Wheldale Colliery explosion, 1923

Date	22 February 1923
Mine	Wheldale Colliery
Region	West Yorkshire
Primary type	Explosion
Associated types	Rescue
Fatalities	9 (J. Bibb (14, shotfirer's boy) was killed outright; the other eight — C. Booth (19), E. Holmes (35, the deputy who fired the shot), W. Hall (32), J. Anson (33), E. Baker (33), J. Lowe (30), A. Marsden (37) and J.H. Moreton (54) — died later of severe burns.)
Context	During active mining
Status	Researched

An underground explosion in the Silkstone Seam's No. 2 District at Wheldale Colliery on 22 February 1923 killed nine men — one outright, the rest of severe burns — after the deputy's own shot ignited coal dust during ripping work.

Cause

HM Chief Inspector of Mines Thomas Mottram's official inquiry found the explosion originated in the ripping (roof-widening) of the '190's' bord, initiated by the flame from a shot fired by deputy Enoch Holmes — who was himself fatally burned by the resulting explosion.

Contributing factors

Eight of the nine victims had been working in the '181's' and '190's' stalls but had gathered together in '181's' gate while blasting operations were under way nearby, exposing them together to the explosion's effects.

What happened

The Silkstone Seam was worked by three deputy districts; the explosion struck No. 2 District, where 69 of the 243 men underground that morning were working. Enoch Holmes, the district's deputy, fired a shot as part of ripping work; the shot ignited the coal dust or firedamp present, and the resulting explosion caught Holmes and the eight other men who had congregated nearby awaiting the blast. Walter Smith, from the neighbouring No. 3 District, heard the explosion, saw a cloud of dust, and led a rescue effort into the 190's and 181's workings, administering first aid and locating the injured; he found the body of J. Bibb, the only man killed outright, and located the eight others, all severely burned, who later died of their injuries. Enoch Holmes himself, terribly burned, was seen making his own way toward the pit bottom before he later died in hospital.

Rescue & recovery

Walter Smith and his fellow rescuers from the unaffected No. 3 District administered first aid and brought the injured out of the pit; motor ambulances were held at the company's Fryston and Allerton Bywater collieries, with a horse ambulance also stationed at Wheldale itself.

Investigation & inquiry

Two inquests were held — one at Leeds, covering the eight men who died there, before coroner William Henry Clarke, and one at Castleford before Major W.B. Arundel, Coroner for the Honour of Pontefract, adjourned to run concurrently with the Leeds proceedings. HM Chief Inspector of Mines Thomas Mottram examined the site and concluded the explosion was caused by the flame from the shot fired by deputy Enoch Holmes during ripping work in the 190's bord.

Sources

(secondary) Wheldale Colliery — Wikipedia
(secondary) Wheldale Colliery Explosion - Castleford - 1923 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 28 August 2026 · Last researched: 28 August 2026