Bargoed Colliery roof fall, 1903

A heavy fall of roof at the Powell Duffryn Company's Bargoed New Pits on the morning of Thursday 3 December 1903 killed one collier outright and fatally injured his partner, John Thomas, nineteen, captain of the Bargoed Lilies football team.

Cause

A heavy fall of roof at the working place, without warning.

What happened

At about eight in the morning two men working together, filling a tram, were caught without warning by a large and heavy fall of roof. One was killed outright: the first report named him as Thomas Caple, a single man from Treharris lodging in South Street, Bargoed, who had been at the pits only a week since coming back from South Africa; the report of the inquest named him as Thomas Charles Price. His partner, John Thomas, 19, of Usk Street, Bargoed, was brought out seriously injured and died that night. Thomas, the only support of his mother, was a well-known footballer and captain of the Bargoed Lilies.

The Evening Express remarked that the victims of the fatal accidents at the new pits had all been men who had worked there for only a week or so.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest on both men was held on Friday 4 December at the Hanbury Arms Hotel before the coroner R. J. Rhys, and returned a verdict of accidental death.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The man killed outright was Thomas Caple, of Treharris, a week at the pits after returning from South Africa. (uncertain) ^1,2
• The man killed outright was Thomas Charles Price. (uncertain) ³

Recorded claims

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

• A fall of roof at Bargoed New Pits on 3 December 1903 killed two colliers. ^1,2,3
• John Thomas, 19, captain of the Bargoed Lilies, died the same night of his injuries. ^1,3
• The man killed outright was Thomas Caple, of Treharris, a week at the pits after returning from South Africa. (uncertain) ^1,2
• The man killed outright was Thomas Charles Price. (uncertain) ³
• Bargoed New Pits belonged to the Powell Duffryn Company. ²
• The inquest at the Hanbury Arms Hotel before R. J. Rhys returned a verdict of accidental death. ³

Related terminology

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

• Captain (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…outright and fatally injured his partner, John Thomas, nineteen, captain of the Bargoed Lilies football team.”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A heavy fall of roof at the Powell Duffryn Company's Bargoed New Pits on the morning of…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “At about eight in the morning two men working together, filling a tram, were caught without warning by a large and heavy fall of roof. One…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining fatalities, 1903 - Welsh Coal Mines — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Fall of roof: a man killed at Bargoed (Evening Express, 3 December 1903) — National Library of Wales
3. (primary) Two colliers killed: inquiry into Bargoed accident (Evening Express, 5 December 1903) — National Library of Wales

Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026