MineArchiveParc Colliery roof fall, 1959
A fall of roof without warning trapped twelve men on a coalface at Parc Colliery, Cwmparc, on 10 April 1959; eight were freed, and four died, one of them after a twelve-hour rescue.
| Date | 10 April 1959 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Parc Colliery |
| Region | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 4 (4 died: Joseph Davies (47), William John Davies (20 in one account, 38 in another), Wyndham A. Thomas (20) and Charles Cadwgan (22), who was rescued alive but died two days later.) |
| Injuries | Charles Cadwgan was brought out with crushed legs and died on 12 April; eight other trapped men were released. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of roof on a coalface while packers were withdrawing cogs.
What happened
On 10 April 1959, near the end of the shift, a fall of roof between 12 and 15 yards long came down without warning on a 150-yard face at Parc Colliery, Cwmparc, where about 40 men were working. Two packers had pulled one cog and were pulling a second when the roof came in, and the face had been considered well supported. Twelve men were trapped and tapped 'we are well' messages to the rescuers through a 12-yard metal tube; under a huge cavity in the roof they put up supports for their own safety.
Eight men were released. Charles Cadwgan, 22, whose father had been on the same face and escaped, was held by three fallen collars; it took an hour and a half to saw through each, and a doctor crawled in to give him injections. He was brought out around midnight, twelve hours after the fall, and taken to Porth and District Hospital and then the Prince of Wales Hospital at Rhydlafar, where he died on 12 April. The body of Wyndham Thomas, 20, was recovered on the evening of the 11th, and those of William John Davies and Joseph Davies, 47, on the 12th, almost 48 hours after the fall. The uncle of Wyndham Thomas had been killed at the same colliery nine years earlier, in an accident in which his father was trapped for twelve hours and rescued.
Rescue & recovery
Twelve men were trapped. Rescuers freed eight, then reached Charles Cadwgan around midnight after cutting through the collars holding his legs. The last two bodies were recovered almost 48 hours after the fall.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 10 April 1959 four men died under a single fall of roof at Parc Colliery. 1,2,3
- The dead were Joseph Davies, 47, William John Davies, Wyndham A. Thomas, 20, and Charles Cadwgan, 22. 1,2
- William John Davies was 20. (disputed) 2
- William John Davies was 38. (disputed) 1
- Twelve men were trapped; eight were released, and Charles Cadwgan was brought out after twelve hours but died on 12 April. 2
- The colliery was owned by the National Coal Board. 3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…of roof without warning trapped twelve men on a coalface at Parc Colliery, Cwmparc, on 10 April 1959; eight were freed, and four died, one of…” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof without warning trapped twelve men on a coalface at Parc Colliery,…”
Sources
- (secondary) Park Colliery, Cwmparc — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: fatalities 1959 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles Cadwgan, Park, 1959 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026