Easington Colliery Disaster

Date: 29 May 1951
Location: West Hartlepool, County Durham, England
Surnames/tags: Mining Disasters England Disasters

Worldwide Disasters | Mining Disasters | England Mining Disasters |Easington Colliery Mine Disaster

Contact: Pippin Sheppard

History and Circumstances

• Date: 29 May 1951
• Location: Easington Colliery, Easington, County Durham, England
• Victims: 83
• Cause: Explosion, firedamp propagated by coal dust

All coal mines have to deal with coal dust which can be explosive. Miner dealt with the dust by with removal of the dust, spraying with water, or diluting the coal dust with stone dust. All three of these methods were in use at the Easington Colliery, but apparently in a manner that was not satisfactory.

Another obstacle to safety in cola mines is called firedamp. Coal mines deal with spoil by digging a "goaf," an area in the mine where spoil is placed and the supports are pulled so that the ceiling of the goaf collapses. In one section of the Easington Colliery, the roof did not collapse properly creating a void above it. It is believed that firedamp was emitted from the spoil, building up in the void.

Several safety discrepancies were noted in the investigation after the explosion. One was that air was not properly vented into the area. A second was that safety lamps were left behind on the day of the explosion. Third, sparks being produced by a dull coal cutter (a machine with rotating teeth called picks were ignored with no hazard was apparent.

On 29 May 1951, the day of the disaster and in one of the mine roads, dull picks reached pyrite and the resulting friction caused sparks, igniting the firedamp above the void. Happening in such a confined space, the blast caused coal dust to rise and ignite. The resulting blast followed the road back to others and into the main coal area. This caused two collapses of the mine roofs, one in the main coal area and another in the Duckbill mine district.

Victims Name Details Sourced Bio Connected Category Anson, John, aged 64, Shifter, address: 8 Thomas Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Yes Yes Armstrong, William aged 55, Datal, address: 6 Barwick Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Bedding, Mark Smart aged 38, Filler, address: 84 Wordsworth Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Yes Yes Blevins, Matthew aged 27, Filler, address: 28 Inchcape Terrace, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Brenkley, George aged 20, Filler, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Brenkley, Thomas aged 32, Filler, address: 24 Dean Avenue, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Brennan, Louis, aged 49. Stoneman, address: 3 Cuba Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Brown, George Millery aged 50, Datal, address: 14 Cook Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemeter Burdess, Henry aged 43, Deputy, Rescue Worker from Brancepeth Colliery, overcome by noxious gas 1st June 1951 Burn, Bertram aged 25, Filler, address: 12 Thorpe Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Cain, Emmerson aged 63, Stoneman, address: 22 Ashton Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Cairns, Frederick aged 23, Filler, address: 72 Station Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Calvert, George aged 50, Stoneman, address: 5 Clifton Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Calvin, James aged 51, Conveyor Maintenance, address: 1 Laburnum Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Carr, Frederick aged 50, Electrician, address: 5 Leachmere Terrace, Ryhope, Buried: St. Matthew's Churchyard, Silksworth Carr, George William aged 45, Timber Drawer, address: 5 Cook Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Carr, James aged 38, Timber Drawer, address: 7 Vincent Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Challoner, John Edwin (Teddy) aged 53, Deputy, address: 10 Boston Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Champley, Richard aged 43, Cutter, address: 29 Hazel Terrace, Shotton Chapman, Albert Kerr aged 44, Stoneman, address: 48 Attlee Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Charlton, Joseph aged 42, Master Shifter, address: 15 Baldwin Street, Easington Colliery, brother in law of John Lamb, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Clough, John aged 57, Shifter, address: 2 West Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Dryden, William Arthur aged 27, Filler, address: 13 Tower Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Ellison, John aged 19, Datal, address: 2 Wear Terrace, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Fishburn, Charles aged 54, Shifter, address: 7 Cardiff Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Fishburn, Henry aged 23, Filler, address: 111 Station Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Garside, Thomas aged 20, Datal, address: 49 Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Godsman, Joseph aged 41, Cutter, address: 41 North Road, Wingate, Buried: Station Town Cemetery, Wingate Goulburn, George aged 57, Mason's Labourer, address: 54 Station Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Gowland, Albert aged 51, Deputy, address: 20 Bradley Street, Easington Colliery, leaves a widow and three boys, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Goyns, Ernest, aged 60, Stoneman, address: 20 Stokoe Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Wheatley Hill Cemetery Goyns, Herbert aged 56, Stoneman, address: 1 Fifteenth Street, Wheatley Hill, Buried: Thornley Cemetery Harker, John aged 53, Shifter, address: 30 Glebe Avenue, Easington Colliery, Buried: Easington Village Cemetery Henderson, John William aged 56, Shifter, address: The Cottage, Hawthorne Hepple, Thomas aged 31, Filler, address: 16 Easington Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Hunt, Daniel aged 54, Datal, address: 8 Castle Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Hunt, Stephen aged 24, Filler, address: 5 The Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Hunt, William aged 43, Datal, address: 29 West Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Hutton, Arthur Chambers aged 42, Filler, address: 72 Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery , Jepson, Frederick Ernest aged 68, Shifter, address: 11 Abbot Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Jones, Lawrence aged 36, Filler, address: 1 Attlee Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Jones, Thomas Edward aged 35, Deputy, address: 62 Station Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Jopling, Herbert Jeffrey aged 57, Shifter, address: 11 Ashton Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Kelly, John aged 57, Datal, father of William, address: 11 Clifton Street, Easington, leaves a widow and two sons, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Kelly, William (Billy) aged 28, Filler, son of John, address: 11 Clifton Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Lamb, John Edward Armstrong aged 43, Datal, address: 15 Butler Street, Easington Colliery, brother in law of Joseph Charlton, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Link, Jesse Stephenson aged 44, Datal, address: 6 Anthony Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Lippeatt, Joseph Fairless aged 37, Filler, address: Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Lynch, Peter aged 20, Filler, address: 4 Stephenson Square, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery McRoy, Denis aged 23, Filler, address: 22 Bolam Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery McRoy, William James aged 31, Filler, address: 9 Tower Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Milburn, Robert William aged 26, Filler, address: 37 George Avenue, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Nelson, Harold aged 49, Stoneman, address: 27 Bradley Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Newcombe, Albert aged 67, Stoneman, address: 13 Beatty Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Nicholson, Norman aged 29, Filler, address: 51 Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Noble, Robert aged 45, Shifter, address: 24 Austin Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Easington Colliery Cemetery Parkin, William aged 24, Filler, address: 31 Thorntree Gill, Peterlee, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Parks, William Edward Forbes aged 62, Shifter, address: 7 Raby Avenue, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Pase, Robert aged 63, Shifter, address: 16 The Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Peaceful, Stanley aged 37, Stoneman, address: 6 South Street, Thornley, Buried: Thornley Cemetery Penman, Alexander aged 42, Cutter, address: 71 Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Porter, James aged 32, Filler, address: 51 George Avenue, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Porter, John Thomas aged 23, Filler, address: 3 Alnwick Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Rice, Thomas Valentine aged 53, Shifter, address: 2 Beaty Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Robinson, John aged 50, Stoneman, address: 5 Carol Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Robson, John George aged 25, Filler, address: East View, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Scott, George aged 53, Datal, address: 1 Burns Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Seymour, Albert aged 64, Datal, address: 32 Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Sillito, Frederick aged 52, Shifter, address: 10 Angus Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Stubbs, George Henry aged 60, Shifter, address: 21 Alma Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Surtees, Hugh Bell aged 36, Datal, address: 4 Bevan Crescent, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Surtees, Matthew White aged 61, Shifter, address: 22 Alma Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Thompson, Laurence aged 54, Datal, address: 2 Boyd Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Thompson, Thomas aged 28, Underground Bricklayer, address: 2 Wickham Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Trisnan, Thomas aged 43, Stoneman, address: 56 Oak Road, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Turnbull, Robert aged 64, Master Wasteman, address: 29 Ascot Street, Easington Colliery, leaves a wife, one son and two daughters (was due to retire in 3 months), Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Wallace, John (Jack) Young aged 26, Back Overman, Rescue Worker, overcome by noxious gas same day, address: Deneside, Seaham, Buried: Murton Cemetery Wilkie, George aged 63, Shifter, address: 16 Argent Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Wilkinson, Reginald aged 40, Stoneman, address: 33 Hart Lane, West Hartlepool, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Williams, Matthew aged 18, Datal, fatally injured and died the same day, address: 6 Ashton Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Willins, Robert aged 45, Fore Overman, address: 11 Byron Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Wilson, John aged 62, Hauling Engineman, address: 23 Baldwin Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Garden of Remembrance at Easington Colliery Cemetery Wilson, Stephen aged 60, Shifter, address: 9 Anthony Street, Easington Colliery, Buried: Easington Village Cemetery

---

'2 Rescue Workers Lost their lives Name Details Sourced Bio Connected Category Burdess, Henry, age 43, Deputy, also Rescue Worker Overcome by noxious gas. Died 1st June 1951 Wallace, John, (Jack) Young 26, Back Overman; Rescue Worker, Deneside Seaham, Buried Murton Cemetery overcome by noxious gas. Died same day

Links for further information

• Historic England's page for the Memorial: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1437889
• Easington Colliery disaster remembered with illuminated memorial walkway, 65 years on: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/easington-colliery-disaster-remembered-illuminated-12231750
• Photos from the website of the Easlington Primary School: http://www.easingtoncolliery.durham.sch.uk/community/easington-colliery-pit-disaster-memorial-2/
• Interview of Rescue Worker George Ottowell
• A host of historical articles on the Easlington Mining Disaster can be found on the Durham Mining Museum. These articles date from 29 May 1951 to 14 May 1954, and links can be found for each of these on this page: http://dmm.org.uk/names/n1951-01.htm

Sources

• Durham Mining Museum