	Britannia Colliery	Index	Britannia Colliery

Britannia Colliery

Location:	Pengam 9½ miles [15 km] SE of Merthyr Tydfil
Map Ref:	(Sheet 171 Cardiff and Newport) ST158980, 51° 40' 26" N, 3° 13' 4" W
Opened:
Closed:
Owners:	Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Co., Ltd.
	Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Ltd.
	Powell Duffryn Ltd.
	1947 - National Coal Board (N.C.B.)
Output:	1905 - Coal.
	1915 - Coal: Coking, Steam.
	1947 - Coal: Gas, Household, Steam. (191,800 tons)
Employment:	1905 - 5
	1910 - 213 (81 below, 132 surface) [Sinking]
	1915 - 861 (689 below, 172 surface)
	1923 - 1,610 (1,359 below, 251 surface)
	1933 - 1,214 (1,044 below, 170 surface)
	1940 - 1,107 (930 below, 177 surface)
	1947 - 751 (606 below, 145 surface)
Seams Worked:	1915 - Red
Notes:	Current Status - Page under construction! and is far, far from complete!

Description

Disasters (5 or more killed)

None Found

Names of those killed at this colliery

Please note that this collection of names is by no means complete!

						Edwards, William Robert, 26 Jan 1915, aged 19, Collier, A huge stone weighing 30 cwt. fell from the roof and crushed him, killing him instantaneously
						Lewis, George Ernest, 19 May 1927, aged 48, Repairer, Fall of roof [More information ...]
						Matthews, Theo, 22 Feb 1929, (accident: 21 Feb 1929), aged 36, Fireman, Fall of stone from roof. Died 22nd
						Smith, Henry, 28 Jul 1924, 7.55 a.m., 1st hour of shift, aged 66, Repairer, He was building a gob wall in a conveyor face when a bed of the roof, 15 ins. thick, fell over an area of 12 ft. by 7 ft. The fall broke off from an unseen break on the gob side and discharged two of the "flat" supports. He was caught by the fall and killed outright. Electric safety lamp used
						Witty, Patrick, 22 Aug 1914, aged 40, Timberman, Fall of side on the main level near the shaft. A stone fell out from hidden slants and killed him at a spot where he had been ripping top so as to make additional height

						5 names found

If you know of any fatalities missing from the above list then please contact us with the details and we will add them to our database.

Those names marked with , have a web page providing individual details of the accident, the page may also include a photograph of the deceased. Click on the symbol next to the name to see the web page.

Some of the names of mining fatalities on this page have been kindly provided by Ian Winstanley of the Coal Mining History Resource Centre (CMHRC) and are marked with . The CMHRC is available here.

more information on some of the fatalities shown above

Collieries and Pits within 5 miles (8km)

a simulated map showing the immediate vicinity of Britannia Colliery

list of collieries/pits etc. near to Britannia Colliery

Gallery Images:

Credits

Sources:

1905 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1910 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1914 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 8023), South Wales Division (No. 5) by Dr. W. N. Atkinson, H.M. Inspector of Mines Where to find this report
1915 List of Mines - Government report from the Mines Department
1923 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1924 Mines Inspectors Report, Cardiff and Newport Division (No. 6) by J. M. Carey, H.M. Inspector of Mines [DMM Ref: L-01624 - Tom Bainbridge Collection]
1933 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1940 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
1947 Colliery Year Book and Coal Trades Directory. Published by The Louis Cassier Co. Ltd., from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian
OS Grid Reference from Adit Now website