Scottish Mining Website

Fatal Accidents 1943

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If the name of the pit is not stated in records, we have recorded this as NK with the miner's usual residence added as an approximate indicator of area

Year MonthDayCollieryDistrictFirst NameSurnameAgeOccupationCause Information on site or Source
1943 January 8 Prestongrange Colliery Lothian James Young Clapperton 17 coal miner (brusher) Knocked down by loaded hutches  
1943 January11Lindsay CollieryFifeWilliam HardieFowler  colliery oncost workerFace fall Newspaper report - Beath pages
1943 January14CadzowLanarkshireHughDavies41Pony driverFall of stone Newspaper report - Hamilton pages
1943 January15NewbattleLothianRobert GibsonPearson20coal minerAsphyxiated by poisonous gas With thanks to Robert Gibson for this information
1943 January17Fallin CollieryStirlingshireJamesDawson52Colliery roadsmanKnocked down by a runaway hutch Newspaper report - Stirlingshire pages
AlexanderRennie71Colliery fireman
1943 January26LingerwoodLothianMylesGillespie44MinerFall of stone Newspaper report - Lothians pages
1943 February 1NK - Coaltown of Balgonie areaFife Robert NelsonTerras 38Coal miner Mine accident NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: Robert Nelson Terras, coal miner, 71 Lady Nina Cottages, Coaltown of Balgonie, died 1 Feb 1943" & death cert.
1943 February 5Blantyre Colliery Lanarkshire ArchibaldMcFall 59Underground fireman Unknown  
1943 February9ReddingStirlingshireWilliamWood    Fall of stone Newspaper report - Stirlingshire pages
1943 February11Whiteside CollieryLanarkshireAlexander ParkGeddes  coal minerWinding rope broke and they fell to the bottom of the said shaft NAS FAI gives names as Alexander Patrick Geddes and John Corrigan Byrne "Alexander Patrick Geddes, coal miner, 22 Gartlea Avenue, Airdrie and John Corrigan Byrne, coal miner, 247 Main Street, Plains, Lanarkshire, both died on 11 February 1943 in the shaft of Whiteside Colliery, Forrestfield, Lanarkshire, when, while standing on the cage and about to descend, the winding rope broke and they fell to the bottom of the said shaft"
JohnCorrigan  coal miner
1943 March7LoanheadLothianRobertMcLeish58MineworkerFell down a dook Newspaper report - Lothians pages
1943 March7 Wellesley CollieryFife RobertDrummond 49Coal miner Burst occurred when boring shot hole NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: Robert Drummond, coal miner, 83 Alexander Street, East Wemyss, died 7 Mar 1943"  and death cert. & Headstone
1943 March16GreenriggLothianJohn LewisEvans  OvermanCrushed by cage Midlothian Advertiser 19 March 1943
1943 March16BlairhallFifeAlexanderBrown  colliery overmanRoof fall Newspaper report - Fife pages
1943 March 25Wellesley Colliery FifeWalter Watson25 Coal minerFall of coal Newspaper report - Fife pages
1943 April6Comrie CollieryFifeWilliamDavidson  coal minerRoof fall Newspaper report - Fife pages
1943 April20Valleyfield CollieryFifeWalterBanks  coal minerRoof fall Newspaper report - Fife pages
1943 April21WestwoodLothianJohnCruikshanks  Roller attendantStruck by a haulage rope Midlothian Advertiser 30 April 1943
1943 April22Bowhill CollieryFifeGeorge FairHarley  coal minerRoof fall NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: George Fair Harley, coal miner, 49 Dundonald Park, Cardenden, died on 22 Apr 1943 at Bowhill Colliery, Parish of Auchterderran, Fife, by a roof fall"
1943 April 26Frances Colliery FifeGeorge Crombie42 Coal minerFractured spine NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: George Crombie, coal miner, Alexander Street, Dysart, Kirkcaldy, died 26 Apr 1943" & death cert.
1943 May10Tannochside CollieryLanarkshireRobertMarshall  coal cutting machinemanCrushed between pavement and bottom of coal cutting machine NAS "Robert Marshall, coal cutting machineman, 62 Laidlaw Street, Tannochside, Viewpark, Lanarkshire, died on 10 May 1943 in No. 3 Pit of Tannochside Colliery, Viewpark, Lanarkshire, when he was crushed between the pavement and the bottom of a coal cutting machine"
1943 May 20No 2 Loganlea Colliery LothianWilliam Scoular Kidd60 Coal minerCrushed between a hutch and a rake of hutches and dragged along the haulage road FAI notice in Scotsman 24 June 1943 & death cert
1943 May30Kennox CollieryLanarkshireWilliamClark60  Asphyxia after being trapped by flood Newspaper report
William VictorClark22 
JohnReid21 
1943 June7WhitriggLothianJamesLaughlin 71Haulage motor attendantStruck by a runaway hutches Death certificate & Linlithgow Gazette 2 July 1943
1943 June 14Lingerwood LothianHenry Gordon Boyes23 Coal minerFall of stone FAI notice in Scotsman 24 June 1943 & death cert
1943 June16Bowhill CollieryFifeJohn KirkcaldyGrant  coal minerFall of roof NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: John Kirkcaldy Grant, coal miner, 8 Eighteenth Street, Bowhill, Fife, died on 16 Jun 1943 at Bowhill Colliery , Parish of Auchterderran, Fife, by a fall from the roof of his working place" & death cert.
1943 June 25NK - Methil area FifeWilliam Page34 coal minerFall of coal - injuries sustained 10 March 1942 NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: William Page, coal miner, 78 Den Walk, Methil, died 25 Jun 1943" & death cert.
1943 July6Glencraig CollieryFifeJohnHutchison  coal minerFall of roof NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: John Hutchison, coal miner, 9 Waverley Street, Lochore, died on 6 Jul 1943 at West Fife Hospital, Dunfermline, from injuries sustained on the same day at Glencraig Colliery, Ballingry Parish, Fife, by a fall from the roof of his working place" & death cert.
1943 July13KingshillLanarkshireWilliamBowman65Coal minerStruck by fall of stone  
1943 July13 NK Newtongrange areaLothian James McMurtrieHerriot 28Coal miner Struck by steel prop knocked out by fall of coal  
1943 July20BurghleeMidlothianRobertYoung37  Fall of roof Newspaper report - Lothians pages
JamesCopeland54 
1943 August5No 2 Dixon's, BlantyreLanarkshireJamesMuir34colliery roadsmanCrushed by fall of stone  
1943 August7Overtown CollieryLanarkshireTerenceSmith55Coal minerFall of stone  
1943 August 15Balgonie Colliery FifeJames Todd26 Coal minerCrushing accident Newspaper report - Fife pages
1943 August25Bowhill CollieryFifeGeorge GallowayForsyth  colliery workerCrushed by runaway race of hutches NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: George Galloway Forsyth, colliery worker, 40 Denfield Drive, Cardenden, died on 25 Aug 1943 at Bowhill Colliery, Parish of Auchterderran, Fife, when he was crushed by a runaway race of hutches"
1943 August28Polmaise CollieryStirlingshireFrancis BernardRooney36coal miner - brusher Fractured spine caused by fall of stone. Died 1 year 4 months after accident. Death cert. & Fallin memorial list
1943 September4Kingshill CollieryLanarkshireThomasEaston37colliery machinemanStruck by fall of roof  
1943 September14 Calderhead CollieryLanarkshireEdwardSweeney44Coal minerRun over by a train of waggons Midlothian Advertiser 24 September 1943
1943 September17Bowhill CollieryFifeDavid IzattMitchell  coal minerFall of an iron roof girder Headstone & death certificate
1943 September27Benhar CollieryLanarkshireGeorgeSneddon  colliery oncost workerFell from ascending cage NAS FAI "George Sneddon, coalminer (oncost worker), 53 West Benhar Road, Harthill, Lanarkshire, died on 27 September 1943 in the shaft of No. 19 Pit of Benhar Colliery, Harthill, Lanarkshire, when he fell from an ascending cage"
1943 October1Nellie CollieryFifeDavid WestieReid  colliery machinemanCrushed by moving coal cutting machine NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: David Westie Reid, colliery machineman, 73 David Street, Lochgelly, died on 1 Oct 1943 at Nellie Colliery, Auchterderran Parish, Fife, when he was crushed by a moving coal cutting machine"
1943 October9Roslin CollieryLothianWilliamRobertson57Oncost workerCrushed by runaway tub FAI notice in Scotsman 18 November 1943 & death cert.
1943 October22NK (from Larkhall)LanarkshireJames PatrickBrannigan34Coal cutting machinemanExplosion  
1943 October23BardykesLanarkshireWilliamMcPheat50ElectricianKnocked down by engine Newspaper report - Lanarkshire pages
1943 October23Tannochside CollieryLanarkshireThomasMulholland  coal miner (hewer)Fall of stone NAS FAI "Thomas Mulholland, coal miner (hewer), 197 Aitkenhead Road, Tannochside, Lanarkshire, died on 23 October 1943 in No. 2 Pit of Tannochside Colliery, Viewpark, Lanarkshire, when a stone fell upon him from the roof"
1943 October26Gore PitLothianWilliam MartinMitchell40Mine repairerFractured pelvis, cause NK FAI notice in Scotsman 18 November 1943 & death cert.
1943 October28Arniston CollieryLothianJamesBlackie36Colliery engineerFractured skull FAI notice in Scotsman 18 November 1943 & death cert.
1943 November3NK (from Bothwellhaugh)LanarkshireWilliam HunterMcSeveny56Coal minerFall of stone  
1943 November4Lumphinnans CollieryFifeWilliamMcKay  colliery pitheadmanFall to the ground ground from the Tippler Platform of the pithead gear NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: William McKay, colliery pitheadman, 20 Viewfield Terrace, Lumphinnans, died on 4 Nov 1943 at Larbert Hospital, Larbert, Stirlingshire, from injuries sustained on 2 Nov 1943 at Lumphinnans No. 1 Colliery, Ballingry Parish, Fife, by a fall to the ground ground from the Tippler Platform of the pithead gear"
1943 November 14Frances Colliery FifeJames Alexander Barbour Forsyth20 coal miner - stripper Extensive lacerations & shock from blast Newspaper report - Fife pages
1943 November15Wilson Mine, DouglasLanarkshireFrank WilliamBonomi18coal miner (drawer)Fell from a carriage, down a brae and into a sump NAS "Fatal Accident Inquiry: Frank William Bonomi, coal miner (drawer), 15 Springhill Street, Douglas, died 15 Nov 1943"
1943 November 23Bells Mine, Kames Colliery AyrshireThomas Wilson Stitt28 coal minerFall of coal Muirkirk memorial & death cert
1943 November 23Castlecary LanarkshireThomas Moore59 underground firemanFall of clay With thanks to May McIntyre for this information Newspaper report - Lanarkshire pages
1943 November26No 42 Coal Mine, West CalderLothianRichard ClellandWhigham16colliery haulage attendantFall of stone from roof FAI and DC
1943 December2Branchock Mine, CambuslangLanarkshireJohn JosephMonaghan53coal minerHead injuries and asphyxia, buried in debris With thanks to Kenny James Monaghan for this information
1943 December 19Hamilton Palace CollieryLanarkshire James IrvineKerr 40Underground fireman Explosion of fire damp Glasgow Herald 19 May 1944 p3
1943 December20BurnheadStirlingshirePeterShanks28MinerCollapse of pithead Newspaper report - Stirlingshire pages
1943 December 23Skellyton Colliery LanarkshireWilliam Parkinson54  Accidentally killed Headstone & death certificate
1943 December24Fraser Pit, West CalderLothianHughWilson49Shale minerStruck by material from shot Midlothian Advertiser 31 December 1943
1943 December24 NK Dalkeith areaLothian James CunninghamSimpson 30Colliery haulage surfaceman Crushed between 2 rakes of hutches  FAI notice in Scotsman 3 February 1944

Last Updated 1st January 2015