Church Gresley Colliery

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Ady, John, 25 Jul 1876, aged 37, Datler, Killed by a fall of roof. Timbers gave way

Badkin, Richard, 21 Apr 1853, Falling down the shaft

Bagnall, William, 06 Apr 1847, shaft accident [More information ...]

Baker, Edward, 06 Apr 1847, shaft accident [More information ...]

Bakewell, George, 06 Apr 1847, shaft accident [More information ...]

Batch, John, 11 Feb 1863, aged 39, Miner, Fall of roof

Bates, John, 20 Oct 1913, aged 44, Stallman, A length of ripping stone was taken down as soon as the workers arrived at the stall. No explosive was used. The roof is rock but contains smooth partings of false bedding at an angle of 1 in 2. Vertical slips occur which are difficult to detect until the roof breaks away. The ripping stone broke away from one of these slips on the right side of the gate, which left the stone overhanging about a foot over the pack. Two props were under it. When nearly all the fallen stone had been cleared into the left side pack the overhanging stone broke away from a slip a yard inside the pack, reeled out the two props and settled on the pack. The deceased saw the movement and retreated towards the coal face, when a slice of stone fell away from the lip, killing him on the spot. Had he remained in the gate he would have escaped

Bonser, Robert Marriott, 26 Dec 1902, aged 27, Loader, Deceased died as the result of "influenza," and it was said that he had been injured in the mine a week previous. An inquest was held and a verdict returned that "death was due to influenza" [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a reportable accident]

Bosworth, Reuben, 05 Apr 1864, Collier, Explosion of gas [More information ...]

Causer, John, 02 Jan 1904, aged 50, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased was examining the roof at the gate-end of his working place preparatory to commencing work, when a large stone fell and killed him (Eureka coal)

Chamberlayne, William, 06 Apr 1847, shaft accident [More information ...]

Chapman, William, 01 Aug 1866, aged 14, Boy, Run over on self-acting incline [More information ...]

Clamp, Robert, 21 Feb 1857, aged 28, Miner, Fall of coal ; neglecting to set sprags, and after being cautioned

Cooper, William, 17 Feb 1854, Fall of roof in the mine

Denis, Thomas, 24 Oct 1876, aged 66, Dataler, Fall of roof. Stall had been standing some time ; pony going into the stall with a full tub and supposed to have knocked a prop out which kept the coals up

Dennis, Alfred, 13 Mar 1916, aged 13, Screen Boy, He was knocked down by a truck and the wheel of the truck went over his right leg at the thigh, causing a compound fracture and several lacerations. He was dragged 8 or 9 yards along the track before the truck stopped. He was taken to Burton infirmary by tram but died 45 minutes after admission due to shock and haemorrhage (his father, James, was killed in the same pit in 1926); residence: Gresley Wood Road, Church Gresley, Buried: Church Gresley Cemetery on 17 Mar 1916

Dennis, James, 20 Feb 1926, aged 51, Deputy, They went into the "new" pit at 11 p.m. to inspect the workings, touring them with particular regard for fire damp. At 6 a.m. the next relay of deputies arrived and a search was started for the 2 men who had not returned. At 9.10am a team from the Miners' Rescue Station at Ashby-De-La-Zouch went into the pit, wearing breathing apparatus. James Dennis was found at 10.30 a.m. and Henry Lunn was found about 2 hours later ; residence: Common Side, Gresley (his son, Alfred, was killed in the same pit in 1916) [More information ...]

Gilliver, Thomas, 13 Aug 1909, aged 60, Stallman, Deceased had been assisting the loader and went to go on with the packing of the stall at a fault side when a fall of roof occurred, pushing out three props and killing deceased. If bars had been used with the props it is probable that the fall would have been prevented (Eureka Coal seam)

Grant, Benjamin John, 10 Jul 1910, (accident: 09 Jul 1910), aged 17, Pony Driver, Deceased was found by the Deputy lying near his pony's heels. He said the pony had kicked him, and was suffering great pain. He died on the following day from haemorrhage due to a perforation of the bowels

Holt, John, 10 Jun 1863, aged 27, Miner, Explosion of a shot

Jenkinson, John, 01 Aug 1866, aged 13, Boy, Run over on self-acting incline [More information ...]

Large, John, 06 Apr 1847, shaft accident [More information ...]

Lunn, Henry, 20 Feb 1926, aged 49, Deputy, They went into the "new" pit at 11 p.m. to inspect the workings, touring them with particular regard for fire damp. At 6 a.m. the next relay of deputies arrived and a search was started for the 2 men who had not returned. At 9.10am a team from the Miners' Rescue Station at Ashby-De-La-Zouch went into the pit, wearing breathing apparatus. James Dennis was found at 10.30 a.m. and Henry Lunn was found about 2 hours later ; residence: Lansdowne Road, Swadlincote [More information ...]

Mellor, John Thomas, 19 May 1914, (accident: 13 May 1914), aged 17, Pony driver, The deceased's pony was taking a full tub cross the metals of a main endless haulage rope road when the hook of the back end coupling caught the rope and drew it towards the inner rail. Deceased was guiding the tub over the crossings. The rope held his foot to the inner side of the rail and wore a hole through the upper leather of the boot, causing a slight abrasion. He developed tetanus and died in the Infirmary on 19th May

Nicholls, William, 17 Jan 1901, aged 80, Labourer, Deceased was a very old man employed to look after the landsale yard, and to attend to the fires on the pit bank. He was crossing the sidings, and was struck by the buffers of a loaded railway waggon and run over

Pargeter, William, 04 May 1913, (accident: 24 Apr 1913), aged 16, Pony driver, Two shots had been prepared in the stone roof above the coal in a heading, charged with 10 ozs. and 8 ozs. of Monobel and stemmed with clay. When the deputy was about to fire the 10 oz. shot the deceased was returning on the heading with his pony and an empty tub. The heading was practically level. The deputy called to the workman who was guarding the heading to stop the deceased, which he did, but failed to caution him to take shelter at the back of the tub, nor did the deputy see that he was secure from flying stones. After the first shot had exploded the deceased was spoken to. When the deputy was returning along the heading he found deceased lying dead at the tub side, having been struck on the back of the head by a stone from the second shot. He was 69 yards from the shot

Plant, William Dodd, 31 Dec 1905, (accident: 23 Dec 1905), aged 41, Blacksmith, While working at his anvil a piece of steel flew from another workmen's anvil and struck deceased in the face. Erysipelas quickly developed and caused his death on 31st December

Sharp, Thomas, 08 Dec 1903, (accident: 17 Nov 1903), aged 44, Stallman, Fall of roof. A shot had been fired at the gate-end, and the men were building the packs, when a portion of the roof fell and fatally injured him. The fall pushed a prop out which had been set to support the roof. He died 8th December (Eureka coal seam)

Sharpe, John, 06 Mar 1905, aged 46, Engine-fitter, The colliery locomotive was standing near a wall. Deceased attempted to pass between the loco' and the wall when the loco' moved forward and crushed him

Sheldon, Thomas, 15 Nov 1906, aged 35, Stallman, Fall of roof. Deceased was driving an electrically-driven coal-cutter, when a fall of roof occurred and fatally injured him. He died the same day (Eureka coal)

Smith, John Henry, 02 Aug 1900, aged 31, Incline brakesman, While holding the handle of a brake controlling the drum working a self-acting incline, the empty rope began to overlap, and getting over the flange of the drum, caused the brake handle to fly up and fatally injure the deceased

Smith, Thomas, 15 May 1872, aged 14, Collier, Fall of coal

Statham, William, 31 May 1899, (accident: 08 May 1899), aged 51, Stallman, The deceased and nine other workmen were descending the shaft, when the engineman lost control of the engine, and dropped the cage into the bottom with such force that all were more or less injured. Deceased died on 31st May

Turner, John, 05 Jan 1899, aged 35, Shaft sinker, Fall of roof. Deceased was setting a prop to some loose stone in the roof, when a piece of the stone fell and fatally injured the deceased. He died the same day (Eureka coal)

Walters, Joseph, 06 Apr 1847, shaft accident [More information ...]

Ward, Henry, 16 Aug 1870, aged 20, Labourer, Run over on surface

Wilton, William, 25 Jul 1893, (accident: 19 Jul 1893), aged 68, Banksman, Was crushed between two railway waggons whilst removing one from under the screens. Died 25th July

Woollett, William Bowler, 16 Dec 1924, 1.15 p.m., 7th hour of shift, aged 31, Stallman, Deceased was in the act of pulling at his ringer to withdraw a goaf prop. As the prop came out, the fall of roof which followed caused a big stone being held by a second prop, against which deceased had his feet to sprag himself, to fall and reel out the second prop. This caused deceased to slip down towards the goaf — the dip being 1 in 3 — and get trapped under the stone, which would weigh about 45 cwts. He was dead when liberated