Hook Colliery explosion, 1871

At about eight on the morning of 22 November 1871, just after the men had gone down, firedamp exploded in Hook Colliery on the Western Cleddau, about four miles from Haverfordwest. Some seventeen men and boys were burned. The first reports expected no deaths, but two colliers, Joseph James and John Phillips, died.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp.

Rescue & recovery

The injured were brought to the pit mouth as soon as help could be found.

Recorded claims

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

• A firedamp explosion occurred at Hook Colliery, near Haverfordwest, at about eight o'clock on the morning of Wednesday 22 November 1871. ^1,2
• About seventeen men and boys were burned, more or less severely. ²
• Two colliers, Joseph James, 56, and John Phillips, 33, were killed. ¹
• The explosion came just after the men had gone down and before work had begun. 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: “…1871, just after the men had gone down, firedamp exploded in Hook Colliery on the Western Cleddau, about four miles from Haverfordwest. Some…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…the morning of 22 November 1871, just after the men had gone down, firedamp exploded in Hook Colliery on the Western Cleddau, about four miles…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatalities 1871 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) The Pembrokeshire Herald, 24 November 1871: Explosion at Hook Colliery, seventeen colliers seriously injured — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026