Brynamman Colliery Inrush, 1933

Water broke into a slant at Brynamman Colliery, trapping miners in the dark and flooding the roadway out. Two colliers, Thomas Thomas and Daff Davies, led four men and seven boys aged fourteen to sixteen to safety, Thomas going back for a group still trapped and coming out last. He received the Edward Medal, later exchanged for the George Cross.

Cause

An inrush of water into the slant. Its source is not given in the sources read.

What happened

When the water broke in, a youth lost his lamp and could not find his way out in the darkness and rushing water; Thomas Thomas helped him at the risk of his own life. The colliers split into two groups, one making for the return airway and the other along the already flooded main roadway, blocked by a mass of timber and rails washed down by the water. Thomas brought up the rear of that group, and once it was safe he went back, at considerable risk, to the group still trapped and guided them out, the last man to leave.

Rescue & recovery

The rescue was carried out by the miners themselves. Welsh Coal Mines credits Thomas Thomas, 21, of Derwydd Farm, Garnant, and Daff Elwyn Davies, 29, of Brynamman, with saving four men and seven boys.

Investigation & inquiry

Unknown. The Coroner and the Inspector of Mines are said to have supported Thomas's nomination for the Edward Medal; no inquiry report was found.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

None recorded.

Changes to practice & legislation

None recorded.

Memorials & commemoration

Thomas Thomas received the Edward Medal in bronze from King George V on 28 February 1934, and a Carnegie Hero Fund certificate and £20. Both men received the Order of Industrial Heroism, presented at Brynamman Hall on 29 November 1933, where Amalgamated Anthracite gave gold watches to the men and silver cigarette cases to the boys. In 1971 Thomas exchanged his Edward Medal for the George Cross on condition that the medal stayed in Wales, at the National Museum in Cardiff.

Recorded claims

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

• Thomas Thomas, collier, Brynamman Colliery, was awarded the Edward Medal in bronze for 21 September 1933. ^1,2,3
• Thomas Thomas later held the George Cross in exchange for his Edward Medal. ^1,3
• The water broke into the Brass Vein Slant. (disputed) ³
• The inrush was in the Trigloyn Slant, Brynamman Colliery. (disputed) ³
• Thomas Thomas, 21, and Daff Elwyn Davies, 29, received the Order of Industrial Heroism for saving four men and seven boys. ³
• Thomas helped a youth who had lost his lamp, then returned to guide a second trapped group to safety, being the last to leave. ³

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: “Water broke into a slant at Brynamman Colliery, trapping miners in the dark and flooding the roadway out. Two…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “Unknown. The Coroner and the Inspector of Mines are said to have supported Thomas's nomination for the Edward Medal;…”
• Inrush (direct cause)
  Water broke into the slant.
• Return Airway (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…his own life. The colliers split into two groups, one making for the return airway and the other along the already flooded main roadway, blocked by a…”
• Slant (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Water broke into a slant at Brynamman Colliery, trapping miners in the dark and flooding the…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Edward Medal Recipients — Mines Rescue History
2. (primary) Edward Medal awards (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) Medals — Welsh Coal Mines — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 16 September 2026 · Last researched: 16 September 2026