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	Gallantry		Gallantry

	Joseph H. English
	British Empire Medal (Civil Division)
	Date:	1949
	Colliery:	Barony Colliery, Ayrshire
	Occupation:	Fireman

 

St. James's Palace, S.W.1.

10th May, 1949.

The King has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following awards of the British Empire Medal, and for the publication in the London Gazette of the name of the individual specially shown below as having received an expression of Commendation for his brave conduct.

Awarded the British Empire Medal (Civil Division):—

William Beavers, Master Sinker, Barony Colliery, Ayrshire (Auchinleck).

Joseph H. English, Fireman, Barony Colliery, Ayrshire (Auchinleck).

James Hume, Sinker, Barony Colliery, Ayrshire (Catrine).

James Hume and five other sinkers were working on a sinking scaffold 80 ft. from the bottom of a shaft which was 172 fathoms deep and 21 ft. 6 ins. in diameter, when suddenly, one side of the scaffold dropped for a distance of 14 ft. and the men were dislodged.

One of the men managed to gain a handhold on the compressed air line and another gripped the bull chains to the scaffold, but Hume and the three others fell 80 ft. into 12 ft. of water which had collected in the sump.

Beavers and English heard shouts from the shaft and immediately went down in the hoppit and levelled the scaffold by signals given from this position. The hoppit was next lowered on to the scaffold and one of the men, who was badly shocked, was taken to the surface by Beavers, who descended again, bringing chains and rope. A light was lowered down into the sump and the four men were seen clinging to the wooden rings.

Beavers stayed on the scaffold while English and two other workers were lowered down towards the sump. The hoppit was lowered half-way into the water and English swam across to the timber rings with a rope in order to draw the hoppit to the men who were too exhausted to do more than maintain their hand holds. Hume, who had been injured when he first fell into the sump, had, nevertheless, helped a more severely injured workmate.

Beavers, the Master Sinker, displayed initiative and leadership in directing operations, and English and Hume showed courage under very unnerving circumstances.

Source: London Gazette (10 May 1949)

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