Britannic Colliery Llewellyn Pit shaft accident, 1913

At about 1.45 p.m. on Sunday 27 April 1913 the side of the new Llewellyn sinking at Gilfach Goch, beside the Trane Pit, gave way and swept seven men off their staging into the flooded sump. Four were drowned. The mechanical engineer Thomas Thomas went down on a rope and brought the other three out, for which the King decorated him.

Cause

A sudden squeeze brought down part of the shaft side while temporary timbers and girders were being removed for walling, smashing the staging.

What happened

The Cambrian Combine was sinking the Llewellyn Pit for the Britannic Merthyr company, next to the Trane Pit, and had reached 514 yards. Seven men under the fireman John Griffiths were on a temporary staging, removing girders and timbers so the shaft could be walled. A sudden squeeze brought down part of the shaft side, which smashed the staging and threw all seven into the sump, where there was about twelve feet of water.

The bowk had been damaged and could not be used. Thomas Thomas, the colliery's mechanical engineer, went down a wire rope some 70 yards from a landing at the Six Feet seam, which connected with the Trane Pit. He found John Griffiths, John Jones and Patsy Callaghan in a corner formed by the fallen staging and the walling, with the water risen from their knees to their armpits. Tom Peters, on slightly lower ground, had drowned in front of them. Thomas tied the rope round each man in turn and sent them up, coming up last himself. Callaghan was taken to Porth Cottage Hospital. The bodies of the other four could not be reached for several days.

Rescue & recovery

With the bowk damaged, Thomas Thomas descended about 70 yards on a wire rope from the Six Feet landing and sent the three survivors up one at a time; the water would have covered them within half an hour.

Memorials & commemoration

On 16 December 1913 at Buckingham Palace the King presented Thomas Thomas with the King Edward Medal (second class) for saving life in mines and the bronze medal of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, telling him, 'You are a very brave man.'

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 accident was in the Trane Pit, during its deepening. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• On 27 April 1913 four sinkers were drowned and three rescued when the shaft side fell and smashed their staging. ^1,2,3
• The accident was in the new Llewellyn sinking pit of the Britannic Merthyr Colliery, beside the Trane Pit. ^1,4,3
• The accident was in the Trane Pit, during its deepening. (disputed) ²
• Thomas Thomas, mechanical engineer, went down on a rope and saved the three survivors, and was decorated by the King in December 1913. ^1,4,3

Related terminology

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

• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…to the Trane Pit, and had reached 514 yards. Seven men under the fireman John Griffiths were on a temporary staging, removing girders and…”
• Kibble (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…into the sump, where there was about twelve feet of water. The bowk had been damaged and could not be used. Thomas Thomas, the…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “A sudden squeeze brought down part of the shaft side while temporary timbers and girders were being removed for…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…1.45 p.m. on Sunday 27 April 1913 the side of the new Llewellyn sinking at Gilfach Goch, beside the Trane Pit, gave way and swept seven men…”
• Sump (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Pit, gave way and swept seven men off their staging into the flooded sump. Four were drowned. The mechanical engineer Thomas Thomas went down…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh coal mining fatalities, 1913 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Britannic Merthyr Colliery - Northern Mine Research Society — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) Gilfach Goch hero, honoured by the King (The Rhondda Leader, 20 December 1913) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
4. (primary) Damwain yn Gilfach Goch: pedwar dyn wedi eu lladd (Y Llan, 2 May 1913) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 2 October 2026