MineArchiveBirley East Colliery Explosion, 1924
An explosion at Birley East Colliery on 23 February 1924 killed four men and injured four others. Two of the dead were father and son, Herbert and Ernest Roper of Rainbow Forge, Hackenthorpe.
| Date | 23 February 1924 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Birley Collieries |
| Region | South Yorkshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 4 (Frederick Porter, 70, of Main Road, Intake; Hubert Kennedy, 23, of 153 City Road, Intake; Ernest Roper, 20, and his father Herbert Roper, 41, both of 1 Rainbow Forge, Hackenthorpe.) |
| Injuries | Four others were injured. Five men were admitted to the Royal Hospital: William Barker of Normanton Springs, Ernest Roper of Rainbow Forge, Hubert Kennedy of City Road, Fred Porter of Main Road and Leonard Matram of Intake. Roper, Kennedy and Porter are among the four who died. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion underground. The sources do not establish what ignited it.
Contributing factors
Nothing is recorded.
What happened
Little of the day survives beyond the roll. Five men were taken to the Royal Hospital in Sheffield, and at the inquest four deaths were reported: Frederick Porter, seventy years old and still working; Hubert Kennedy, twenty-three and married; and Ernest Roper, twenty, with his father Herbert, forty-one, from the same house at Rainbow Forge.
Rescue & recovery
Nothing is recorded of the rescue.
Investigation & inquiry
An inquest was held at which the four deaths were reported. The National Archives hold a file catalogued 'Birley East Colliery, Beighton: explosion', which has not been consulted and would be the obvious next source.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Nothing recorded.
Changes to practice & legislation
Nothing recorded.
Memorials & commemoration
No memorial specific to the explosion is known.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- An explosion at Birley East Colliery on 23 February 1924 killed four and injured four others; the inquest reported the deaths of Frederick Porter, Hubert Kennedy, Ernest Roper and his father Herbert Roper. 1
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: “An explosion at Birley East Colliery on 23 February 1924 killed four men and injured four others. Two of…”
Sources
- (secondary) Birley Collieries — Wikipedia
- (primary) Birley Colliery Accident, from the Annual Mines Inspectors Report for 1876, report of Thomas Evans, page 67 — Mines Inspectors Report, transcribed by the Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 9 September 2026