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Joseph Herbert Tallentyre
| Age: | 40 |
| Died: | 21st Oct 1941 |
| Accident: | 21st Oct 1941 |
| Year Born: | abt. 1901 |
| Colliery: | North Tees |
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| Occupation: | |
| Notes: | overcome by foul air; residence: Front Street, Staindrop |
| Buried: | [not known] |
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The heroic efforts of two Staindrop miners to save their comrades at North Tees Colliery, Winston, was described as "foolhardy but magnificent" at an inquest held at Staindrop on Saturday, when the heroes, Harry Dunning and Thomas Gargate were publicly commended by Coroner J. E. Brown-Humes, who told them they were a credit to the mining industry.
Henry Dunning, a putter, Burnt Houses, Cockfield Fell, told a story of repeated and plucky efforts to recover the bodies of the two men from old workings, which were badly affected by foul air.
Dunning said he was putting off the two men, and left them at 12.15p.m. on Tuesday to get his "bait", Brown and Tallentyre stayed at the coal face. When he returned at 1.20 he found both the men absent from their working places.
Near to the place where they had been working there was some old colliery workings and about 10 into these workings Dunning said he saw a candle burning. He went into the old workings and some distance further in he discovered a second candle burning on a prop. He shouted for Brown, but got no reply, so he returned to the place where the men had been working, and found the deputy there.
He told the deputy that the two men were messing and that there were lights in the old workings, and had got about 25 yards past the second candle when his acetylene lamp went out owing to the presence of bad air. He returned to get a gas light, and made another attempt to enter the old workings, which had to be again abandoned owing to bad air.
Dunning told how he made three further attempts to penetrate the old workings, but on each occasion he was beaten back by the foul air. Eventually he penetrated about 80 yards when he came across a fall blocking the roadway. Beyond the fall he saw a body. After he had again been beaten back by the foul air, Dunning said that he returned to the spot and succeeded in reaching the body, but he was again overcome by bad air and had to retire.
Dunning said that he waited until Crook Fire and Rescue Brigade arrived, and he helped to carry the bodies of the two men out-bye.
Henry Twist, Station Officer of the Crook Fire and Rescue Brigade said they found bad air 400 yards from the mouth of the drift. They found an extinguished candle in the hand of the second body. He said that if they had been able to get to the colliery in half an hour after the occurrence there would have been a good chance of saving the lives of the men. As it was three hours before they reached the colliery in response to a summons for aid.
Auckland Chronicle, 30th October, 1941
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- Contributions by members of the Public
- Text kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle).
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