MineArchiveKingsbury Colliery sinking accident, 1895
Two sinkers were suffocated on 11 September 1895 when they were lowered, unchecked, into the gas-filled sinking shaft of the new Kingsbury Colliery in Warwickshire.
| Date | 11 September 1895 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Kingsbury Colliery |
| Region | Warwickshire |
| Type | Gas / Asphyxiation |
| Fatalities | 2 (Two killed: the sinkers Joseph Holiday Neale and Harold Whitaker.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
Two sinkers were lowered into an unventilated sinking shaft containing noxious gases.
Contributing factors
The shaft was not examined before the men descended, and it was unventilated.
What happened
In September 1895 a shaft was being sunk for the new Kingsbury Colliery, near Tamworth. On 11 September two sinkers, Joseph Holiday Neale, 40, and Harold Whitaker, 36, were lowered into it. No one had examined the shaft first, it had no ventilation, and it held noxious gases; both men were suffocated.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 11 September 1895 two sinkers, Joseph Holiday Neale, 40, and Harold Whitaker, 36, were suffocated in the sinking shaft at Kingsbury Colliery. 1,2,3
- They were lowered into a sinking shaft that contained noxious gases. 1,2,3
- No examination of the shaft was made before they went down, and it was unventilated. 1,2,3
- The colliery was being sunk by the Hockley Hall and Whateley Colliery Company Ltd. 1,3
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: “…unchecked, into the gas-filled sinking shaft of the new Kingsbury Colliery in Warwickshire.” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…1895 when they were lowered, unchecked, into the gas-filled sinking shaft of the new Kingsbury Colliery in Warwickshire.” - Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two sinkers were suffocated on 11 September 1895 when they were lowered,…”
Sources
- (secondary) 1890s N: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
- (primary) Kingsbury Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames W part 3 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026