Robroyston Colliery overwind, 1924

At about quarter past ten on the night of 28 March 1924, as the back shift came up and the night shift went down at Robroyston Colliery, the winding engine overwound. The ascending cage, with eight men, smashed into the headgear beams; the descending cage, with six, crashed into the sump. All fourteen were injured and five died.

Cause

The winding engine overwound: instead of stopping at the surface the ascending cage ran on into the heavy beams carrying the rope, while its counterpart fell with great force into the sump.

What happened

The men in the ascending cage were jerked when it struck the woodwork and again when it fell back on the safety device. Miners waiting to go down had to fetch a ladder to reach the cage, which hung 15 to 20 feet above the ground.

Rescue & recovery

A party went down the upcast shaft to reach the men at the bottom of the downcast. About thirty minutes after the accident five St Andrew's Ambulance Association wagons took thirteen men to the Royal Infirmary, over three miles away; McGeoch was dead on arrival.

Recorded claims

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

• At about 10.15 p.m. on 28 March 1924 an overwind at Robroyston Colliery sent the ascending cage into the headgear and the descending cage into the sump. ^1,2
• Five men died. ^1,2,3,4,5,6
• Fourteen men were in the two cages: eight coming up from the back shift and six going down for the night shift. ¹
• A safety device stopped the ascending cage falling back down the shaft, leaving it suspended 15 to 20 feet above the pithead. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…at Robroyston Colliery, the winding engine overwound. The ascending cage, with eight men, smashed into the headgear beams; the descending…”
• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the rescue and recovery: “A party went down the upcast shaft to reach the men at the bottom of the downcast. About thirty minutes…”
• Headgear (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…overwound. The ascending cage, with eight men, smashed into the headgear beams; the descending cage, with six, crashed into the sump. All…”
• Sump (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…the headgear beams; the descending cage, with six, crashed into the sump. All fourteen were injured and five died.”
• Winding Engine (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…came up and the night shift went down at Robroyston Colliery, the winding engine overwound. The ascending cage, with eight men, smashed into the…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Robroyston 1924 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Antanas Stuksis, Robroyston, 28 March 1924 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Kazimiras Yutinskis, Robroyston, 1924 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Francis McGeoch, Robroyston, 1924 — Northern Mine Research Society
5. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Robert Woolley, Robroyston, 1924 — Northern Mine Research Society
6. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Francis Henry, Robroyston, 1924 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026