Bratticeman

Other names:
Cloth hanger, Cloth attendant, Canvasman

also known as cloth hanger, cloth attendant, canvasman

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A bratticeman managed the flow of air through underground workings by maintaining brattice cloth screens across certain underground roadways. These screens ensured that fresh air reached all areas of the mine that were being worked, rather than taking the most direct route and short-circuiting the working faces. The brattice screens were coated with a wax compound to make them impervious to gas..

Wages & Working Hours

In 1958, an Agreement Between the Scottish Shale Oil Companies and the National Union of Shale Miners & Oil Workers records that cloth hangers earned a minimum of 28s11d per shift. They worked an average of 40.5 hours per week over an 11 day fortnight.

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