Dipton and Burnopfield Community History Pilot Project

The explosion took place at about 3.30pm and within minutes, news that "the pit had fired", spread through Dipton and hundreds of villagers converged on the Colliery and gathered near the pithead to await anxiously for news as to how serious the incident had been. It had only been two years since a similar explosion had occurred at the Colliery killing Joseph Nixon aged 20. Meanwhile, thousands of others from adjoining mining communities had arrived on the scene, all anxious to display their solidarity and sympathy with the local community. This was not unnatural, when it is recalled that mine explosions were common in adjoining collieries also, and generally accompanied by loss of life. Indeed within the previous few years, explosions had taken place at Friarside Colliery, Eden Colliery Leadgate, Marley Hill Colliery and Handen Hold Colliery, with a total death toll of fourteen. In addition, several more miners had been killed in a mine-shaft accident at Medomsley Colliery

Immediately a rescue party, led by the Colliery Manager, Mr A S Davison, braved the deadly fumes which had filled the area of the mine affected and for nearly three hours, battled heroically to reach the trapped men. Whilst this rescue operation was in progress, the Colliery Manager had to be carried back to the surface, suffering from the effects of the gas. During the rescue operation two men, Christopher ("Kit") Young and David Gregory were found alive, having crawled a quarter of a mile to a place of safety. Kit, a hewer, had used his shirt as a gag to keep out the gas-laden atmosphere, knowing that to breath it would have meant certain death. "Attend to my pal" he cried when the rescuers came to his aid, even though he was himself, seriously gassed. Later on, after recovering sufficiently, he described how he had tried to help his doomed comrades. "Even now I can’t help hearing their agonising cries" he declared.

Sadly, three Diptonians had perished in the explosion, they were:

On the day of their funerals, the main street of Dipton was lined with sympathisers, from many walks of life, and blinds were drawn at every house in the village. Many hundreds were unable to obtain admission to St John’s parish Church where the service was conducted. Peter Lee, president of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, and John E Swan, a fellow Diptonian and Secretary of the Durham Miners Association, were also present.

The sympathy of the whole nation was conveyed to the families of the bereaved and injured, in a message from the Labour Prime Minister of the day, James Ramsey MacDonald (1931-35) wherein he conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved and hope that the injured and sufferers were making a good recovery.

Interview with RALPH PARKIN who was in the Mining Explosion and Near the Scene of the Explosion on that Fateful Day.

Cllr. Joe Walker	"Ralph, can you give me an outline of your experience on the day in question?"

Mr R Parkin	"It was the last shift before the Easter Break and it was about 3.30pm on Thursday.We were nearly finished our shifts; Harry Croney and me were pony putting, I drove off Henry Layton and Harry Croney drove of Lukey Newton, and we used to help each other to clear the flats. If one needed the other, we both went into the same flat, and we were ready to go into the South Busty flat when there was a terrific wind and it blew the naked lights out of our hands, and we were completely in the dark. It was very frightening, I was only a driver laddy at the time, the same as Harry Croney.It must have brought a lot of dust down with it because Harry Croney said - ‘I’m choking, I’m choking!’I said, ‘Oh no you’re not, you’re alright Harry.’ I said I would have liked to light a match to see where I was but he wouldn’t have it; he was a bit scared I think you see. it was a terrible experience. Doug Gregory was up at a landing and we followed the tub rails and the tubs to try and get to the telephone, which we spent quite a while trying to find in the pitch blackness. At the finish we did find a ‘phone. We ‘phoned out to the shaft and I believe Peter Fazekerley was at the shaft at that time and we told him what had happened and he said - ‘Just stay where you’re at until help comes.’ He must have ‘phoned for Tommy Bolam because he was in the Three Quarters Seam and he had quite a walk; about a mile out of the Three Quarters into the Top Busty where we were. When he came in, the manager came with him. We were told to strip our ponies and get out to the stables; which we did and we met the rescue people coming on the way in. I learned afterwards that Mr Davison, the colliery Manager and Tommy Bolam, the Back Overman, had gone in to see what they could do, and I think Mr Davison at that time, passed out with the fumes and the gas, and then the rescue team came in."

Cllr. Joe Walker	"How many men were working in your part of the seam at that time Ralph?"

Mr R Parkin	"There were seven men at the Bottom Busty side where I drove off Henry Layton, and there were three in the Top Busty at that time. Lukey Newton - pony putter - George Nicholson and Joe Merrington, both hewers. There were three hewers and the deputy was also in at the time of the explosion because they found him in the airway. Lukey Newton the putter was on the way out with two tubs when the explosion happened and it was only very narrow tub height, you couldn’t get past the tub hardly, it was very narrow workings and I think that caught Lukey as far as I know. That’s all I can say."

Cllr. Joe Walker	"Ralph, you were telling me earlier regarding so-called marsh gas being in the pit and that it was supposed to be harmless. Can you explain briefly about this".

Mr R Parkin	"Well, you could light it up Joe, just put a match to it, at that time it was naked lights of course, you could put a match to it and it used to flare up from the bubbles, it was supposed to be marsh gas, whether that was harmless or not, I don’t know, but I don’t know if it was liable to build up or anything, but there was ventilation to keep it down"

Cllr. Joe Walker	"Thank you Ralph for your graphic account of your memories of what happened in 1934"

Footnote by Cllr. Joe Walker	I have resided in Dipton all my life and knew the Parkin family very well. Ralph came from a typical mining family, hardworking, honest, decent people in a typical mining community. There were 6 brothers, all of whom worked at South Medomsley Colliery at what was termed a "Family Colliery". This simply meant that when a son left school at the age of 14 on the Friday night, he was expected, indeed in many cases he had no other choice, to start work at the Colliery on the Monday. Consequently, Ralph and his 5 brothers all worked at South Medomsley Colliery, virtually for all of their working lives. Incidentally, Ralph was 18 years old at the time of the pit disaster in 1934 which was 65 years ago this year - 1999. This Colliery was not in isolation in employing boys direct from school. In many respects there was no other employment available for them and it was a normal form of recruitment for Colliery owners at the time. The wages of miners were very low and security of employment was not guaranteed. Consequently, poverty was widespread and extreme poverty was common. Nevertheless, community spirit and willingness to help others less fortunate was the norm rather than the exception.

Ralph, who was the only living survivor of the explosion, died on 27th April 1997 in Syke House Rest Home, Burnopfield.