MineArchiveBersham Colliery explosion, 1909
A shot fired at the far end of the No.2 West Level ignited a pocket of firedamp at Bersham Colliery on 3 August 1909, killing eight men.
| Date | 3 August 1909 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Bersham Colliery |
| Region | Wrexham |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 8 (Firemen Joseph Matthias, Edward Owen, John Jones and James Roberts, colliers Thomas Evans and Evan Parry, and hacker Robert Lloyd were killed outright; Henry Valentine was brought out alive but died a few days later.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A shot fired using gunpowder at the far end of the No.2 West Level ignited a blower of firedamp (methane).
Contributing factors
The colliery had recently been sunk to the main coal seam, and although the newly opened working was not very extensive, the coal was already known to give off a great deal of firedamp.
What happened
On the evening of 3 August 1909, a shot fired at the far end of the No.2 West Level at Bersham Colliery ignited a pocket of firedamp, killing eight men: firemen Joseph Matthias, Edward Owen, John Jones and James Roberts; colliers Thomas Evans and Evan Parry; and hacker Robert Lloyd, all killed outright, with Henry Valentine brought out alive but dying of his injuries a few days later.
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Blower (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “…using gunpowder at the far end of the No.2 West Level ignited a blower of firedamp (methane).” - Coal (contextual relationship)
The colliery had just been sunk to the main coal seam, and the coal in that newly opened working was already known to give off a great deal of firedamp. - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…end of the No.2 West Level ignited a pocket of firedamp at Bersham Colliery on 3 August 1909, killing eight men.” - Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Firedamp was the direct agent here: a shot fired at the far end of the No.2 West Level ignited a pocket of it, killing eight men in a working known to be gassy. - Level (contextual relationship)
The explosion happened at the far end of the No.2 West Level, the newly driven roadway where the shot was fired — the level itself being the extent of the new working.
Sources
- (secondary) Bersham Colliery Explosions - Wrexham - 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Bersham Colliery Rhostyllan — Welsh Coal Mines
Record created: 21 August 2026 · Last researched: 21 August 2026