Garesfield Colliery roof fall, 1929

Two shifters, Thomas William Armstrong and Joseph Stephenson Surtees, were killed together by a fall of stone at Garesfield Colliery, High Spen, on 16 September 1929.

Cause

A fall of stone.

What happened

On 16 September 1929 two shifters at the Consett Iron Company's Garesfield Colliery, High Spen, Thomas William Armstrong, 50, and Joseph Stephenson Surtees, 63, were killed together by a fall of stone, at the Bute Pit by one account.

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 accident was at the colliery's Bute Pit. (uncertain) ³

Recorded claims

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

• On 16 September 1929 two shifters, Thomas William Armstrong, 50, and Joseph Stephenson Surtees, 63, were killed by a fall of stone at Garesfield Colliery, High Spen. ^1,2,3
• The accident was at the colliery's Bute Pit. (uncertain) ³
• The colliery belonged to the Consett Iron Co. Ltd. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Surtees, were killed together by a fall of stone at Garesfield Colliery, High Spen, on 16 September 1929.”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Garesfield Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Accident record: J.S. Surtees, Garesfield, 1929 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Accident record: Thomas William Armstrong, Garesfield, Bute Pit, 1929 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026