Kinglassie Colliery Roof Fall 1926

Thomas Gordon Whittaker and John Bennet Culbert, both miners' drawers, were killed when the roof burst in a new working's main roadway at Kinglassie Colliery; a public inquiry heard the roadway had been insufficiently supported.

Cause

H.M. Inspector of Mines told the inquiry the main roadway had been insufficiently supported and that there was not sufficient means of egress and ingress to and from the spot.

What happened

Whittaker and Culbert were eating lunch with some other men when they heard the roof cracking some distance away — a sound that had been anticipated, since it was a new working. They ran for the main roadway, but it was there that the roof actually burst, catching both men; a third, John Reekie, flung himself clear just in time.

Investigation & inquiry

A public inquiry into the deaths was held at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court before Sheriff Dudley Stuart and a jury, reported in the press on 2 February 1927. The jury returned a formal verdict.

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: “…when the roof burst in a new working's main roadway at Kinglassie Colliery; a public inquiry heard the roadway had been insufficiently…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatal Accidents In Scottish Mines & Collieries 1926 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (secondary) Kinglassie Pit — Pit K-5 — fifepits.co.uk

Record created: 29 August 2026 · Last researched: 29 August 2026