Graig Colliery explosion, 1925

Gas fired during shotfiring at Graig Colliery, Abercanaid, on 19 January 1925 killed a collier and his seventeen-year-old assistant and burned the fireman.

Cause

Firedamp ignited during shotfiring.

What happened

On 19 January 1925 gas was ignited during shotfiring at Graig Colliery, near Abercanaid. The collier Thomas Vaughn Williams and his assistant, Stanley Jenkins, 17, were killed, and the fireman was burned.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest raised concerns about whether proper stone-dusting and tests for gas had been carried out.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion of gas at Graig Colliery, Abercanaid, on 19 January 1925 killed Thomas Vaughn Williams and Stanley Jenkins, 17. ^1,2
• The gas was fired during shotfiring; the fireman was also burned. ²
• The inquest questioned whether proper stone-dusting and tests for gas had been carried out. ²

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: “Gas fired during shotfiring at Graig Colliery, Abercanaid, on 19 January 1925 killed a collier and his…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “Firedamp ignited during shotfiring.”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…killed a collier and his seventeen-year-old assistant and burned the fireman.”
• Stone Dusting (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “The inquest raised concerns about whether proper stone-dusting and tests for gas had been carried out.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Graig Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1925 — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 7 October 2026 · Last researched: 7 October 2026