Stirlingshire Accidents 1901-1914

This section contains newspaper reports on accidents in Stirlingshire from 1901 to 1914 inclusive. Please check the indexes in the Accidents Section for reports by the Inspector of Mines and accidents in other areas.

1 December 1902

Fatal Explosion In A Stirlingshire Pit - An explosion of gas occurred on Monday afternoon in East Plean colliery, Bannockburn, severely burning a miner named Daniel M'Leod all over the face and body. He was removed in the evening to Stirling Royal Infirmary, where he died about midnight. [Scotsman 3 December 1902]

12 February 1903

Two Miners Killed - Yesterday afternoon, two Kilsyth miners, Archibald Goodwin and Robert Weir, were killed in Dumbreck No 1 Pit, Kilsyth, belonging to Messrs Baird. They were working in a new road in the cloven coal, when several hundredweights of material fell from the roof above them. Both were killed outright. Both have left widows, and Goodwin four and Weir five children. [Scotsman 13 February 1903]

30 July 1903

Fatal Colliery Accident - Archibald Macphie, miner, Meadowside, Kilsyth, died on Thursday night from injuries received in No. 5 pit, Dumbreck Colliery, on Wednesday. Macphie was waiting after completing his day's work to ascend in the cage. A water pipe, which was being taken up the shaft, slipped from its lashings, and on reaching the bottom, rebounded, striking Macphie, several of whose ribs were fractured, penetrating the lungs. [Scotsman 1 August 1903]

6 November 1903

Fatal Colliery Accident - In Dumbreck colliery, near Kilsyth, by a fall from the roof yesterday forenoon, two men were buried. One miner, Gilbert Anderson, a married man. was dead when discovered, and his companion, William Anderson, was so seriously injured that his removal to the Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital was ordered. [Scotsman 7 November 1903]

15 January 1905

Fatal Pit Accident – On Saturday forenoon, while three pit sinkers were descending No 1 Carnock Colliery, belonging to the Alloa Coal Company, the kettle in which they stood stopped to allow of some repairs being made to the air pipes, when one of the men, named John Crawford, who was standing on the edge of the kettle, let go his hold of the chains, and fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 53 feet. He fell among some loose stones, and when found was still conscious, although badly injured. He died in the ambulance van on the way to Stirling Royal Infirmary. Deceased resided at 4 High Ravenscraig, Wishaw, and leaves a widow and three children. He had only worked five shifts in the pit. [Scotsman 16 January 1905]

4 March 1905

Accident at a Stirling Colliery - On Saturday a middle aged man, named Alexander Brown, employed at Fallin Colliery, near Stirling, belonging to Archibald Russell & Co., fell from a scaffold on which he was working, and sustained serious injuries. He was removed to Stirling Royal Infirmary in an unconscious condition. He is supposed to have sustained a fracture of the skull. [Scotsman 6 March 1905]

9 December 1905

Pit Accident Near Stirling – On Saturday, in Bandeath Colliery, near Stirling, Conn O'Donnel, a miner, was struck by a fall of stone from the roof and his back broken. He was removed to Stirling Royal Infirmary. [Scotsman 11 December 1905]

28 January 1906

Explosion In A Stirling Pit – Two Men Killed - About seven o'clock yesterday morning an explosion of fire damp occurred in No. 2 Pit, Polmaise Colliery near Stirling belonging to Messrs Archibald Russell & Company by which two men lost their lives. Their names are Thomas Laird (23) fireman and Joseph Kennedy (21) roadsman both natives of the Hamilton district who came to Stirling a few months ago and resided in lodging in Main Street St Ninians. Polmaise Colliery was opened about two years ago and this is the first explosion that has occurred in it. It is one of the best appointed collieries in the country and electric safety lamps are used by the miners so that the cause of the explosion yesterday morning is still a mystery. The men were engaged in erecting a ball or signal in the pit and at the time of the explosion there were only two other men underground but much nearer the shaft. These men heard the explosion and attempted to make their way towards the scene of it, but the after damp was so dense that they were forced to give up the attempt. Mr Brown manager of the colliery was at the surface at the time of the occurrence and his attention was arrested to the fact of something unusual having taken place by a column of smoke rushing up No. 2 shaft. He summoned assistance and having learned what had taken place from the two men who had been brought up he got a current of fresh air diverted into the road where the “bell”was being placed and then proceeded down the pit to the scene of the accident. The fire damp was still present and one man was overcome and had to be taken in a unconscious condition to the surface where he was attended to by Dr Laidlaw. The rescue part y found the two men lying dead about 100 fathoms from the pit bottom. There were no marks of violence on the bodies which were removed to the pithead and afterwards taken home. Both men are unmarried. [Scotsman 29 January 1906]

10 March 1906

Bannockburn – Fall Down A Pit Shaft – On Saturday morning the pump engineman at Cowie Colliery near Bannockburn, named John M'Lachlan fell down the shaft from the level where he was working, a distance of 33 1/2 fathoms from the bottom, and was instantaneously killed. [Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser 17 March 1906]

24 April 1911

Kilsyth Miner Killed - In No. 2 Pit Haugh colliery, Kilsyth, belonging to Messrs William Baird & Company (Limited); William Rowatt Maxwell miner, Church Street , Kilsyth , was killed yesterday morning by a heavy fall from the roof. A brother named John, who went to his assistance, was struck by a large stone and severely injured. Deceased, who was only nineteen years of ago, was brother of the Rev. A. Rowatt Maxwell. [Scotsman 26 April 1911]

27 May 1911

Miner Killed – On Saturday, a miner named Robert Waugh, employed at Broomrigg Pit, No 3 Banknock Collieries, was killed by a fall of stone. [Scotsman 29 May 1911]

11 January 1913

Surfaceman Killed - It was reported by the Falkirk police yesterday that a railway surfaceman named William Martin (62) and residing at Polmont had met his death under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Martin's dead body was found lying on the branch mineral railway connected with Redding Colliery. The appearance of the body indicated that the deceased had met his death as the result of an accident, but as Martin was working alone on the railway, the manner in which the fatality occurred is largely a matter of conjecture. On the body being medically examined it was found that one of the man's ribs had been broken, and that he had also burst a blood vessel. The theory entertained is that while using an iron pinch in the discharge of his duty, the implement in some way or other caught Martin on the body, and inflicted the injuries which caused his death. [Scotsman 14 January 1913]

17 February 1913

Fatal Pit Accident. - James Marshall (19), who was injured in Dennyloanhead Pit, Banknock Collieries , through his left leg getting caught in the kink of a wire rope, died in Denny Cottage Hospital yesterday morning. His leg was amputated, but he never rallied from the shock and loss of blood. [Scotsman 19 February 1913]

18 February 1913

Fatal Pit Accident At Stirling - Early yesterday morning a fatal accident occurred in No. 1 pit, Polmaise Colliery, Millhall, near Stirling. Two men named Archibald Harper, who resided at Borestone Place, St Ninians, and William Macpherson, Millhall, were engaged working a coal-cutting machine, when a fall from the roof occurred. Harper was killed outright, and Macpherson received severe injuries to the back and pelvis. Macpherson was immediately removed to Stirling Royal Infirmary. Harper was well-known in football circles, and played for King's Park F.C., Stirling. He had also served with the Fulham, Dundee, and Aberdeen clubs. [Scotsman 19 February 1913]

27 February 1913

A Stirlingshire Miner's Death. - Between three and four o'clock yesterday afternoon, James M'Callum (19), pit worker, who resided at Miller Place, Cowie, met a fatal accident at Bannockburn Colliery. It appears that the cage, containing eight men, was being raised, and on reaching the pithead, it failed through some unknown cause to stop at the staging. M'Callum became alarmed at the situation, and endeavoured to jump from the cage on to the pithead. In this, however, he was unsuccessful, and he fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of about 80 fathoms. Death was instantaneous. The cage was stopped before it reached the winding wheel. [Scotsman 28 February 1913]

21 June 1913

Bannockburn Man Killed - Michael Kelly, cokeworker , Old Bridge, Bannockburn, received fatal injuries on Saturday while working at a number of waggons at Carnock colliery. [Scotsman 23 June 1913]

September 1913

Accident at Redding colliery - A lad of sixteen years, named James Hall, Reddingmuirhead, employed as a miner at Redding colliery, near Falkirk , sustained severe internal injuries as the result of an accident which occurred while he was at work at the colliery. Hall was riding in front of a line of moving hutches, which suddenly stopped, throwing him off against some other hutches in front. Before he managed to get clear the hutches in the rear moved forward, and he was jammed between the two lines. He was removed to Falkirk Infirmary. [Scotsman 3 September 1913]

14 November 1913

Polmaise Pit Fatality - Yesterday, William Malcolmson (17), pit draught-door attendant who resided at the Crook near Stirling, was instantaneously killed at No. 4 Pit, Polmaise colliery. Malcolmson had been attending to his duties when three loaded hutches broke away on a brae. The hutches struck Malcolmson, inflicting fatal injuries. [Scotsman 15 November 1913]