MineArchiveNewliston Mine fire, 1919
Fire broke out in the upper level of Young's Newliston shale mine near Broxburn on Tuesday 15 April 1919. When local efforts failed, rescue brigades from Bathgate and Coatbridge fought it for two days. Early on 18 April, working round by a circuitous road to open an air course, the teams met carbon monoxide far from the fire; their masks failed, and three young rescue men died.
| Date | 18 April 1919 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Newliston No. 29 Mine |
| Region | West Lothian |
| Primary type | Fire |
| Associated types | Gas / Asphyxiation, Rescue |
| Fatalities | 3 (3, all rescue-brigade men: William Brodie of Cowdenbeath (Bathgate team) and Robert Laird of Larbert and William Gibb of Coatbridge (Coatbridge team). Gibb's body could not be recovered at the time.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
Carbon monoxide ('white damp') from the underground fire, met at a point a considerable distance from its seat; the men's gas masks and respirators became ineffective for reasons not determined at the time.
What happened
About a score of men worked through the Thursday night trying to reach and clear a blocked road opening onto the burning level, so as to make an air course and disperse the smoke and gas. Almost all were affected by the gas; Brodie and Laird were dead when brought out, and Gibb, further in, could not be reached.
Rescue & recovery
A team from Lesmahagow arrived later that morning but was not allowed to try to recover Gibb's body. Government officials stopped further attempts; the ponies were brought out of the lower sections and from the Saturday the mine was damped down, its hundred-odd men expected to move to the company's Ingliston mine.
Investigation & inquiry
Government officials visited the mine and, after a conference with the management of Young's Oil Company, suspended operations against the fire.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 18 April 1919 three members of the rescue brigades fighting a fire in Newliston shale mine were suffocated by carbon monoxide. 1,2,3
- Fire was discovered in the upper level of the mine on the Tuesday before, idling about 150 men. 1
- The rescuers wore gas masks and respirators, which proved ineffective against the gas. 1,2
- Government officials and the company then suspended the attack on the fire and the mine was damped down. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Level (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Fire broke out in the upper level of Young's Newliston shale mine near Broxburn on Tuesday 15 April…”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Lothians accidents 1915-1920 — Scottish Mining Website
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Newliston Mine, 1919 (Brodie) — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Newliston Mine, 1919 (Laird) — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 13 October 2026 · Last researched: 13 October 2026