Nine Mile Point Colliery roof fall, 1915

At the end of the afternoon shift on Sunday 15 August 1915 a fall of six or seven drams of roof in the East Pit of Nine Mile Point Colliery buried a group of men walking out behind the horses. Arthur Hanney and Thomas David Jones were killed and three others hurt; the injured haulier James Brown dug a workmate out and went back for the others.

Cause

A heavy fall of roof, six or seven drams in size, on the road out of the East Pit workings; no timber was dislodged.

What happened

James Brown, a haulier, was taking a dram of coal out of the East Pit with several men walking out with him behind two horses and their drams when the roof came down. Hanney, Jones and another haulier, Bert Edwards, were caught under it. Brown, struck himself, heard screams and set to work; he pulled Edwards, whose arm and leg were broken, clear and laid him in the roadway. Hanney had been killed instantly by a large stone and Jones was dead when he was got out. Brown lost consciousness from a heavy scalp wound, came round and went back to work at the fall. A fourth man, Frederick Proctor, hurt his arm. The miners' sub-agent called it one of the worst accidents since the pit was sunk.

Rescue & recovery

The injured haulier James Brown freed Bert Edwards from the debris and, after losing and regaining consciousness, returned to search for the others.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest at Ynysddu the coroner, Robert Jones, and the inspector of mines, Greenland Davies, commended Brown's courage; the coroner said the case showed there were heroes in the coal mines as on the battlefield, and that the men had died producing coal for the Navy. The verdict was accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• On Sunday night, 15 August 1915, a heavy fall of roof at Nine Mile Point Colliery, Cwmfelinfach, killed Arthur Hanney and Thomas David Jones. ^1,2,3
• Three other men were injured, among them the haulier James Brown and Bert Edwards. ^1,2,3
• James Brown, bleeding from a scalp wound, pulled Edwards from under the debris and went back to his comrades after recovering consciousness; the coroner and the inspector commended his courage. ^1,3
• The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death. ³

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “James Brown, a haulier, was taking a dram of coal out of the East Pit with several men walking out with him behind two…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “At the inquest at Ynysddu the coroner, Robert Jones, and the inspector of mines, Greenland Davies, commended Brown's courage; the coroner said the…”
• Haulier (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Thomas David Jones were killed and three others hurt; the injured haulier James Brown dug a workmate out and went back for the others.”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “A heavy fall of roof, six or seven drams in size, on the road out of the East Pit…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…the afternoon shift on Sunday 15 August 1915 a fall of six or seven drams of roof in the East Pit of Nine Mile Point Colliery buried a group…”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1915 fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Llais Llafur, 28 August 1915: Two killed by pit fall — Llais Llafur (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) Llais Llafur, 28 August 1915: Heroes of the mine (inquest) — Llais Llafur (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 20 October 2026 · Last researched: 20 October 2026