Darfield Main Colliery Roof Fall, 1910

On 3 November 1910 a packman and a young pony driver were buried by a fall of roof at Darfield Main Colliery, near Barnsley in the West Riding, at the narrow end of a coal barrier being worked between two goaves.

Cause

A severe underground 'bump' displaced three bars and brought down a large fall of roof at the narrow end of a barrier of coal being worked between two lines of goaf.

What happened

George Wilkinson, aged 39, a packman, and Arthur Bestall, aged 17, a pony driver, were buried when, as Wilkinson and his mate tipped a tub of stone building a pack between two converged gates, a severe bump displaced three bars and brought the roof down; Bestall was standing beside the tub. Wilkinson's mate had a narrow escape. The place was well timbered and packed, but it lay at the narrow end of a coal barrier that had been reduced from about 38 yards wide to 20. A similar accident had happened near the spot on 27 September, and after this one the manager abandoned the working.

Sources

1. (secondary) Darfield Main Colliery fall of roof, 3 November 1910 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Darfield Main Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026