Aldwarke Main Colliery inrush, 1933

Water bursting through from old workings at John Brown and Company's Aldwarke Main Colliery, Rawmarsh, near Rotherham, on 10 March 1933 overwhelmed and drowned two miners.

Cause

An inrush of water from old, waterlogged workings.

What happened

On Friday 10 March 1933 water burst through from old workings at Aldwarke Main Colliery, at Rawmarsh near Rotherham, and overwhelmed two miners, George Clarke, aged 33, and Frederick Merrills, aged 43, who were drowned.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• On 10 March 1933 two miners, George Clarke and Frederick Merrills, were drowned at Aldwarke Main Colliery. ^1,2,3,4
• Water bursting through from old waterlogged workings overwhelmed and drowned them. ^5,1,3,4
• The colliery was owned by John Brown and Company Limited. ^3,4

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…through from old workings at John Brown and Company's Aldwarke Main Colliery, Rawmarsh, near Rotherham, on 10 March 1933 overwhelmed and drowned…”
• Inrush (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “An inrush of water from old, waterlogged workings.”
• Old Workings (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Water bursting through from old workings at John Brown and Company's Aldwarke Main Colliery, Rawmarsh, near…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Aldwarke Main, 10 March 1933 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Aldwarke Main Flood (The Science and Art of Mining, 18 March 1933) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Fred Merrills, Aldwarke Main, 1933 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: George Clarke, Aldwarke Main, 1933 — Northern Mine Research Society
5. (primary) Aldwarke Main Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026