Bickerstaffe Colliery gas ignition, 1927

Gas ignited at the coal-cutter face of Bickerstaffe Colliery on 14 July 1927; two of the four men hurt, a dataller and the coal cutterman, died four days later.

Date	14 July 1927
Mine	Bickerstaffe Colliery
Region	Lancashire
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	2 (Two killed: Peter Forshaw and Henry Patterson, both dying on 18 July.)
Injuries	Two other men injured.
Context	During active mining

A leaf-covered woodland path running straight between tall pine trees. — The Bickerstaffe Colliery Trail along the crest of the colliery's wooded spoil heap K A, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What happened

On 14 July 1927 gas ignited at the coal-cutter face at Bickerstaffe Colliery. Four men were hurt. The dataller Peter Forshaw, 46, and the coal cutterman Henry Patterson, 55, both died of burns and shock on 18 July; the other two survived their injuries.

Recorded claims

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

An ignition of gas at the coal-cutter face of Bickerstaffe Colliery on 14 July 1927 killed two men and injured two; the dataller Peter Forshaw, 46, and the coal cutterman Henry Patterson, 55, died of burns and shock on 18 July. ^1,2
Two others were injured. ²
The colliery belonged to Bickerstaffe Collieries Ltd. ²

Related terminology

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

Coal (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…on 14 July 1927; two of the four men hurt, a dataller and the coal cutterman, died four days later.”
Coal Cutter (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Gas ignited at the coal-cutter face of Bickerstaffe Colliery on 14 July 1927; two of the four men…”
Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Gas ignited at the coal-cutter face of Bickerstaffe Colliery on 14 July 1927; two of the four men hurt, a dataller and the coal…”
Dataller (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Bickerstaffe Colliery on 14 July 1927; two of the four men hurt, a dataller and the coal cutterman, died four days later.”

Sources

(primary) Durham Mining Museum - Bickerstaffe Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
(secondary) Accident record: Peter Forshaw, Bickerstaffe, 1927 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026