MineArchiveWalsall Wood Colliery Collapse (1956)
| Date | 9 October 1956 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Walsall Wood Colliery |
| Region | Staffordshire |
| Primary type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Associated types | Rescue |
| Fatalities | 4 (Edward Dorset (41, shot firer), Geoffrey Roberts (30, timberer), Leonard Davies (26, assistant) and Leslie Coton (29, timberer) died. Lionel Walker (39, coal cutter operator) was rescued alive after around seven hours. One source's own summary line states '5 miners' were killed, but the same source's detailed, named account lists four dead and one survivor -- the named account is treated as authoritative here.) |
| Context | During active mining |
| Status | Researched |
A collapsed roof junction in the Charles Seam at Walsall Wood Colliery killed four men on 9 October 1956; a fifth was rescued alive after some seven hours trapped in the debris.
Cause
A junction in the Charles Seam had previously partially collapsed and was only temporarily supported by a hollow wooden chock; at 3:50pm on 9 October 1956 it gave way without warning, burying the work team under fallen roof beams and steel joists.
What happened
A work team was carrying out cutting operations at the junction when the temporary support failed and the roof came down, trapping the men under fallen beams and steel joists. Colliery manager George Schofield, with Henry Joiner and Ted Bevan, built a timber-supported route through the debris by hand, locating Lionel Walker still alive and cutting him free from the wooden chock that had partly protected him after around seven hours. The bodies of the four dead men were recovered by the following day, 10 October.
Rescue & recovery
George Schofield led the rescue alongside Henry Joiner and Ted Bevan, working through the debris by hand to reach and free Lionel Walker alive after some seven hours. Schofield, George Bywater and Henry Joiner were later awarded British Empire Medals for their bravery.
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 collapsed roof junction in the Charles Seam at Walsall Wood Colliery killed four men on 9 October 1956; a fifth was rescued alive after…”
Sources
- (secondary) Walsall Wood — Wikipedia
- (secondary) Walsall Wood Colliery accident, 1956 — BrownhillsBob's Brownhills Blog
Record created: 1 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026