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	Gallantry		Gallantry

	Thomas Hulme
	Edward Medal in Silver
	Date:	23 Jan 1941
	Colliery:	Parsonage Colliery, Lancashire
	Occupation:	Manager

 

Whitehall, April 21, 1941.

His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to award the Edward Medal in Silver to Thomas Hulme, in recognition of his gallantry in the following circumstances:—

On the 23rd January, 1941, a fall of a roof took place above the coal face in a pit at the Parsonage Colliery, Leigh, Lancashire. Two hewers were trapped when the roof collapsed; one of them was quickly released but the other, Thomas Wignall, could not get away, and as the fall was continuing he was in an extremely dangerous position.

The only access to Wignall was along the conveyor belt over which the roof had squeezed down to two feet, and Mr. Hulme, the Manager of the colliery, crawled along the belt, a distance of about six to eight feet, and, although he had to lie prone on the belt and there was the possibility of a total collapse of the roof at any moment, he stayed there for about one and a half hours. He succeeded in building three hard wood chocks round Wignall to prevent the roof closing down on him, and afterwards helped Wignall to get clear of the debris so that he could roll over on to the conveyor belt and crawl out, practically unhurt. During the whole of the rescue operations Hulme was in imminent danger. The roof was visibly and audibly moving about over him and there was constant dirt trickling; if the roof had collapsed he would almost certainly have been killed.

In rescuing Wignall, Hulme showed outstand­ing courage and saved Wignall's life at the risk of his own.

Source: London Gazette (16 May 1941)

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