Oakwood Colliery explosion, 1920

In the early morning of 18 November 1920 an explosion of gas and coal dust in No. 15 heading of Oakwood Colliery, Pontrhydyfen, killed three men by afterdamp and so badly burned a fourth that he died four days later. The fireman had just fired a shot at the face; at the inquest he and the managing director both denied the shot was the cause.

Cause

An explosion of gas and coal dust in a stall of No. 15 heading, caused, the inspector and the jury found, by the fireman's shot, possibly by releasing a 'blower' of gas; the fireman and the managing director both denied the shot was to blame.

What happened

Forty men were underground on the night shift. In a stall of No. 15 heading two colliers and two repairers were at work when the fireman, Idris James, charged and fired a shot at the face. As he disconnected the firing cable he felt a blast of air and then an explosion. Badly burned, he ran back to the stall and called the men by name; they answered that they were all right. He began to crawl out, lost consciousness and woke in hospital. The two colliers, James Davies and his son Handel, were found dead at the face with Haydn Nicholas slumped across one of them, all killed by the gas; David William Davies was carried out badly burned and died in Aberavon hospital on the 22nd.

Rescue & recovery

Men from the other district rushed to the heading but were driven back by afterdamp; after lying down for a while they reached the mouth of the heading and joined the rescue. The fireman David John Davies, called just before three, was the first to go below, followed by the manager William Jones, the undermanager, the managing director Percy Jacobs and the miners' agent, Alderman William Jenkins. Dr Jones of Pontrhydyfen went underground to the injured.

Investigation & inquiry

On 22 November the Home Secretary told the Commons that the inspector's first report described an explosion of gas and coal dust that had killed three and injured two, among them the fireman, who had fired a shot near the face and was not yet fit to give an account. The inquest was adjourned several times for his injuries and was held in March 1921 before the deputy coroner, Ernest Tennant. The fireman said he was convinced the explosion was not caused by the shot. The management were admonished for being unable to produce employment records and firemen's report books. Pressed by the miners' solicitor, Walter Nicholas, the managing director said his theory was that a match had been struck in one of the outer stalls, adding that cigarettes and live matches had been found in the pockets of two of the dead. The inspector, Dyer Lewis, examined the scene and concluded that the explosion was caused by the shot fired by Idris James. After some three quarters of an hour the jury agreed: the men were killed by a colliery explosion caused by shotfiring, possibly releasing a 'blower'; owing to the conflicting evidence they found no negligence by the management, but added a rider that every fireman should examine the workings thoroughly before the shift. 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 the morning of 18 November 1920 an explosion at Oakwood Colliery, Pontrhydyfen, killed James Davies, his son Handel, Haydn Nicholas and David William Davies, who died of burns on the 22nd. ¹
• The inspector's first report, given to the Commons on 22 November, described an explosion of gas and coal dust that had killed three and injured two, one of them the fireman, who had just fired a shot near the face. ²
• The death of a burned repairer on 22 November raised the toll to four. ¹
• At the inquest of March 1921 the fireman denied that his shot caused the explosion, and the managing director suggested a match struck in an outer stall, saying cigarettes and matches had been found on two of the dead. ¹
• The inspector, Dyer Lewis, concluded that the shot fired by Idris James caused the explosion; the jury agreed, finding it caused by shotfiring, possibly releasing a 'blower' of gas, found no negligence by the management on conflicting evidence, and returned accidental death. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…15 heading of Oakwood Colliery, Pontrhydyfen, killed three men by afterdamp and so badly burned a fourth that he died four days later. The…”
• Blower (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…and the jury found, by the fireman's shot, possibly by releasing a 'blower' of gas; the fireman and the managing director both denied the shot…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 8 times in this record, first in the summary: “…and so badly burned a fourth that he died four days later. The fireman had just fired a shot at the face; at the inquest he and the…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “An explosion of gas and coal dust in a stall of No. 15 heading, caused, the inspector and the jury found, by the…”
• Undermanager (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s rescue and recovery: “…the first to go below, followed by the manager William Jones, the undermanager, the managing director Percy Jacobs and the miners' agent, Alderman…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1920 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Oakwood Drift Colliery, Pontrhydyfen (Hansard, HC Deb 22 November 1920 vol 135 c3) — Hansard

Record created: 20 October 2026 · Last researched: 22 October 2026