MineArchiveBritannia Colliery compressed-air main explosion, 1938
| Date | 10 April 1938 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Britannia Colliery, Pengam |
| Region | Caerphilly |
| Primary type | Machinery |
| Associated types | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 2 (The sources differ on Bond's middle name: Roland Bertram Bond (NMRS) or Roland John Bond (Welsh Coal Mines).) |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Context | During active mining |
On 10 April 1938 the main compressed-air pipe supplying Powell Duffryn's Rhymney Valley collieries burst while three men were repairing a joint beside Britannia Colliery, Pengam. The foreman boilermaker John Hammersley and the welder Roland Bond were killed outright and the fitter Frank Jones was seriously injured.
Cause
A burst of the main compressed-air pipe while a joint on it was under repair.
What happened
Three men were at work on a joint in the compressed-air main that ran between the Bargoed and Britannia collieries: John Henry Hammersley, 56, a married foreman boilermaker of Ruth Street, Bargoed, who was in charge; Roland Bond, 23, a married welder of William Street, Tir-y-berth; and Frank B. Jones, 35, a married fitter. The main blew out with a report heard at Gilfach, Bargoed and Pengam, where hundreds of people ran into the streets thinking there had been an explosion underground, and pieces of iron and stone were thrown hundreds of yards. Hammersley and Bond were killed instantly and found about 40 feet apart, one of them beneath the pipe; Jones was blown against a fence.
Rescue & recovery
Emlyn Lewis, a Great Western Railway fireman and ambulance worker working a few hundred yards away across the Rhymney river, ran to the scene, found Jones bleeding and staggering, gave first aid and then found the two dead men along the line, needing help to free one from under the pipe. Doctors, ambulance men and company officials followed; Jones was taken to Aberbargoed Cottage Hospital with serious head and back injuries and shock.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 10 April 1938 John Hammersley and Roland Bond were killed and Frank Jones injured repairing the compressed-air main at Britannia Colliery. 1,2
- The NMRS gives the younger victim as Roland Bertram Bond, 23, of William Street, Tir-y-berth. (disputed) 1
- Welsh Coal Mines lists him as Roland John Bond, 23, welder. (disputed) 2
- The report was heard at Gilfach, Bargoed and Pengam and threw iron and stone hundreds of yards. 2
- The pipe supplied compressed air to the Powell Duffryn collieries in the Rhymney Valley and ran between Bargoed and Britannia. 1,2
- Bond was a member of the Gilfach Page Boys Jazz Band, which had won the championship of Great Britain at Manchester. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…main compressed-air pipe supplying Powell Duffryn's Rhymney Valley collieries burst while three men were repairing a joint beside Britannia…” - Fireman (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s rescue and recovery: “Emlyn Lewis, a Great Western Railway fireman and ambulance worker working a few hundred yards away across the…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Entries for Hammersley and Bond with the contemporary newspaper account of the blow-out.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Britannia Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society (information supplied by Ray Lawrence)
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1938 — Welsh Coal Mines
Record created: 13 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026