Gartshore Colliery explosion, 1923

Date	28 July 1923
Mine	Gartshore Colliery
Region	East Dunbartonshire
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	8 (8 dead is confirmed by both a contemporary newspaper report (reproduced on the Scottish Mining Website) and NMRS, with a matching named-victims list across both.)
Injuries	Three of the twelve men working were injured; one of the eight fatalities, George Young, died on the way to the infirmary rather than at the scene.
Context	During active mining
Status	Basic record

An explosion at No. 3 Gartshore Pit on the evening of 28 July 1923 killed eight of the twelve men constructing a water lodgment at the bottom of a new shaft; a pit bottomer thrown clear by the blast climbed back underground himself to help pull the injured to safety.

Cause

The explosion occurred near the bottom of the old pit shaft while the men were constructing an underground water lodgment as part of preparations to alter the pumping arrangements for a new shaft, Gartshore No. 12, then being sunk nearby.

What happened

Twelve men were working on the water lodgment when the explosion struck at around 5:30pm. Andrew Airlie, an elderly pit bottomer, was thrown against the wall by the blast; despite this he raised the alarm, was hauled to the surface, and immediately organised a rescue party before insisting on returning underground himself. The rescue party found seven men already dead and one, with a heavy beam across his neck, moaning; two more were unconscious. Only one of the twelve had escaped the explosion able to move under his own power. The dead were John Campbell (47, bricklayer, married), James Campbell (49, bricklayers' labourer, married), Daniel Coyle (18, general labourer, single), Samuel Garrie (20, bricklayer, single), Robert James Gray (22, bricklayer, single), Alexander Paterson (47, fireman, married), John Patrick (31, roadman, married) and George Young (18, apprentice bricklayer, single), who died on the way to the infirmary.

Rescue & recovery

Andrew Airlie, thrown against a wall by the explosion, raised the alarm and organised a rescue party before returning underground himself to help extricate the injured, who were rushed to the infirmary.

Investigation & inquiry

Detailed inquiry/inquest findings beyond the contemporary newspaper account were not established from the sources checked for this pass.

Recorded claims

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

Eight men died: John Campbell, James Campbell, Daniel Coyle, Samuel Garrie, Robert James Gray, Alexander Paterson, John Patrick and George Young, who died on the way to the infirmary. ^1,2
Pit bottomer Andrew Airlie, thrown against a wall by the explosion, raised the alarm and organised a rescue party before returning underground himself to help extricate the injured. ¹
The explosion occurred while twelve men were constructing an underground water lodgment as part of preparations to alter pumping arrangements for a new shaft, Gartshore No. 12, then being sunk nearby. ¹

Related terminology

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

Fireman (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…Robert James Gray (22, bricklayer, single), Alexander Paterson (47, fireman, married), John Patrick (31, roadman, married) and George Young (18,…”
Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…the twelve men constructing a water lodgment at the bottom of a new shaft; a pit bottomer thrown clear by the blast climbed back underground…”

Sources

(primary) Gartshore 1923 — Scottish Mining Website
(secondary) Gartshore Colliery Explosion - Twechar - 1923 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 27 August 2026