MineArchiveClyde Colliery boiler-house wall collapse, 1924
| Date | 1924 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Clyde Colliery, Hamilton |
| Region | South Lanarkshire |
| Type | Other |
| Fatalities | 2 (Philip Cundalen, 50, and Arthur John Roadnight, 25, boiler firemen.) |
| Context | During active mining (The boiler house of Clyde Colliery, Hamilton, where a battery of Lancashire boilers was fired from a fuel stack held back by a brick wall.) |
Shortly after noon on 29 November 1924 two boiler firemen at Clyde Colliery, Hamilton, were firing a battery of Lancashire boilers when the eight-foot brick wall behind them, holding back a stack of fuel, gave way under its weight and buried them. Philip Cundalen and Arthur Roadnight were killed outright. The Inspector found the wall had been built without buttresses.
Cause
An unbuttressed eight-foot brick wall retaining a stack of boiler fuel collapsed under the weight of the fuel.
Contributing factors
The wall had stood for two years without any defect being noticed but had no buttresses, which would have strengthened it and probably prevented the collapse.
Investigation & inquiry
The Inspector of Mines for the Scotland Division, J. Masterton, reported the accident and its cause in his 1924 report.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- At 12.20 p.m. on 29 November 1924 two boiler firemen, Philip Cundalen, 50, and Arthur John Roadnight, 25, were buried and killed when an eight-foot brick wall retaining a stack of fuel collapsed behind them as they fired a battery of Lancashire boilers. 1
- The Scottish Mining Website's 1924 index lists a death at Clyde on 29 November 1924. 2
- The wall had served for two years with no defect noticed, but had been built without buttresses, which would have strengthened it and probably averted the accident. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “Shortly after noon on 29 November 1924 two boiler firemen at Clyde Colliery, Hamilton, were firing a battery of Lancashire boilers when the…” - HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s investigation: “The Inspector of Mines for the Scotland Division, J. Masterton, reported the accident and…”
Sources
- (secondary) Clyde Colliery — Durham Mining Museum — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Fatal accidents in mines in Scotland, 1924 — Scottish Mining Website
Record created: 12 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026