Kiveton Park Colliery explosion, 1941

An explosion in the Barnsley seam at Kiveton Park Colliery at 10.30 a.m. on 24 June 1941 burned five men. Two had died by the time the Secretary for Mines told the House of Commons two days later, and the colliery's list of the dead shows five deaths from the accident, the last on 5 July.

Cause

Ignition of gas, believed on 26 June 1941 to be due to the fracture of a deputy's flame lamp; investigation was then proceeding.

What happened

The explosion occurred at 10.30 a.m. on 24 June 1941 in the Barnsley seam at Kiveton Park Colliery. On 26 June the Secretary for Mines, David Grenfell, answering a private notice question from Mr E. Dunn, told the House of Commons that five men had been burned, two of whom had since died, that the ignition of gas was believed to be due to the fracture of a deputy's flame lamp, and that an investigation was proceeding. The Durham Mining Museum's list of those killed at the colliery records a deputy aged 67 and a man aged 33 dying on 24 June, two men aged 41 and 38 on 29 June and an 18-year-old on 5 July.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The ignition of gas was believed to be due to the fracture of a deputy's flame lamp. (uncertain) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion occurred in the Barnsley seam at Kiveton Park Colliery at 10.30 a.m. on 24 June 1941. ¹
• The Secretary for Mines told the House of Commons on 26 June 1941 that five men had been burned and two had since died. ¹
• The ignition of gas was believed to be due to the fracture of a deputy's flame lamp. (uncertain) ¹
• The Durham Mining Museum records five deaths from the accident of 24 June 1941, dated between 24 June and 5 July. ²

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion in the Barnsley seam at Kiveton Park Colliery at 10.30 a.m. on 24 June 1941 burned five men. Two had died by the…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…of gas, believed on 26 June 1941 to be due to the fracture of a deputy's flame lamp; investigation was then proceeding.”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery Explosion, Kiveton Park (Hansard, 26 June 1941) — UK Parliament (Hansard)
2. (primary) Kiveton Park Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 30 September 2026