His voice is a little hoarse, his body creaks, and violent coughing fits shake him from head to toe. On the other hand, his memory is intact. Almost ninety-year-old Gilbert Parmentier remembers everything. For 150 years since the opening of the Neuves-Maisons iron mine (1874)he took the time to confide in his past and especially his present.
On Sunday, April 14, a commemorative plaque will be put up as a tribute to the “iron men” who descended on the Neuves-Maisons mine. A nice tribute, but not enough for Gilbert, who would also like a plaque for those who accompanied him when the mine reopened to the public in the 1990s. See that the underground passages that he explored for almost 14 years are welcome From now on around 10,000 visitors per yearmakes him proud: “When summer comes and they are full of families with children, it is a very good thing. So we can show the children what we went through.“
“We were proud to be there”
First there were the risks of everyday life. On his 18th birthday, Gilbert started working in the mine. He emerged almost 14 years later with many broken bones: “The thirty-ton machine pressed me against the wall. My pelvis cracked. Both collarbones too. Five years ago I broke two vertebraeHis accidents still have consequences today:I often have pain. I think I’m going straight, but no. I’m going bad. Despite this, I move on. It’s always a bit of a miner’s life: go or die.“He’s there, still standing, not like some of his friends. One of them died while working. Gilbert raised his four orphans. He won’t say anything more, too moved.”
Gilbert held back tears several times. Especially when we’re talking about pride in being a minor: “We were family. We were proud to be there, we felt good. We never dreamed of going anywhere else.“It was the worst for him closure of the mine in 1968 : “It was a job we loved. Imagine being told overnight it’s over. What’s going on in your head? It’s more than disappointing. We had plans, to advance in society, to create a life with children… But suddenly it’s over. It’s scary. We close ourselves in a corner, we cry and we don’t understand.“