MineArchiveMoorgreen Colliery Man-riding Accident, 1930
| Date | 6 November 1930 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Moorgreen Colliery |
| Region | Nottinghamshire |
| Type | Haulage / Transport |
| Fatalities | 1 (Thomas Bilbie (recorded by the Durham Mining Museum as Bilbury), 66, of Princes Street, Eastwood; family recollection is that he died of a broken neck.) |
| Injuries | About thirty-six men injured, six of them critically, according to the Daily Mirror report of 7 November 1930. |
| Context | During active mining |
A train of haulage trams carrying about 150 men ran away down an incline at Moorgreen, killing Thomas Bilbie and injuring about thirty-six others, six of them critically.
Cause
A train of haulage trams carrying men ran away down an incline underground.
Contributing factors
Not established in the sources read; the newspaper headlines describe the trams dashing down the incline and men hurled in all directions.
What happened
On 6 November 1930 about 150 men were riding a train of wagons underground at Moorgreen when it ran away on an incline. Thomas Bilbie, a miner of sixty-six from Eastwood, was killed and about thirty-six men were injured, six critically; the Lancashire Daily Post reported it the same day under the headlines 'Smash in pit', 'Haulage trams dash down incline' and 'Miners hurled in all directions', and the Daily Mirror carried the story with Bilbie's photograph the next morning.
Rescue & recovery
The injured were brought out of the pit; six were in a critical condition the following day.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest on Thomas Bilbie was held at the Moorgreen Colliery offices; no report of its findings has been found online.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
None recorded in the sources read.
Memorials & commemoration
None found.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Thomas Bilbie, 66, was killed and about thirty-six men injured, six critically, when a train of wagons carrying about 150 men ran away underground on 6 November 1930. 1
- The Lancashire Daily Post reported the accident on 6 November 1930 under the headlines 'Smash in pit', 'Haulage trams dash down incline', 'Miners hurled in all directions'. 2
- The inquest was held at the Moorgreen Colliery offices. 3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s investigation: “The inquest on Thomas Bilbie was held at the Moorgreen Colliery offices; no report of its findings has been found online.” - Incline (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A train of haulage trams carrying about 150 men ran away down an incline at Moorgreen, killing Thomas Bilbie and injuring about thirty-six…” - Man-riding (relevant method/equipment)
The men were riding a haulage train underground when it ran away down the incline. - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “A train of haulage trams carrying about 150 men ran away down an incline at Moorgreen,…”
Sources
- (secondary) Moorgreen Colliery: pits in the East Midlands (healeyhero.co.uk) — healeyhero.co.uk
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum: Thomas Bilbury, killed 6 November 1930 (newspaper index) — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Moorgreen Colliery fatalities, page 2 (healeyhero.co.uk) — healeyhero.co.uk
Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 9 September 2026