West Auckland Colliery

1765 - Boring operations from the surface were being carried out in the vicinity of West Auckland, by Thomas and G. Rawlings.

1826 - A series of borings from the surface were in progress in the vicinity of West Auckland Colliery, to prove the depth and extent of the sand-bed.

1838 - West Auckland Colliery was won.

1867 - Boring operations were in progress at West Auckland Colliery, proving the Busty Bank Seam, with lower thin coals.

1948, Oct - Harvey seam abandoned

Akenhead, William, 02 Sep 1864, aged 14, Onsetter, crushed by spur wheel

Alderson, Richard, 11 Dec 1867, aged 50, Labourer, crushed between two coal trucks

Bayles, William, 09 Jan 1874, aged 19, Engineman, suffocated in a steam drift

Bell, Robert, 14 Sep 1877, aged 56, Master Shifter, fall of stone while replacing seam timber

Booth, John, 31 Aug 1857, fall of stone [date of inquest]

Bowron, J., 30 Jun 1886

Bruce, James Gregory, 28 Jun 1891, (accident: 21 Jun 1891, 7:45 a.m., 1st hour of shift), aged 48, Boiler Minder, while engaged cleaning out a boiler a quantity of hot water was primed back through a leaking valve on another boiler, scalding him so severely that he died on the 28th instant [More information ...]

Burton, William, 10 Jan 1905, aged 51, Mason, a piece of timber 20 ft. by 8 ins. was resting against a truck, and when deceased got out of the truck he accidentally stepped on the brake and took it off; the truck moved and the timber slipped and pinned him against the next waggon, Buried: West Auckland Cemetery

Carter, Richard, 25 Sep 1867, aged 22, Putter, crushed between tub and roof when riding on the top of a full tub against the rules

Corbett, Thomas, 13 Feb 1867, aged 17, Joiner, killed by machinery, while laying a rope on to the winding engine, Buried: St. Helen Auckland Churchyard

Curry, Thomas, 15 Dec 1896, aged 17, Putter, Died from erysipelas in the foot, alleged to have been caused by an accident, but the medical evidence at the inquest showed it arose from natural causes

Denham, Luke, 25 Aug 1896, aged 42, Deputy, When travelling to his work on the engine plane he was caught by the set and so severely injured that he died the same day, Buried: West Auckland Cemetery [More information ...]

Fairs, Joseph Christopher, 19 Apr 1898, aged 54, Stoneman, when travelling to his work on the engine plane, he was caught by the full set coming out, and so severely injured, that he died about seven and a half hours afterwards [More information ...]

Graydon, J. W., 22 May 1924, (accident: 21 May 1924), aged 40, Shifter, crushed

Halfpenny, James, 03 May 1893, 6:00 p.m., 8th hour of shift, aged 38, Deputy, Sudden fall of a broken jud while engaged removing the timber. [More information ...]

Halfpenny, John, 25 Oct 1892, aged 48, Hewer, he took ill while attending his work and died from heart disease from which he had suffered for some time past [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]

Halfpenny, Joseph, 05 Jan 1891, aged 38, Shifter, took a fit while at work in the pit, and died shortly after being got home [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]

Hepton, William, 24 May 1905, aged 14, Driver, he was driving in a stone drift when a heavy fall occurred, burying him and his pony

Hope, Robert, 01 Jul 1880, (accident: 16 Mar 1880), aged 20, Putter, crushed by a tub ; pony ran away

Hopps, Christopher, 18 Jun 1873, aged 25, Hewer, coal fell and caused his pick to enter his body

James, Matthew, 18 Mar 1871, aged 14, Driver, crushed by tubs

Jeffrey, Thomas, 05 Jun 1905, aged 21, Died from injuries received, Buried: West Auckland Cemetery

Lambert, Martin, 01 May 1856, boiler exploded [More information ...]

Maddison, Anthony, 20 Apr 1878, (accident: 08 Apr 1878), aged 42, Shiftman, he had gone into a part of the pit where he had no right to be and was severely burnt by a gas explosion; the gas fired at his naked light; he was taken home and died an Saturday morning, 20th April

Maughan, Moseley Maxfield, 31 May 1918, aged 44, Deputy Overman, fall of roof [inquest 01 Jun 1918]

Millington, Thomas, 10 Feb 1922, (accident: 26 Jan 1922), aged 45, Hewer, death was due to septicemia resulting from burns accidentally caused by an explosion [More information ...]

Orton, Wetherall, 28 Oct 1889, aged 55, Hewer, fall of roof while turning away a broken jud out of an old wall

Park, Francis, 14 Mar 1868, he was descending the shaft by ladder, when he was about 10 yards from the bottom, he slipped and fell, fracturing his leg; he was taken to bank where a doctor set the leg; later, lockjaw set in and he "died in great agony on Saturday"

Rewcastle, George, 08 Aug 1910, aged 65, Stoneman, He was engaged with others making a pump house in the Brockwell Seam, and beyond a small amount of squaring back, the excavation was practically completed. He was filling stones near one side, when a thick stone 7 feet long suddenly dropped away from two "jacks" and caught him. The stone had been carefully examined and was considered to be quite safe. It was a case where sounding or "jowling" would give no real indication as to the condition of the stone owing to its thickness, Buried: West Auckland Cemetery

Richardson, Benjamin, 09 Mar 1874, aged 14, Putter, fall of stone caused by pony throwing a tub off the way and drawing a prop

Richardson, Thomas, 06 Feb 1861, aged 48, Shifter, killed by a fall of stone

Ridley, Thomas, Feb 1838, killed by a fall of coal

Riley, David, 07 Dec 1921, aged 54, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Robson, David, 13 Mar 1901, aged 52, Stoneman, he and the man working with him were lengthening an incline and a tub was chocked up in the face; he was going down the incline, when a piece of stone fell and knocked the chock out, and the tub ran amain, and caught and killed him

Simpson, J., 11 May 1944, aged 30, Hewer, killed by a fall of stone

Sowerby, Thomas, 26 Jul 1921, aged 46, Stoneman, killed by a fall of stone

Swinbank, Joseph, 06 Mar 1893, 3:00 p.m., 6th hour of shift, aged 13, Water Leader, Some tubs were running into a landing and caught a hauling rope attached to a tub, which was dragged over him. [More information ...]

Taylor, Joseph, 08 Feb 1901, aged 28, Attending to Oil Engine, A fall of stone had taken place on the engine plane and been partially cleared away. A stoneman had just gone over it, and Taylor was following to go to his work further in bye when a piece of stone fell away suddenly and killed him.

Taylor, William, 14 Aug 1906, aged 20, Waggonwayman, He, with others, after doing some repairs on the engine plane was walking outbye when he was run over by the ingoing set. He had not expected that tubs were on the rope. [More information ...]

Teasdale, John, 09 Aug 1869, aged 21, Labourer, fell into boiler fire hole while in a fit and was burned

Thompson, Matthew, 06 Feb 1888, (accident: 01 Aug 1887), aged 33, Hewer, died from the effects of injuries to his spine caused by a fall of coal

Usher, George, 01 Feb 1897, aged 47, Hewer, He was going to his work and had just got into a cabin on the surface, when he fell down and died from natural causes [fatality reported during the year but not classified as a colliery accident]

Vickers, George, 07 Sep 1894, (accident: 06 Sep 1894, 2:30 p.m., 5th hour of shift), aged 22, Hewer, Burnt on arms and face by explosion of gas, alleged to have gone past a fence. Died on the 7th instant [More information ...]

Vickers, John P., 08 Nov 1907, aged 16, Endless-rope boy, when about to take the grip off his endless set he was caught between the tubs and crushed

Wardle, Robert, 04 Jan 1872, aged 19, Shifter, looking down a shaft from a lower level than where the cages rest, the descending cage crushed his head

Welch, Patrick, 14 Sep 1881, (accident: 05 Sep 1881), aged 52, Shifter, both legs broken by a full set of tubs, caught on engine plane

White, William, 14 Oct 1912, aged 16, Trapper, he was sitting behind a door attending to his work, when a full tub ran amain and crashed through the door; he was struck by the door and thrown against the coal side and his skull fractured; he died at home the same night; an empty tub had been left standing by a putter and it crept away, and overtaking another putter caused him to let his full tub run amain; it ran through the flat which was not provided with stop chocks

Wilson, John, 04 Dec 1844, aged 11, Putter, A coal hewer was detaching a large piece of coal from the seam in West Auckland Colliery on 4 December, when it suddenly came down just as a putter called John Wilson was passing with his tram. The coal jammed him against the tram before he had a chance to get out of the way, and killed him on the spot. Wilson was about 11 years old

Wilson, John, 06 Oct 1873, aged 48, Hewer, killed by a fall of coal