MineArchiveRosehall Colliery roof fall, 1940
| Date | 1940 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Rosehall Colliery |
| Region | North Lanarkshire |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (Patrick Cavanagh, of Tannochside, and William McGuiness, of Bellshill, colliers.) |
| Injuries | The foreman, J. Bell of Coatbridge, was injured and not got out until after seven in the evening. |
| Context | During active mining (Robert Addie and Sons' Rosehall Colliery at Coatbridge in wartime, a month after the museum's recorded closure of the colliery.) |
At about two in the afternoon of 31 October 1940 a fall of roof near the coal face at Rosehall Colliery, Coatbridge, killed two colliers, William McGuiness of Bellshill and Patrick Cavanagh of Tannochside, and trapped their foreman, J. Bell of Coatbridge, who was not freed until after seven that evening. The colliery is recorded as having closed the month before, so the work in progress is unclear.
Cause
A fall of roof near the coal face.
Rescue & recovery
The injured foreman was trapped under the fall for about five hours before he was released.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- A fall of roof at Rosehall Colliery on 31 October 1940 killed two colliers, Patrick Cavanagh and William McGuiness, and injured the foreman J. Bell. 1,2
- The Durham Mining Museum records Rosehall Colliery as closed in September 1940, a month before the fall. (uncertain) 1
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 summary: “…two in the afternoon of 31 October 1940 a fall of roof near the coal face at Rosehall Colliery, Coatbridge, killed two colliers, William…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…of 31 October 1940 a fall of roof near the coal face at Rosehall Colliery, Coatbridge, killed two colliers, William McGuiness of Bellshill and…” - Roof Fall (direct cause)
A fall of roof near the face.
Sources
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Colliery Disaster 1940 (Rosehall) — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Fatal accidents in mines in Scotland, 1940 — Scottish Mining Website
Record created: 12 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026