Website update – October 2018

Posted on October 22nd, 2018

The Submarine Miners Song – now on YouTube

The Commander of the volunteers who ran the Submarine Mining station at Port Laing was Henry Cadell.

Dr Henry Moubray Cadell of Grange, DL FRSE LLD (1860 – 1934) was a Scottish geologist and geographer, noted for his work on the Moine Thrust, the oil-shale fields of West Lothian, and his experiments in mountain building published in 1888. He also travelled extensively abroad, for example in 1899 he travelled the length of the Irrawaddy River in Burma. He is especially remembered for his working models, explaining geomorphology, the science relating to the folding of rock beds. He was also a competent amateur artist, and musician.

His father was a mining industrialist with considerable lands and company interests in Linlithgowshire and Stirlingshire. He was raised at the family home of Grange House (built 1564) near Bo’ness.

His great, great grandfather was the pioneering industrialist William Cadell, co-founder of the Carron Iron Works.

While commanding the submarine miners, he wrote two company songs.
Both are included on the Port Laing webpage.

The first is to the tune of “The Hundred Pipers an’ a'”

The second, he both wrote the words and composed the tune. It has possibly not been played since the 19th century, but is now available on YouTube.

Appendix on electrical operation of mines

We have also added an Appendix to the Submarine Mining webpage. This explains the electrical operation of the mines.