Sherburn Hill Colliery explosion, 1948

A firedamp explosion on No. 5 face in the Busty seam at Sherburn Hill Colliery on the evening of 11 June 1948 killed a shotfirer and three cutters by carbon monoxide; the inquest could not find what ignited the gas.

Cause

Firedamp ignited on No. 5 face; the source of ignition was never established. A fall had probably disturbed the ventilation, and the shotfirer's lamp was found in two parts.

What happened

On the evening of 11 June 1948 Frederick Hodgson, a shotfirer, and three coal cutters, Robert Brown, Hugh Cowan and Thomas Leonard Philipson, went to No. 5 face in the Fourth West district of the Busty seam, a mile and a quarter in from the shaft. The face had been tested for gas between 3 and 3.30 p.m. with a clear result. About 8 p.m. the deputy on the neighbouring No. 6 face, Mark McLaughlin, felt a gush of air, the ventilation slackened and a haze came along the gate; he found an armoured cable and his own coat on fire, put them out and telephoned for help. The ventilation door in the return airway had been blown out.

Repeated attempts by McLaughlin, the master shifter George Smith and the undermanager William Kay to reach No. 5 face were turned back by fumes, falls and stone blocking the roads; rescue brigades came from Crook, Elswick and Houghton-le-Spring. The three cutters were found near the main haulage way about 80 yards from the face and Hodgson at the face, all dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. Hodgson's flame safety lamp was found in two parts at the point of ignition. Kay later found gas issuing in unusual quantity from a cavity above the seam, and thought a fall between the face and the intake had disturbed the air.

Rescue & recovery

Officials made repeated attempts through fumes and falls; rescue brigades from Crook, Elswick and Houghton-le-Spring recovered the bodies, Hodgson's last.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest at Durham, before the coroner T. V. Devey, the union pressed questions about deputies' examinations and the lamp; the inspector declined to say what had ignited the gas, and the coroner held there had been no breach of the inspection rules. The jury found death by carbon monoxide poisoning after an explosion whose cause was unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• On 11 June 1948 an explosion at Sherburn Hill Colliery killed four men. ^1,2,3,4
• The dead were Frederick Hodgson, 40, shotfirer, and three cutters, Robert Brown, 47, Hugh Cowan, 63, and Thomas Leonard Philipson, 36. ^1,2,3,4,5,6
• The explosion was on No. 5 face in the Fourth West district of the Busty seam. ^7,8
• Death was by carbon monoxide poisoning after an explosion of firedamp, the cause of ignition unknown. ^8,3
• The shotfirer's flame safety lamp was found in two parts at the source of ignition. ^7,8
• The colliery was owned by the National Coal Board. ^1,3

Related terminology

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

• Coal Cutter (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…evening of 11 June 1948 Frederick Hodgson, a shotfirer, and three coal cutters, Robert Brown, Hugh Cowan and Thomas Leonard Philipson, went to No.…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…gas between 3 and 3.30 p.m. with a clear result. About 8 p.m. the deputy on the neighbouring No. 6 face, Mark McLaughlin, felt a gush of air,…”
• Rescue Brigade (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…face were turned back by fumes, falls and stone blocking the roads; rescue brigades came from Crook, Elswick and Houghton-le-Spring. The three cutters…”
• Return Airway (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…put them out and telephoned for help. The ventilation door in the return airway had been blown out. Repeated attempts by McLaughlin, the master…”
• Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…at Sherburn Hill Colliery on the evening of 11 June 1948 killed a shotfirer and three cutters by carbon monoxide; the inquest could not find…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Sherburn Hill, 11 June 1948 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Northern Echo, 12 June 1948: Three dead, one missing in pit fire — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Thomas Leonard Philipson, Sherburn Hill, 1948 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Frederick Hodgson, Sherburn Hill, 1948 — Northern Mine Research Society
5. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Robert Brown, Sherburn Hill, 1948 — Northern Mine Research Society
6. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Hugh Cowan, Sherburn Hill, 1948 — Northern Mine Research Society
7. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: June 1948: Cause of Sherburn Hill Pit Explosion a mystery — Durham Mining Museum
8. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: June 1948: Sherburn Hill Miners were 'Accidentally Poisoned' — Durham Mining Museum
9. (primary) Sherburn Hill Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026