Lewis Merthyr Colliery roof fall, 1909

Two brothers, James and George Morgan, were killed by a fall of roof at the Lewis Merthyr Collieries' Trefor pit on 26 April 1909 as they left work.

Cause

A sudden fall of roof on the road from the stalls to the pit bottom.

What happened

On the evening of Monday 26 April 1909 the brothers James and George Morgan, colliers of 24 and 21, had finished their shift in the Trefor pit of the Lewis Merthyr Collieries at Trehafod and were on their way to the pit bottom when a heavy fall of roof came down without warning. Two men close behind narrowly escaped; one, William Brown, was caught up to the waist in the debris. Rescuers working under a disturbed roof reached George alive, but he died within minutes, and James was found dead in the centre of the fall. As a mark of sympathy the night shifts at both Trefor pits and the adjoining Bertie did not go down. At the inquest it was said the roof had been properly timbered, and the jury returned accidental death.

Rescue & recovery

Workmen cleared the fall under an unsafe roof; George Morgan was reached alive but died within minutes, and James Morgan's body was recovered from the centre of the fall.

Recorded claims

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

• On Monday 26 April 1909 the brothers James Morgan, 24, and George Morgan, 21, colliers, were killed by a fall of roof in the Trefor pit of the Lewis Merthyr Collieries, Trehafod. ^1,2,3
• They had finished their shift and were making for the pit bottom when the roof fell without warning; two men close by narrowly escaped. ^1,2,3
• George Morgan was reached alive but died within minutes; James was recovered dead from the centre of the fall. ³
• The night shifts at both Trefor pits and the neighbouring Bertie pit did not go down that night as a mark of sympathy. ³
• At the inquest it was stated that the roof had been properly timbered, and the jury returned accidental death. ²

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: “…George Morgan, were killed by a fall of roof at the Lewis Merthyr Collieries' Trefor pit on 26 April 1909 as they left work.”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two brothers, James and George Morgan, were killed by a fall of roof at the Lewis Merthyr Collieries' Trefor pit on 26 April 1909 as they…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “A sudden fall of roof on the road from the stalls to the pit bottom.”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1909 fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Trehafod brothers killed (Evening Express, 28 April 1909) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) Pembrokeshire brothers killed: Trehafod colliery victims (The County Echo, 29 April 1909) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

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