Bryndu Colliery roof fall, 1902

Late on the morning of Wednesday 11 June 1902 a stone some nine feet long dropped from the rock roof of a heading at Bryndu Colliery, Kenfig Hill, killing the collier William David and the seventeen-year-old filler Rees Wilkins, who died that night.

Cause

A stone about 9 feet long and a foot wide came away from a rock roof that had not been timbered.

Contributing factors

The men trusted the solid rock top and set no props under it; a prop that had stood under the stone had been knocked out shortly before, though the foreman said that made no difference.

What happened

David was cutting coal while Wilkins and John Ivory filled. The stone fell while the three were sitting down waiting for an empty tram. Ivory was cut about the head; Wilkins was carried out alive but died the same night.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest the day foreman, David Evans, said he had examined the roof fifteen or twenty minutes before the fall and thought the stone had been forced out by pressure. Mr F. N. White, assistant inspector of mines, attended for the Home Office. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• Between eleven and twelve on Wednesday 11 June 1902 a stone about nine feet long fell from the roof of a heading at Bryndu Colliery, Kenfig Hill, killing the collier William David and fatally injuring the filler Rees Wilkins. ^1,2
• No timber supported the roof where the stone fell: the top was solid rock and the men were trusting to it. ²
• The coroner, Howell Cuthbertson, held the inquest at Kenfig Hill on 13 June, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. ²

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “David was cutting coal while Wilkins and John Ivory filled. The stone fell while the three…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…nine feet long dropped from the rock roof of a heading at Bryndu Colliery, Kenfig Hill, killing the collier William David and the…”
• Filler (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…Hill, killing the collier William David and the seventeen-year-old filler Rees Wilkins, who died that night.”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…the stone had been forced out by pressure. Mr F. N. White, assistant inspector of mines, attended for the Home Office. The jury returned a verdict of…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…stone fell while the three were sitting down waiting for an empty tram. Ivory was cut about the head; Wilkins was carried out alive but…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh coal mining fatalities, 1902 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Evening Express, 13 June 1902: Fall of stone: two men killed at Kenfig Hill (inquest and verdict) — Evening Express (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 20 October 2026 · Last researched: 20 October 2026