Wath Main Colliery · AditNow Community

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rubez101
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

Hi, I am trying to find out the history behind the Wath Main Collery ceiling fall in that resulted in the death of my uncle, Herbert NORMAN, on 14 January 1947. was he the only one to die or was it a "disaster" that took other lives. Was there an inquiry into this disaster?

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skiprat
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

I cannot remember any family talk of a multi-fatality disaster in Wath Main around 1947. My grandfather was at Wath Main in 1947, and my father was at Manvers from c1951. Neither can I find a record of your uncle's accident. Will come back if I find anything.

Skiprat

rubez101
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

thank you for your reply. I have received his death Certificate and it definitely says "asphyxiation due to obstruction of external orifices due to being buried by fall of roof which while working underground - "accidental". Where and when died "Wath Main Colliery". If you find anything at all I would appreciate comment.
regards
Linda

AR
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Have you contacted Caphouse Colliery (the English national coal mining museum) about this, they may be able to point you in the right direction for more information.

Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!

mikehiggins
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

The Durham Mining Museum website (www.dmm.org.uk) has a list of 20th century coal mining disasters and there is nothing listed at Wath for this date. The Births Marriages and Deaths Index (www.freebmd.org.uk) lists only 4 other males dying at Wath during March Quarter 1947. The conclusion has to be that it was an accident involving only one individual.

skiprat
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Looking at the details it was likely to have been a fall affecting one miner. My father was seriously injured in a similar incident in 1954. The side wall burst in due to pressure from above and a lot of small fragments of coal buried him up to the chest - it flows like liquid when broken very small and placed under explosive pressure. He was stooping at the time and the sudden application of weight broke his femur. He was off work for 9 months. When he returned it was to a safer job on conveyor belts where he stayed until made redundant not long before the miner's strike.

The source I consulted was.
http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/index.html

See the introduction to see how the database was compiled.

National Archives have the official records. See

http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/index.html

I am now 250 miles away from South Yorkshire so not able to just pop in to the archive in Doncaster where these records are kept. Your record should be in MQ/1/17 or MQ/1/18.

Skiprat