MineArchiveCwmgwili Colliery Roof Fall, 1971
| Date | 7 September 1971 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Cwmgwili Colliery |
| Region | Carmarthenshire |
| Primary type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Associated types | Entrapment |
| Fatalities | 3 (John Handel Evans, 43 (left a widow and two children); David Edgar George, 30; Charles Henry Jones, 31 (both left widows).) |
| Injuries | None recorded; two men in the heading, Ron Lewis and Jack Thomas, escaped uninjured. |
| Context | During active mining |
A sudden fall of roof in a heading being driven with a continuous miner buried three of the five men working there at Cwmgwili, then one of the Coal Board's most productive and profitable collieries. The other two escaped unhurt.
Cause
A sudden fall of roof in a 12-foot-high heading being worked with a Joy continuous miner.
Contributing factors
Unknown; the sources give no finding on why the roof failed.
What happened
Five men were working in a heading 12 feet high and 11 feet 6 inches wide, cutting with a Joy continuous miner in the thick seams, when a sudden fall occurred. Three were completely buried; Ron Lewis and Jack Thomas had what was described as a miraculous escape.
Rescue & recovery
Unknown.
Investigation & inquiry
Unknown; no inquest or inspector's report was found.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
None recorded.
Changes to practice & legislation
None recorded.
Memorials & commemoration
Unknown.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 7 September 1971 three miners were killed under the same roof fall at Cwmgwili. 1
- John Handel Evans, 43, David Edgar George, 30, and Charles Henry Jones, 31, colliers, were killed by a fall of roof in a heading at Cwmgwili Drift Mine; two others, Ron Lewis and Jack Thomas, escaped uninjured. 2
- Five men were working with a Joy continuous miner in a heading 12 feet high and 11 feet 6 inches wide when the roof fell suddenly, completely burying three. 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 summary: “…then one of the Coal Board's most productive and profitable collieries. The other two escaped unhurt.” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A sudden fall of roof in a heading being driven with a continuous miner buried three of…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Account of the roof fall, with the names of the three men killed.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Cwmgwili Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society (Ray Lawrence)
- (secondary) 1971 (Welsh mining fatalities by date) — Welsh Coal Mines
Record created: 16 September 2026 · Last researched: 16 September 2026