A red baseball cap from the Asfordby mine, produced for mine employees in the 1980s.
The mining workforce had a very strong community identity. It was not uncommon for miners to be working at the same coalface that their fathers and grandfathers had before them. Leisure clothing like baseball caps allowed miners to identify themselves with their communities beyond the confines of the mine.
Miners traditionally made the most out of their leisure time. With the stress at work being on teamwork, they regularly played in outdoor sports teams so as to make the most out of any time spent out of the dark, cramped and unpleasant conditions at the coalface.
