Fionn

Just found your website; very impressed.

My father died last September and his father had been killed down the pit when my father was four.

I had always been told it was a pit in Heage where my grandfather was killed; but on your website you have a database on mining fatalities in the Derbyshire coalfield which lists James Key being killed by a roof fall at Upper Hartshay in November 1924.  I think he was with his father and brothers when he died - if possible I would like to find out some more information - can you point me in the right direction in terms other sources of information.

I have scratched the surface really with my family history but have got back to the early 19th century on the Key side.  All the men worked down the pit but all lived into their 80’s which is pretty good going considering how dangerous it was.  The exception was James Key who was killed by a roof fall.

My dad never went down the pit because my grandmother (James wife) was against it.

Regards

I spoke to Ripley Library earlier in the week and they have sent extracts from the Ripley and Heanor News from November 1924 giving the inquest details and circumstances of my grandfathers death.

He was caught in a roof fall with two others when 2-3 tons of material fell on them. The two other miners survived fortunately (they were not Jame's brother and father as I had understood). My grandfather was taken to Ripley Hospital and was conscious but died from his injuries which are described as fractured pelvis and internal injuries.

The inquest states that the miners were working in a damp/wet area where there was a crack in the roof which my grandfather had propped and was intending to add more support as they progressed and that no more could have been done - it was accidental in other words. I guess in todays world (and quite rightly) there is no way miners would be allowed to work in those conditions - more modern methods and greater health and safety now.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Alan Key

Getting coal...Holing

Alan,
This will give give you some idea as to the dangerous work that your Grandfather did in 1924. Note the lack of roof supports under what appears to me to be very dangerous strata. Most men would find out the optimum gap between props or supports before the roof became unsafe so that the supports were not in the way of undercutting or loading out the coal. Unfortunately many and probably your Grandfather did not cater for the unexpected as is proven by the thousands of deaths over the years due to roof falls. The scabby roof one is a more modern picture in the 1950s but will illustrate a fall of ground (roof). The bind or mudstone or siltstone is a dense heavy 'rock' and can crush a body easily or break a spine or head, causing death. The term 'fall of roof' generalised the result as published. Father and son or brothers and uncles did tend to work together as a gang at some pits. 

Lip with scabby roof

Loading at face 1920s and 30s

Timbering up

Bob Bradley

Arthur (Archie) Davis was killed in the High Main Seam at Kirkby (Summit) colliery. I lived in Portland Street at the time.
 
Regards
Neil

Sir

Do you have any information on the Silverhill Disaster 1973? My uncle Brian Alfred Round died in the disaster and I'm trying to gather any information possible.

Thanks

Shane

Message From Bob Bradley

Not officially a disaster but even so a tragic accident when Brian Alfred Round (27) was killed under a fall of roof 13 March 1973. To be classed as a disaster 5 or more need to die.

It is possible that he was killed whilst doing packing as many were when they just strayed that extra inch or so to get a piece of roof bind that had fallen so that they could build a pack.  Invariably they would have withdrawn the supports in order for the roof to break. A very dangerous job if there was insufficient dirt to build packs obtained from firing the rip down to form the gate.

Photo 1 Loosening Prop – Photo 2 Prop Removed

I hope this plus the photos will try to explain what could have happened.

Roof breaking down

Hi I’m hoping you can point me in the right direction. My Grandfather John Hughes was killed in 1928 in a pit fall at South Kirkby (so my family tell me) yet I’ve searched and can’t find anything on Google or in the newspaper archives.

How would I go about getting information about what happened, I’m grateful for any advice.

Thanks in advance

Great website you have

Click Certificate to make the writing clearer

Dear Sir,
 
Did you have any information on Wesley Henry Chesworth, crushed to death by coal tub accident at Pye Hill Colliery, 10th December, 1947?

He was 25 yrs old, (RAF demobbed) married to Mavis Stuart (my deceased mother) of Codnor Park and had a son and daughter.

My mother re-married, hence me, but is buried with  Wesley in Ironville cemetery near the old railway line.
 
Warmest Regards and Best Wishes,

Hello Alan
 
I have found your email address through the healeyhero website.
 
He reason I was looking through the site was that last week we walked around the Teversal Trail and Brierley Park and came across the memorial stone to the miners killed in the 1957 explosion at Sutton pit.

This reminded my husband, John, that his uncle, Fred Liley,  had been killed in an accident at the same pit. (31st August 1953).  Although John was only one when Fred was killed he did go on to live his early life at 27 High Street, Stanton Hill which was the family home and where Fred was living at the time of his death.
 
I don’t know how it appears on the records but Fred’s surname only has one l, being Liley not Lilley.

As a bit of a family historian it was very nice to find some information about Fred so thank you for taking the time to compile these lists.
 
Best regards
Hilary and John Liley