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COPYRIGHT

 

All photographs contained in this website are copyright © Alison Small and the contributer to this site. 

Some of the photographs* within this section were given for 'Lingdale History' site only on the understanding that copies would not be given and should not be available from any other source. 

It would be courteous to email and ask for permission for articles to be used or copied.

Remembrance day honours tragic miners

 

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TRIBUTES were paid on Sunday to men killed in a mining tragedy, at a remembrance day in their honour. 
Eight men died after a gas explosion in an ironstone mine, in Lingdale on August 24th, 1953. 
Audrey Jefferson was 21 when she was told that her father, John Butcher, had been sereverly injured. She was living in Portsmouth with her husband, Brian, who was serving with the Royal Navy. 
"We listened to the news on the radio all through the night to try and find out what was happening," she said. "The next day I received a telegram to say that he had died from his burns. He was only 48." 
Mrs Jefferson, who is now 71 and living in Lingdale, said: "It was a village in mourning." 
"The men weren't killed immediately, but over a few days, eight of them died and seven of them were from Lingdale"

The others who died were William Grayson 16, Anthony Carter 19, Jack Ward 28, Charles Bottomly 26, Jack Davison 52, Jack Breckon 65 and his son Thomas 34. Seven other men were injured. 
Coun Steve Kay, who represents the Lockwood ward said "The disaster will never be forgotten in Lingdale, which is still a very tight knit community. Lingdale people understand that their village owes its very existence to the miners." 
Mr Butcher's grandson, Mike Jefferson organised Sunday's event, when the men were remembered at services in the two Lingdale churches. 
An evening of remembrance was also held at the Lingdale Tavern, where the Lingdale Brass Band performed. A plaque in the pub honours the victims. 

Picture shows Audrey Jefferson with a picture of her father John Butcher, and a lamp to commemorate those who died 

Taken from the East Cleveland Advertiser Friday 29th August 2003 (by Alex Mott)

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1942 Lingdale Miners                                        left to right
Front Row:
Smith, H.Brady, W.Burton, J.Winspear, T.Thompson

Middle Row:
P.Mcdermot, G.Larder, M.Ash, H.Hill, A.Bird, D.Blenkey, K.Whittaker, E.Price, K.Brown.

 

Back Row:
W.Tetley, R.Todd, A.Russell, T.Knight, G.Wilkinson

photograph kindly contributed by H.Brady.

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Taken from the 'Evening Gazette' Monday 3 May 1954

 

Rescuers overcome in bid to save others
One Dead, 31 Gassed in Cleveland Mine,

‘Fourteen taken to hospital’
One man was killed and 31 others were overcome by gas following an explosion at Kilton Ironstone mine, near Brotton today. The dead man is, Raymond Johnson age 40, loader man of 34 Gladstone Street, Loftus, whose body was brought to the surface about five hours after the explosion took place. Of the 31 overcome by gas were several of the rescue men. Fourteen men were taken to hospitals in Redcar, Brotton and Guisborough, and the others treated on the spot. Helping the local mine rescue team were teams from Crook (two) Houghton le Spring and Benwell Tower, near Newcastle. Ambulances were sent from Redcar and Carlin Howe.



‘Fire brigades help’
Middlesbrough Fire brigade and neighbouring fire authorities were asked to send resuscitation apparatus to the mine. It is believed that the explosion which displaced arches and roof supports occurred just before a three-man loader team started operations. The force of the blast blew Stanley Burton age 38 of 34 St Helens Walk, Liverton Mines and Iwan Dumoncie 29 of 28 Tyne Street, East Loftus off their feet and threw them some distance. Burton suffering from cuts and abrasions was taken to the Guisborough Admiral Chaloner Hospital, but the other man was allowed to go home. The third man was Johnson. Two deputies, Robert Johnson 44, of 6 Boosbeck Road, Skelton green and William Garbutt 48, of Foster Street, Brotton were overcome by gas when attempting to rescue the three men, but were later allowed to go home. As the deputies and the two loader men were brought out the Kilton mine rescue team found Johnson but were unable to move him.

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'Picture shows William Henry Antony Knaggs better know as Tony on the far right, who turned up for the 2 x 10 shift, only to assist a colleague gassed in the incident'

The Crook rescue teams went into the mine and shortly after a message came out asking for more stretchers as a number of other men had been overcome by the effect of gas. As the first of the miners were being brought out from the affected district Dr W Stevenson of Skelton was going into the mine. Choking as gasping the effected men were taken to the ambulance station, but after a number of them had received oxygen treatment on the surface, an emergency call came out for every available piece of oxygen equipment and all spare cylinders were rushed into the mine. It is believed that the gas had penetrated into the return airway, with one or two stoppings being blown down by the explosion, which meant that miners coming out of the district, instead of meeting fresh air, were meeting gas. A steady stream of miners was coming to the pit head as Dr M Rooney of Skelton followed Dr Stevenson into the mine. Amongst the first stretcher cases was Robert Garland, of Brotton one of the mine’s rescue team who had made a gallant effort to reach Johnson. Another member of the mine rescue team, Owen Laffey of North Skelton was also affected by gas, but able to walk out. Another stretcher case was Mr Dobson of Houghton, a member of the Houghton rescue team.

‘Managers overcome’
Amongst those taken to hospital were Mr A Turnbull, mine manager and MR G Pearson. Lingdale Mine manager, who were treated for the effects of gas. Mr Turnbull was detained in the Stead Memorial Hospital, Redcar. Other men treated at the surface ambulance station , 14 of them being sent to hospital were; George Hitchen, over man of the Barris, Staithes; John Thomas Curnow, 15, Dixon Street, Lingdale; Dennis M Codling 30, Dixon Street, Lingdale; David Parkinson, 25, Queens Road, Loftus; Andrew Marsay, Thornlee Bungalow, Old Liverton; William Peggs, 6 Dixon Street, Carlin How; W Prusieck, 48, Richard Street, North Skelton; William Taberner, 27, William Street, North Skelton; George Bean, Deputy, 18a Wilson Street, Lingdale; Tom Harrison, 1 Tyreman Street, Lingdale; Leslie Milburn, Fenton Street, Boosbeck.
Thomas Taberner, 32a High Street, Brotton; W Sediatyic, 34 Cockburn Street, Lingdale; Owen Laffey, North Skelton; Lawrence Weeks, Wand Hill gardens, Boosbeck; Mr Dobson, Houghton; Robert Garland, Brotton; John Chamberlain, Wand Hill, Boosbeck; John James Smith, Lingdale; Robert Ironside, The Barris, Staithes; Ernest Libby, Scarth Street, Lingdale; Conrad Radouski, 28, Wand Hill, Boosbeck; W Pryzgockl, 1 Stevenson Street, Carlin How; T Brown, 4 Coronation Road, Loftus; P Welham, Thornlee Bungalow, Old Liverton.
The seven men who were taken to Brotton Hospital were allowed to go home after treatment. One of the men said that he was walking in by and would be approximately half a mile away from the working face when the last came, and he was blown off his feet. Acting over man Robert Johnson age 44, who with 48 year old William Garbutt of 27 Foster Street, Brotton was the first rescuer to go down the Pit after the explosion , told the ‘Evening Gazette’ at his home 6, Boosbeck Road, Skelton today:
‘When we got down the shaft we found the place in a terrible mess. The dust and debris made it impossible to see anything very clearly. Bill Garbutt and I were the first down and were the first up again. We got about 200 to 300 yards in and got all the men out except one, and the something – I don’t know what it was, but I think it was the after-effects of the explosion, overcame us’
Mr Johnson said he did not remember coming out of the pit, and that he could still, sitting in his home feel the effects. The Kilton mine is a neighbour to the Lingdale Ironstone mine, where an ignition of gas took place last August. After the Lingdale disaster, safety lamps and a ban on smoking were introduced at Kilton and at other ironstone mines in the Cleveland Area. The mine is owned by Dorman Long and Company.

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Rescue teams

Shortly after they had come to the surface, Mr J. R. Tomlinson, mines agent and Mr G. Miller, manager of Lumpsey mine again descended into the mine. Members of the Crook and Houghton Le Spring teams were preparing to re-enter the affected district with a view of determining what the position was a little later. Officials, rescue team members and workmen who had assisted were supplied with tea and sandwiches at the mine surface. Only men for repair work were allowed to go in for the afternoon shift. One of the men in the affected area was Mr Harry Chapman, of School House, Kiltonthorpe, who was walking in-by with Codling. One of the men taken to hospital when the explosion occurred.


‘There was a blast of air and dust’ Mr Chapman said ‘we were nearly three quarters of a mile from the explosion, but were temporarily blinded’. They decided to carry on in-by to see if they could be of assistance but Mr Hitchen, the over man sent them back out. They then went to see if the Brick stoppings were all right, and found that one had been blown down. When they smelled gas coming out Mr Chapman added. They got their coats and it was then that Chapman saw Taberner helping Parkinson out. He went to their assistance and they were coming out of the district when the met the rescue team going in. ‘We put Parkinson down’ Mr Chapman added’ and the rescue team was giving him oxygen when one of their members came running back for the oxygen and said another man was down. It was Codling who had stayed behind to try and erect a fence rail in part of the district with a ‘no road’ sign to serve as a warning for anyone who might be going in’. He then helped to bring Codling and Parkinson to the surface

Pictures and information kindly contributed by John Knaggs of Lingdale

David Parkinson mentioned, lost an eye in the blast and was totally blind for 6 weeks. (information kindly contributed by his son, David Parkinson)
 

Lingdale Mining Bridge

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Erected about 1896, the bridge from the mine to the shale heap.

Explosion at Lingdale mine

Two Dead, 13 Injured

Two men were killed and 13 others were injured, eight critically, by an explosion at an ironstone mine at Lingdale, in the Cleveland district of North Yorkshire, to-day.

Mr. J. R. Tomlinson, the mine’s agent, stated that an hour and a half after the morning shift had begun "there was an ignition of gas in the south-west Dips district" and 5 men were badly burned. They were working about a mile and a half from the pithead when the explosion occurred and were 600ft. underground.

The injured men were admitted to local hospitals and a number were stated this evening to be critically or very ill. Tom Breckon, aged 34, a filler of Coral Street, Lingdale, died from burns in Middlesbrough General Hospital, and Anthony Carter, aged 19, a driver, of Charlotte Street, New Skelton, died at Hemlington Hospital, Middlesbrough.

Along with several other Cleveland mines, that at Lingdale, which has been working continuously since 1940, is not regarded as a "gas" mine and in some parts of it men work with the ordinary carbide lamp, which has an open flame.

Taken from the Times, Aug 25th 1953.

 

Two More Deaths From Mine Explosion

The death roll from the ironstone mine explosion at Lingdale, Cleveland, rose to five to-day when three more miners died in Middlesbrough hospitals. They were William Grayson, aged 16, John Butcher, aged 48, and Jack Breckon, aged 65, whose son Tom, aged 34, died at Middlesbrough last night from injuries received in the explosion. Of nine other injured men three were reported critically ill and two very ill this afternoon.

A spokesman of the Ministry of Fuel and Power said to-day that inspectors were making an investigation into the accident.

Taken from the Times, Aug 26th 1953.

Click on an image to view and read text

Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough 13th July 1883

 

INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS IN CLEVELAND.

 

On Thursday Mr C. Heslop, the energetic manager of the Lingdale Mine, belonging to J. W. Pease and Co., invited Messrs Toyn and Rowland, agent and secretary of the Cleveland Miners' Association, to witness a series of experiments with copper and phosphor bronze, and to see the automatic steam brake tested, an apparatus which has been patented by Messrs Charles lanson and Sons, Darlington, for the purpose of preventing over- winding in pits and hoists. The first thing these gentlemen witnessed was the application of the steam brake. The engine was set in motion the wrong way. When the cage was pulled up 2ft. 6in. it came in contact with a lever, which released a lock, and by a simple contrivance instantaneously cut off the steam from the engine, and at the same time allowed it to pass into a steam break cylinder and applied a powerful break, which at once arrested the motion of the engine. The whole of the time occupied in winding the cage up, shutting off the steam, lowering the cage on the " heaps," and the pit being put in working order again only occupied about 30 secs. In addition to lanson's apparatus, Mr Heslop has Walker's patent detaching-hook fitted up so that every precaution is taken to prevent over-winding. He has also safety catches put on the cages to hold them in the pit in case the ropes should break. The next part of the program was an experiment with the bronze and copper stemmers . A "emery-wheel" was set in motion, and was made to revolve 1,200 times per minute. A new phosphor bronze stemmer was pressed to the wheel for about one minute, but no sparks could be seen. A new copper stemmer was then tried ; no sparks were visible ; and then an old copper stemmer was applied, with the same result. Mr Heslop is wishful to bring into use the safest gear for charging holes. It will be remembered that the miners' representatives some time ago asked the Cleveland mine-owners to use phosphor bronze instead of composition or copper gear, Mr Heslop has ordered several sets of bronze gear to be made in order to give it a trial. Other managers who are using composition gear will do well to give the phosphor bronze gear a trial. Messrs Toyn and Rowland then descended the mine, where they saw the air compressing rock drill at work. Mr Heslop informed them that he very much preferred to have practical miners to fill the stone after the machines, as he believed cheap labour was generally the dearest in the end. The two gentlemen then, expressed themselves as highly satisfied with what they had seen, and the facilities that had been given them by the manager. They also stated that they believed lanson's apparatus to be an admirable invention for saving life and property in case of over-winding in the pits

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Kindly contributed and transcribed by John Knaggs - July 2016

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