Lady Windsor Colliery roof fall, 1918

Two timbermen securing a stall face in Lady Windsor Colliery's nine-feet seam were buried by a fall of roof in March 1918, and a second fall ended the rescue.

Cause

A heavy fall of roof at a stall face being secured, followed by a second fall during the rescue.

What happened

In March 1918 Charles Gumm, 39, and Henry Perry, timbermen at the Lady Windsor Colliery, Ynysybwl, were pinning the face of a stall in the nine-feet seam when a huge fall of roof came down and buried them. The manager, M. J. John, and the agent, Edward Jones, were soon underground directing the rescue, but another fall occurred and both men were killed. Work at the colliery was not resumed that day. The Aberdare Leader put the accident on the Saturday morning, 9 March; Welsh Coal Mines gives 10 March.

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 accident happened on 10 March 1918. (uncertain) ¹
• The accident happened on the morning of Saturday 9 March 1918. (uncertain) ²

Recorded claims

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

• In March 1918 two timbermen, Charles Gumm, 39, and Henry Perry, were killed by a fall of roof at the Lady Windsor Colliery, Ynysybwl. ^1,2
• The accident happened on 10 March 1918. (uncertain) ¹
• The accident happened on the morning of Saturday 9 March 1918. (uncertain) ²
• They were pinning the face of a stall in the nine-feet seam when a huge fall buried them; a second fall came while the manager and agent were directing the rescue, and both men were killed. ²
• Work at the colliery was not resumed that day. 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: “Two timbermen securing a stall face in Lady Windsor Colliery's nine-feet seam were buried by a fall of roof in March 1918, and a…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…face in Lady Windsor Colliery's nine-feet seam were buried by a fall of roof in March 1918, and a second fall ended the rescue.”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two timbermen securing a stall face in Lady Windsor Colliery's nine-feet seam were buried by a fall…”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1918 (Welsh mining fatalities by date) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Ynysybwl: double fatality at the Lady Windsor Colliery (The Aberdare Leader, 16 March 1918) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 9 October 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026