MineArchiveKippsbyre Colliery inundation, 1939
On 22 September 1939 Francis McLean's pit at Kippsbyre, between Coatbridge and Airdrie, suddenly flooded. Five men escaped; Alexander Kinnaird, Thomas Lang and James Walker were trapped underground, and their bodies were never recovered. The NMRS records the deaths under the name Mosside.
| Date | 22 September 1939 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Kippsbyre Colliery |
| Region | North Lanarkshire |
| Primary type | Flooding / Inundation |
| Associated types | Entrapment |
| Fatalities | 3 (3: Alexander Kinnaird, Thomas Lang (51) and James Walker (33). Their bodies were never recovered.) |
| Context | During active mining |
What happened
Water broke into the workings without warning. Five men escaped; the other three were trapped. The NMRS deaths records, drawn from the official returns, file the event as an inundation at 'Mosside', Airdrie, owned by Francis McLean, who was working Kippsbyre (Kiltongue) Mine at Glenmavis in the 1940s.
Rescue & recovery
The three men's bodies were never recovered.
Memorials & commemoration
On 24 September 2020 Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, lodged a Scottish Parliament motion commemorating the 81st anniversary, remembering the three men and noting the risk miners faced 'when simply attending their work'.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 22 September 1939 Kippsbyre Colliery, between Coatbridge and Airdrie, suddenly flooded; five men escaped and three were trapped underground. 1
- Alexander Kinnaird, Thomas Lang and James Walker died, and their bodies were never recovered. 2,1,3,4
- The NMRS records the three deaths of 22 September 1939 as an inundation at Mosside, a mine of Francis McLean at Airdrie. 2,3,4
- In September 2020 a motion in the Scottish Parliament commemorated the 81st anniversary of the disaster. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Inrush (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…records, drawn from the official returns, file the event as an inundation at 'Mosside', Airdrie, owned by Francis McLean, who was working…”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Parliament motion S5M-22830: 81st Anniversary of the Disaster at Kippsbyre Colliery — Scottish Parliament
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Mosside, Airdrie, 1939 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Mosside, Airdrie, 1939 (Lang) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Mosside, Airdrie, 1939 (Walker) — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 15 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026