Sherdley Colliery roof fall, 1925

A fall of roof buried a contractor and his man at Sherdley Colliery, St Helens, on 2 March 1925.

Cause

A fall of roof.

What happened

On 2 March 1925 William McCormick, a 61-year-old contractor, and John Montgomery, 49, who worked for him, were buried by a fall of roof at Sherdley Colliery, St Helens, then worked by the Sutton Heath and Lea Green Collieries Company. Both were killed.

Recorded claims

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

• On 2 March 1925 a fall of roof killed two men at Sherdley Colliery. ^1,2,3
• The dead were William McCormick, 61, contractor, and John Montgomery, 49, contractor's man. ^1,2,3
• The colliery was owned by the Sutton Heath and Lea Green Collieries Co. Ltd. ^1,2

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: “A fall of roof buried a contractor and his man at Sherdley Colliery, St Helens, on 2 March 1925.”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof buried a contractor and his man at Sherdley Colliery, St Helens, on…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Sherdley, 2 March 1925 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: William McCormick, Sherdley, 1925 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: John Montgomery, Sherdley, 1925 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Sherdley Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026