Digby Colliery Explosion, 1928

A firedamp explosion at an electrically driven coal-cutter face at Digby Colliery, Giltbrook, killed two Awsworth men, James Briggs and George Dawes, and burned a third; the inquest found the men had gone down without a flame safety lamp and could not say what ignited the gas.

Cause

Ignition of an accumulation of firedamp at a coal-cutting machine on the night shift; the source of ignition was never established.

Contributing factors

The three men on the machine had no flame safety lamp with them, although the regulations required one when coal-cutting so that gas could be detected; none of them had been searched before going down, and a whole cigarette, two cigarette ends and six matches were found near where they had been working. The deputy had found the ventilation normal at 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm and could not account for a dangerous accumulation of gas an hour later.

What happened

On the evening of 5 January 1928 James Briggs, George Dawes and Dawes's brother Urban went down Digby Colliery at about eight o'clock to work an electrically driven coal-cutting machine at the face. Urban Dawes switched the machine on at about half past nine and was some seven yards away when, between half past nine and ten, the gas exploded. Briggs was killed. George Dawes was badly burned about the arms, neck and face and died on 14 January. Urban Dawes was burned and taken to hospital.

Rescue & recovery

No organised rescue was needed; the two injured men were brought out and taken to hospital, where George Dawes died nine days later.

Investigation & inquiry

The county coroner, Lieutenant-Colonel H. Bradwell, adjourned the inquest so that Urban Dawes could give evidence once he had recovered, and resumed it on 20 March 1928 at the Jubilee Wesleyan School, Kimberley, with J. A. Felton, the Divisional Inspector of Mines, present. Urban Dawes said the lamp cabin would not issue flame lamps to the coal-cutter men and that none of them had carried one for months; the lampman, Elam Smithurst, and the manager, Edward Stoke Fawcett, replied that there were plenty of flame lamps, 150 of them unused in the storeroom, and that the men had simply never asked. The inspector produced a match found beside the cutter, and the manager listed the cigarette and matches recovered from the working place; the head electrician and the underground electrician both said the machine showed no sign of sparking. The deputies, James Clarke and Jabez Meakin, said the ventilation had been in order.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The coroner called the case very serious from a public point of view, said that the men should have been searched and that someone was seriously at fault, and reminded the jury that carrying a flame lamp when coal-cutting was already compulsory by Act of Parliament. The jury returned a verdict that the men were killed by the explosion but could reach no conclusion as to how it had occurred, adding a rider that each shift should be compelled to take flame lamps down with them. No prosecution is recorded in the sources read.

Memorials & commemoration

None found.

Recorded claims

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

• James Briggs, 28, was killed by the explosion on 5 January 1928 and George Dawes, 54, died of his injuries on 14 January. ^1,2,3
• The explosion was an ignition of firedamp at an electrically driven coal-cutter; the inquest jury could not determine the source of ignition. ^1,3
• The survivor said the coal-cutter men had worked for months without a flame safety lamp because the lamp cabin would not issue them; the lampman and manager said lamps were plentiful and had never been asked for. (disputed) ³
• The resumed inquest of 20 March 1928 returned a verdict that the men were killed by the explosion, without a finding on how it occurred, and recommended that every shift be compelled to take flame lamps. ³

Related terminology

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

• Coal Cutter (relevant method/equipment)
  The explosion happened at an electrically driven coal-cutting machine minutes after it was switched on; the electricians found no evidence of sparking.
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Two deputies, James Clarke and Jabez Meakin, gave evidence that their inspections at 5.30 and 8.30 pm had found the ventilation in order.
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  An accumulation of firedamp at the coal-cutter face exploded; the deputies had found the ventilation normal an hour earlier and could not explain it.
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…Wesleyan School, Kimberley, with J. A. Felton, the Divisional Inspector of Mines, present. Urban Dawes said the lamp cabin would not issue flame…”
• Safety Lamp (contributing factor)
  The men had no flame safety lamp with them, so no test for gas was possible; the inquest turned on whether lamps had been refused or simply never asked for.

Sources

1. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum: Digby Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Digby Colliery fatalities 1866-1934 — healeyhero.co.uk
3. (primary) Inquest reports from newspapers, Digby Colliery, page 2 (1906-1934) — healeyhero.co.uk

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