Hi, I am trying to find the full newspaper article on the Wharncliffe Woodmoor disaster when 58 miners lost their lives.
I know it was reported in the Daily Herald, but cannot get hold of a copy of the full report and wondered if you or your contacts could help me.
58 miners lost their lives in the disaster at Calrton on the 6th August, 1936 following an underground explosion at 3 a.m. in the Lidget workings.

I do have some information on the inquiry which is obviously from a book, I have pages 20 to 24 [copies] but nowhere does it tell me the title of the book, this would be helpful if someone recognises the book from my notes. It tells of the gruesome finding of the bodies and where they were found. Also has the subtitle "other matters arising during the inquiry", where it tells of the night shift deputy Sam Gallagher, of the 428's district, which was not affected but he gave evidence.

Thanks for your time,
June Hope

The Disaster was covered by the South Yorkshire Times Friday 7th August 1936.

Wharncliffe Woodmore. Nos.1, 2 and 3.
Barnsley, Yorkshire. 6th August 1936

The Colliery was about 2 miles to the north west of Barnsley and was joined to the North Gawber (Lidgett) Colliery where there was an explosion in September 1935. Both collieries were under the same control and the explosion occurred in the Lidgett Seam which was about two feet four inches thick and was reached by drifts from the Haigh Moor Seam which was 34 yards above. The Haigh Moor was 280 yards from the surface. The explosion was in the North East section. The districts in this section were developed from the North East bord which was driven to the full dip of the seam which was 1 in 11. The distance from the haulage engine house at the top of the North East bird to the face at the bottom was 1,600 yards at the time of the disaster.

Image From Wikipedia. Click here for more information at Wikipedia about the disaster .

The coal in the four districts, 18’s, 9’s, 2’s of Blackett’s and 1’s was undercut by machines and filled onto conveyors which delivered on to loaders at the inbye ends of 18’s, 9’s and 1’s levels and the middle of the Blackett face. All the machinery was electrically driven as was the haulage which was by endless rope on the North East bord and along 18’s, 9’s and 1’s levels by main and tail rope. With the exception of 18’s level, all mechanical haulage roads were intake roadways and all were traversed by the explosion with the exception of 18’s.

Richard Parry was in charge of stone dusting the roads and the manager stated that during the first seven months of the year, 201 tons of limestone dust had been sent into the pit. In the Lidgett Seam, 3.6 lbs. per ton of output were used. The attendant at the haulage gear at the top of the North East bord was the only man brought out alive and he died five days later in hospital but within 48 hours of the explosion, the whole of the workings had been explored and evidence gathered as to the cause of the explosion.

Those who died were:-

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