South Wales Police

5 SeThne ghenydd Coal Mining Disaster, 1913 The 1913 Senghenydd tragedy is, to this day, the worst disaster in the history of British coal mining. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, successive coal mining disasters shook the communities of the South Wales valleys. These accidents were the consequences of poor safety procedures, outdated machinery and lack of training. Twelve years earlier On Friday 24th May 1901, 78 men were buried alive in the ‘Universal Mine’ at Senghenydd, near Caerphilly. The Universal mine at Senghenydd was the first coal mine in the Aber Valley, and had only gone into production 18 months before. At 5.30am, as the night shift were leaving the pit, three explosions were heard 3.5 miles away. The top A Street in Senghenydd with a victim in every house of the shaft was shattered, with gas and huge rock falls at the bottom of the shaft preventing rescuers from reaching the trapped men. The 1913 tragedy On 14th October 1913, tragedy struck again. Just after 8am, two hours into the morning shift, an explosion trapped over 400 men underground. Fire ripped through the underground tunnels and the explosion was so intense that it was heard 11 miles away in Cardiff. No one could have prepared for tragedy to strike such a small village again, just over a decade later. The Role of the Police Despite their shock and horror at the scenes of devastation, Glamorgan Constabulary displayed great courage and sensitivity during, and after, the incident. Little, if any, consideration had been given to disaster planning in the Glamorganshire Constabulary at that time, so it fell on the shoulders of the local The scene at the Pithead hour by hour all through the day 2 The first funeral was held three days later but it was not until the middle of November that all the bodies were recovered. The Aftermath Recommendations were made to improve safety at the Universal pit after the 1901 disaster, but were never implemented. In fact, conditions at the pit had worsened, as production increases led to rising numbers of workers operating in confined spaces. The managers and owners of the Universal pit were prosecuted as a result of the second tragedy. However, in an insult to the families of the deceased, the manager was fined only £24, with all charges against the owners dropped. On appeal, the owners One of the many funerals at Senghenydd were fined a derisory £10 with costs of £5 5s. Senghenydd officers to try to co-ordinate the rescue, The pit continued to operate for another 15 years casualty and mortuary arrangements. Rescuers battled before finally closing in 1928. for days to recover the wounded and dead. A memorial was not erected in memory of its victims 439 people died as a result of the disaster, including 63 until 1981. teenagers and 162 young men in their twenties. Senghenydd Coal Mine 3 South Wales Police South Wales Police Headquarters Cowbridge Road, Bridgend CF31 3SU Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01656 869291 Visit our website at www.south-wales.police.uk Designed and Printed by South Wales Police Print Department..

Load more