MineArchiveSeaforth Colliery double fatality, 1948
Two miners, Edward Harris and Charles McAnespie, both 26, were killed at the National Coal Board's Seaforth Colliery, New Cumnock, Ayrshire, on 9 January 1948, a year after nationalisation.
| Date | 9 January 1948 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Seaforth Colliery |
| Region | East Ayrshire |
| Type | Other |
| Fatalities | 2 (Edward Harris, 26, miner, and Charles McAnespie, 26, miner.) |
| Context | During active mining |
What happened
Seaforth Colliery, at New Cumnock in the Ayrshire coalfield, had passed to the National Coal Board on 1 January 1947. On 9 January 1948 two of its miners, Edward Harris and Charles McAnespie, both aged 26, were killed on the same day. They are the only Seaforth deaths in New Cumnock's record of the 1940s, which lists seven men killed in the parish's pits in that decade.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Two miners were killed at Seaforth Colliery on 9 January 1948. 1,2,3
- The dead were Edward Harris and Charles McAnespie, both 26. 1,2,3
- The colliery was then owned by the National Coal Board. 2,3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…both 26, were killed at the National Coal Board's Seaforth Colliery, New Cumnock, Ayrshire, on 9 January 1948, a year after…” - National Coal Board (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Edward Harris and Charles McAnespie, both 26, were killed at the National Coal Board's Seaforth Colliery, New Cumnock, Ayrshire, on 9 January 1948, a…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The parish's list of mining deaths in the 1940s, by date, colliery and name.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Fatalities 1940s — New Cumnock History
- (secondary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles McAnespie, Seaforth, 9 January 1948 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Edward Harris, Seaforth, 9 January 1948 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 9 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026