Cwmneol Colliery lift accident, 1930

On 17 August 1930 three hitchers at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, were crushed when the lift they were loading with drams fell. Two were killed outright and the third, Henry Harry, died in Aberdare General Hospital an hour after he was admitted.

Cause

The lift that lowered drams to a lower level fell while the men were pushing drams into it; one account says its rope came out of its capel, another that the rope broke.

What happened

The men were pushing drams, among them a tram of stone dust, into the lift that took them down to a lower level when it dropped and caught them between the lift and a girder of the landing stage. William Joyles and Glyndwr Jones were killed outright; Henry Harry was taken to Aberdare General Hospital and died within the hour. Another hitcher, William Giles, was injured. Jones, twenty-three, was a well-known footballer who had played for Aberdare Schoolboys and won a county cap.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The men were pushing drams into the lift that lowered drams to a lower level when it dropped too early and crushed them. (disputed) ¹
• The rope broke on the cage and it dropped and crushed the men at the pit bottom. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• On 17 August 1930 three men were killed at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, when a lift or cage dropped on them. ^1,2
• The dead were the hitchers Henry Harry, 60 or 62, William Joyles, 45, and Glyndwr (Glyn) Jones, 22 or 23. ^1,2
• The men were pushing drams into the lift that lowered drams to a lower level when it dropped too early and crushed them. (disputed) ¹
• The rope broke on the cage and it dropped and crushed the men at the pit bottom. (disputed) ²
• A tram of stone dust was being pushed into the lift when the drivage rope left its capel and the lift fell, catching men between it and a girder of the landing stage; William Giles, a hitcher of 45, was injured. ³

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: “On 17 August 1930 three hitchers at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, were crushed when the lift they were loading with drams…”
• Level (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “The lift that lowered drams to a lower level fell while the men were pushing drams into it; one account says its…”
• Onsetter (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 17 August 1930 three hitchers at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, were crushed when the lift they were…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, Cwmaman, were crushed when the lift they were loading with drams fell. Two were killed outright and the third, Henry Harry, died in…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1930 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Cwmneol Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) NMRS deaths and accidents record: William Giles (injured), Cwmneol, 17 August 1930 — Northern Mine Research Society

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