Swinhill Colliery explosion, 1939

On the afternoon of 26 October 1939 an explosion in the Drumgray section of Swinhill Colliery, Larkhall, killed two miners, Archibald Brown, 35, and John Clark, 16. Other men in the pit were unaffected; seven of them made five attempts to reach the two through dense smoke.

What happened

Other men were working in the colliery at the time but were not affected by the explosion.

Rescue & recovery

With handkerchiefs and cloth over their mouths and noses against the dense smoke, seven miners made five attempts to rescue the two men.

Recorded claims

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

• On 26 October 1939 an explosion in the Drumgray section of Swinhill Colliery killed two miners. ^1,2,3
• The dead were Archibald Brown (35), of Stonehouse, and John Clark (16), of Birkenshaw. ^1,2,3
• Seven miners, mouths and noses covered against the dense smoke, made five attempts to reach the two men. ^1,2
• The colliery belonged to the Darngavil Coal Co. Ltd. ^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: “…of 26 October 1939 an explosion in the Drumgray section of Swinhill Colliery, Larkhall, killed two miners, Archibald Brown, 35, and John Clark,…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Lanarkshire accidents (Dalserf, Larkhall) — Scottish Mining Website
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Swinhill, 1939 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Swinhill, 1939 (Clark) — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 15 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026