Collins Green Colliery roof fall, 1940

Seven men were relocating a turbine in the main level of the Collins Green Pit at Bold when a section of roof collapsed on them on 14 February 1940, injuring two and completely burying five; three were dug out alive over the following hours but two, including the overman's own father, died after more than thirty hours under the fall. Two rescuers were awarded the Edward Medal.

Cause

A section of roof 12 feet long and 9 feet wide collapsed without warning on seven men relocating a turbine in the main level.

What happened

At about 8.45am on 14 February 1940, seven men were working a turbine into a new position in the main level of the Collins Green Pit at Bold when a section of roof, 12 feet long and 9 feet wide, collapsed on them, injuring two and completely burying the other five. The overman, Carl Schofield, was working nearby and rushed to the scene, aware that his own father Charles was among the buried men. The colliery agent, Thomas Jameson, was spending his 42nd birthday at home when he received the urgent message and went straight to the pit to take charge. Working in a confined space at real risk of a further fall, Jameson and Schofield burrowed by hand — there was no room to use a shovel — to clear dust from the face of the first man found, the pit fireman Ernest Hayes, freeing him after about an hour; he was able to walk out unaided. Jameson then directed the securing of the roof, working under it himself to remove stone and dirt and sawing through a conveyor chain and rail. Arthur Cunningham was freed after prolonged efforts, and John Tulley an hour later. Schofield could see his father and another man but by then six hours had passed; a further roof fall blocked the rescuers' access hole entirely, ending any remaining hope of a live rescue. More than thirty hours after the initial collapse, the bodies of Charles Schofield, 62, and Richard Saw, 40, were recovered. All the men involved were from the St Helens area.

Rescue & recovery

Thomas Jameson and Carl Schofield's rescue effort — working by hand in a confined, repeatedly collapsing space, sawing through mining equipment to reach the trapped men, and continuing even after Schofield's own father was confirmed among the buried — freed three men alive. Both were awarded the Edward Medal, Bronze, gazetted 14 February 1940.

Memorials & commemoration

Thomas Jameson's and Carl Schofield's Edward Medals are the only commemorative record found.

Recorded claims

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

• NMRS (compiled from Ian Winstanley's St Helens colliery research) describes the site as 'the Collins Green Pit at Bold'; Durham Mining Museum's Edward Medal citation names the colliery simply as 'Bold Colliery' -- treated as the same site under a locally-used alternative name, not a discrepancy. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…aware that his own father Charles was among the buried men. The colliery agent, Thomas Jameson, was spending his 42nd birthday at home when…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…shovel — to clear dust from the face of the first man found, the pit fireman Ernest Hayes, freeing him after about an hour; he was able to walk…”
• Level (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Seven men were relocating a turbine in the main level of the Collins Green Pit at Bold when a section of roof collapsed on…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…were dug out alive over the following hours but two, including the overman's own father, died after more than thirty hours under the fall. Two…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…father and another man but by then six hours had passed; a further roof fall blocked the rescuers' access hole entirely, ending any remaining…”

Sources

1. (primary) Edward Medal awards (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Collins Green Colliery Roof Fall - St Helens - 1940 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026