Eccles Pit explosion, 1933

An explosion of firedamp at the Eccles Pit of Backworth Collieries on 22 April 1933 killed three coal-cutting machinemen.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp at a coal-cutting machine.

What happened

On 22 April 1933 an explosion of firedamp in the Eccles Pit at Backworth killed the three men working a coal-cutting machine: Peter Richard Anderson, aged 27, Thomas Chater, aged 35, and Thomas Livingstone, aged 45.

Recorded claims

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

• On 22 April 1933 an explosion of firedamp at the Eccles Pit, Backworth, killed three coal-cutting machinemen. ^1,2
• The dead were Peter Richard Anderson, 27, Thomas Chater, 35, and Thomas Livingstone, 45, machinemen. ^1,3,2
• The pit was owned by Backworth Collieries Limited. ^3,2

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: “An explosion of firedamp at the Eccles Pit of Backworth Collieries on 22 April 1933 killed three coal-cutting machinemen.”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of firedamp at the Eccles Pit of Backworth Collieries on 22 April 1933 killed…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Backworth Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Peter Richard Anderson, Backworth Eccles Pit, 1933 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Thomas Chater, Backworth Eccles Pit, 1933 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026