spoke to a miners widow last week and she told me that the thought of heat coming from the pit shafts being used in local homes to tackle fuel poverty would be like the heart of the old pit continuing to beat, but in a safe and beneficial way.