Elemore Colliery duff heap fall, 1943

Two falls of duff coal at the surface heap of Elemore Colliery, Easington Lane, on 15 April 1943 buried three workers, two of whom had run to dig out the first.

Cause

Two falls of duff coal from the idle west face of a surface heap, running into a ten-foot cut.

What happened

On 15 April 1943 men were working small coal, or duff, from a heap on the surface at Elemore Colliery. A fall from the idle west face buried Hedley Fitton nearly to the waist, and, because the fall ran into a ten-foot cut, he had no chance. John Petty shouted for shovels. John Harle and Charles Bond reached Fitton first, and before they had begun to dig a second fall came away and buried them; Petty, Smith and Cullen were buried to the waist and had to be dug out. Bond and Harle were recovered after about ten minutes and Fitton ten minutes later. All three were dead.

At the inquest at Hetton the coroner, T. V. Devey, found that they had died from asphyxia, accidentally buried in a fall of duff coal. The chargeman said that the south working face had been stepped but the fall came from the idle west face, and that after the falls a slip or fracture appeared, as if caused by water; in 17 years of the work he had never seen such an accident. The coroner said there were no rules for this work, which was classed as neither quarry nor mine, and urged a wider working place worked in the open rather than in narrow gullies.

Rescue & recovery

Workmates dug for the buried men with shovels; three were themselves buried to the waist and dug out. The three dead were recovered within about twenty minutes.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest found accidental death by asphyxia. The colliery's foreman agreed that in future every face would be stepped and the working place made at least a third wider than the heap was high; for 33 feet of duff, at least 40 feet wide.

Recorded claims

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

• On 15 April 1943 three surface workers at Elemore Colliery were buried and asphyxiated in a fall of duff coal. ^1,2,3,4
• The dead were Hedley Fitton, John Harle, 44, and Charles Bond, 50. ^1,2,3,4
• Harle and Bond were buried by a second fall while going to help Fitton. ¹
• The coroner said the work came under the rules for neither quarries nor mines, and the foreman agreed every face would be stepped and the working place made at least a third wider than the heap was high. ¹
• The colliery was owned by Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries Ltd. ^2,4

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two falls of duff coal at the surface heap of Elemore Colliery, Easington Lane, on 15 April…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two falls of duff coal at the surface heap of Elemore Colliery, Easington Lane, on 15 April 1943 buried three workers, two of whom…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Elemore, 15 April 1943 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Hedley Fitton, Elemore, 1943 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: J. Harle, Elemore, 1943 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles Bond, Elemore, 1943 — Northern Mine Research Society
5. (primary) Elemore Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

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