Manor Powis Colliery explosion, 1939

On 25 March 1939 an explosion of gas in No. 2 Pit at Manor Powis Colliery, Causewayhead, near Stirling, injured nine men. Four of them died over the following ten days, the last two on 4 April.

Date	25 March 1939
Mine	Manor Powis Colliery
Region	Stirling
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	4 (David Berry, 44, roadsman, of Causewayhead, died 27 March; Robert Dunn, 33, roadsman, of St Ninians, died 31 March; Adam McHattie, 32, oncost worker, of Stirling, died 4 April; Duncan McLaren, 38, repairer, of Bannockburn, died 4 April.)
Context	During active mining

What happened

The men caught by the explosion were roadsmen, repairers, haulagemen, a drawer and an oncost worker. Newspapers of 27 March reported one dead and eight injured; David Berry, a roadsman of 44 from Causewayhead, died that day. Robert Dunn, 33, died on 31 March, and Adam McHattie, 32, and Duncan McLaren, 38, both on 4 April, when the death roll was reported as four. Five others survived their injuries: Robert Berrie, Alexander Boyle, William Courtney, James Heggie and Thomas Philliban.

Recorded claims

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

An explosion of gas occurred at Manor Powis Colliery's No. 2 Pit, near Stirling, on 25 March 1939. ^1,2
Four men died of their injuries between 27 March and 4 April 1939: David Berry, Robert Dunn, Adam McHattie and Duncan McLaren. ^1,2
Five more men were injured: Robert Berrie, Alexander Boyle, William Courtney, James Heggie and Thomas Philliban. ²
The first reports, on 27 March, gave one dead and eight injured. ²

Related terminology

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

Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “On 25 March 1939 an explosion of gas in No. 2 Pit at Manor Powis Colliery, Causewayhead, near Stirling, injured nine men. Four of them died…”
Putter (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…men caught by the explosion were roadsmen, repairers, haulagemen, a drawer and an oncost worker. Newspapers of 27 March reported one dead and…”
Roadman (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…of 27 March reported one dead and eight injured; David Berry, a roadsman of 44 from Causewayhead, died that day. Robert Dunn, 33, died on 31…”

Sources

(primary) Manor Powis Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
(primary) Colliery disaster, 25 March 1939: Manor Powis, No. 2 Pit (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 23 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026