Hi my name is Vicki Webster, my maiden name is Shaw.  My mum’s dad died in Selston pit 3 - Feb - 1951

We live in Eastwood all I know is that the roof started to collapse and he went back in, he was buried with his workers, his name is Joseph William Crooks and I think at the time he lived on Midland Road Eastwood or Castle Street Hilltop.

I would be grateful for any news you can give me from Selston pit in 1951.

Thank you

Sent from Samsung Mobile

Some information about the pit.....the single shaft was sunk at Underwood in 1852 by Barber Walker & Co as Underwood colliery but later renamed Selston. It was connected underground to Willey Lane pit nearby sunk in 1840 to start with. It was 332 yards (303.6m) deep. The pit was then connected through to New Selston sunk by James Oakes and then becoming part of Pye Hill Colliery and was administered by NCB No5 Area with HQ at Eastwood Hall in 1947.

Output at 1951 was 298,172 tons produced by 717 men. Manager at the time was Charles Potts and Undermanager George Hodkin.   The dirt from the mine was transported by steam engine and trucks to Brinsley and there was a railway crossing on the road that was operated by a shunter from the pit.  Pithead baths were not built until 1956 so your grandfather would have bathed at home.

The seam he worked in was Deep Hard I think and that was just over 3 feet (1 m) thick. He would have been filling out coal from a stint on the face onto a face conveyor when he got killed on 3rd February 1951 by a fall of dirt from the roof. The supports would have been rigid steel props and roof bars and should have been set at a maximum of 4 feet (1.2m) apart. You say that he went back under the fall to help someone else when he was buried when there was a further fall of bind. I do not know the exact circumstances however I was a Surveyor and in my career have measured up dozens of serious accidents and the scene of 7 fatal accidents so as to create a plan for the Mines Inspector who would have attended the scene within hours of it happening and I am surmising that there would have been a bigger gap between the supports in fact it is possible that because it was a large fall several of the supports could have been knocked out. As is usual in a pit when anyone gets trapped the nearest person to them would immediately try to help whilst others got to the scene. There was a great camaraderie amongst miners. It would appear in this case that Joseph was the first to assist and brave man that he was in doing so lost his life. The person he was trying to help escaped fortunately but no doubt it would have laid heavily on that person's mind that someone coming to rescue him had paid the ultimate price............

Sad I know but I hope this will give you some idea of the working of the mine........

Bob Bradley

Hi there, if I could point out a correction needed in the list of mining fatalities for 1931. Second entry 05-01-1931 should read Halksworth not Hallsworth.

My great, great Uncle Joseph Halksworth is buried in Adwick cemetery along with his wife Rose-Ellen Halksworth in a dual plot. The Halksworth's are still very much in existence in North Doncaster.

My folks were all miners.

Best Regards

Mike Healey

How many coal miners died of work related accidents, and how many miners were employed in the UK  (or England if that’s easier) in 1933 and 1953? It’s probably somewhere on your website but my eyesight isn’t very good.
Thanks if you have the data, but thanks for the website even if you’ve not.

Robin Keen

When gathering purely statistical information, disasters give these numbers but there are normally a lot more individual deaths, and unfortunately there is not a central source for these fatalities although Alan Beales and Robert Bradley have gathered information about a large number of individuals who have died in the East Midlands and Yorkshire including their names, ages, collieries and often what happened. Ian Winstanley has a large online database but you cannot find deaths purely by date (so far as I know) you need to search for the individuals by name. The Durham Mining Museum also has a large database but again you search by name.

In 1933 there were 2 disasters resulting in 20 deaths but there were at least 122 individual deaths in the East Midlands:-
16th May 1933, West Cannock Colliery, Hednesford, Staffordshire, explosion, 6 killed
19th November 1933, Grassmoor Colliery, explosion, 14 killed
In 1953 there was an improvement, only 1 disasters resulting in 8 deaths and at least 56 individuals:-
24th Aug 1953, Lingdale Mine (Ironstone), Skelton-in-Cleveland, explosion, 8 killed

Using Alan's detailed database we can see that in the East Midlands and Yorkshire:-

For individual miners who died you would need to know their names although Alan Beales has some on the site:-
1933
At least 54 died in Derbyshire
At least 2 died in Leicestershire
At least 19 died in Yorkshire
At least 47 died in Nottinghamshire but Alan's names here are by pit, not year

In 1953
At least 10 individuals died in Derbyshire
At least 1 died in Leicestershire
At least 19 individuals died in Yorkshire
At least 26 died in Nottinghamshire but again Alan's names here are by pit, not year

The only answer is to get the Inspectors reports for 1933 and there is one for each division or Colliery Guardian and find the Guide to the Coalfields 1953. Could be in a library. Try Amazon tell him. They are for sale on occasions.

Bob

Hello
I am the daughter of Harry Adin Taylor who died at Cotgrave colliery in 1965.

I can tell you that he was 42 years old at the time.

We were never able to find out what really happened to him as there are no records anywhere.

Jenny Stanier nee Taylor

Hello - I've been looking at your website - very interesting - and I came across an email from a person who I believe I am related to.

Perhaps it would be possible for you to forward this email to her please?

It concerns the above email, from Jenny Stanier on 4 November 2013, regarding her father Harry Adin Taylor who died at Cotgrave Colliery in 1965.

I am Mrs Barbara Birch from Leicestershire.  My mother and Jenny's father were first cousins from Nottingham.  I only have a few memories but I am very happy to share with Jenny via email.

Thanks,
Barbara Birch

Hello,
I am the brother of James Andrew Jukes who was killed at Harworth Colliery in 1989.

James was 24 when he died his birth date being 13th March 1964.

He passed away on the 6th January 1989.

An inquest did take place but I'm afraid I don't know the exact dates.

Best regards
Chris Jukes

HI
I have an ancestor John Tasker who was killed in a pit explosion in 1755  due to fire damp, the pit was in Gen Lane, Ward Green, Barnsley owned by a Mr. Bowden. Is there any way I could find John Taskers age, or would the accident  be reported in any news paper?

I know he wed for the first time to Martha Rock, they wed in 1735 at Worsbrough, Martha would be about 37 years old  when she wed,  she died 1742  I think in childbirth, John wed for the second time just a few months later, to Sarah Waterhouse, they went on to have 3 children, Sarah Joseph, and John.

All my research for the Tasker family have been done at the local archives. I have searched St. Marys Church Yard for any monument or marker for Johns grave, but found nothing, it seems such a shame  for his death not to marked.

Sarah Johns second wife died the following year a poor woman of the parish.

My dad, Horace Tasker, was a shot firer, most of my male ancestors have been miner, weavers or farm labourers, my dad worked down the mines, but his heart  was on the land, as he got older he worked a lot for local farmers, he was only 66 when he died. When I was young I used to play on the fields at  Gen Lane Ward  Green and down in the bottom of the field was a lot of red shale I wonder if this is where the pit was.

Thank you
Mrs V Birkett

John Tasker died alongside George Burdet, and Thomas Mosforth, all 3 were Colliers and died in an explosion of firedamp at Boden's Pit, Worsborough, Yorkshire on 2nd May 1755.  - The information comes from Ian Winstanleys Database but no ages are given. I could not find them in the Durham Mining Website.

I think we have some good news, I found a number of entries in Ancestry.co.uk, according to these entries:- John Tasker, was born about 1713 in Woolley, Royston Parish. He worked as a labourer down the pit, and was ‘slain by (fire) damp in Mr Bodens Coal Pit, Genn Lane, Worsborough' aged 42. Martha Rock's parents were Abraham Rock and Joyce Frogget. Sarah Waterhouse, his second wife, died aged 39 in 1756.

Fionn

Hi
This is my family John Tasker wed Ann Copley at Wortley  1795 , St Leonards Church,  
Thank you
Take care
Val

A John Tasker was Surveyor at Mansfield Colliery from about 1955 to 1970. He died last year. I think he as around 82/83.
Cheers, Bob Bradley