The Cambrian Colliery was a large coal mine that operated between 1872 and 1967 near

Clydach Vale Clydach Vale ( cy, Cwmclydach and adjoining ''Blaenclydach'') is a village in the Community (Wales), community of Cwm Clydach, northwest of Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, Wales. It is named for it ...

in the

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley ('' ...

Valley, south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is notable for its huge production and for two infamous explosion disasters, in 1905 and 1965, in which a total of 64 miners were killed. Its owners sank the first pits into a rich coal seam in the 1870s from which, within 20 years, over 700 tons were being extracted daily. The complex was connected to the

Taff Vale Railway The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stag ...

and had room in its sidings for over 840 wagons.Clydach Vale history
on website of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council The colliery's workforce, which numbered over 4,000 in 1913, was prominently involved in the

Tonypandy Riot The Miners Strike of 1910-11 was an attempt by miners and their families to improve wages and living conditions in severely deprived parts of South Wales, where wages had been kept deliberately low for many years by a cartel of mine owners. Wha ...

of 1910.

1905 explosion disaster

On 10 March 1905, an explosion occurred at the Cambrian Colliery No.1. The explosion was heard for miles all around the valleys and resulted in the loss of 33 lives and serious injury to 14 others. The accident happened between the day and night shifts, otherwise the death toll would have been far higher. Before being forced back by fire, early rescue teams found and saved 50 uninjured survivors and 13 who were seriously hurt. The fire took five days to extinguish and there were no more survivors. Most of the victims are buried at ''Trealaw Cemetery'' in

Trealaw Trealaw is a long village, also a community and electoral ward in the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It stretches over from the junction of Cemetery Road and Brithweunydd Road in the east, to the junction of Ynyscynon Road and Partrid ...

Notable survivor

At the time of the disaster,

George Brace Brace's Bakery is a Crumlin-based Welsh bakery and bakery products brand. Founders Born in Abercarn, George Brace, an engine house driver at the Cambrian Colliery in Clydach Vale, started with a loan from his family a small bakery in 1902 in Po ...

, brother of prominent unionist

William Brace William Brace (23 September 1865 – 12 October 1947) was a Welsh trade unionist and Liberal and Labour politician. Early life and career Born in Risca, in the coal-mining district of Monmouthshire, he was one of six children of Thomas and Ann ...

, was employed as an engine driver at the colliery. He decided to leave the mining industry to build up the family bakery business, which has now been run by his descendants for over a century. He named his house Cambrian House in memory of the disaster.

1965 explosion disaster

On 17 May 1965, a second major

mining accident A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. C ...

occurred at the Cambrian Colliery. An explosion caused by

firedamp Firedamp is any flammable gas found in coal mines, typically coalbed methane. It is particularly found in areas where the coal is bituminous. The gas accumulates in pockets in the coal and adjacent strata and when they are penetrated the releas ...

, after poor ventilation allowed a build-up of flammable gas, killed 31 miners. The ignition point was later identified as an electric arc on an open switch panel which was being worked on. This was the last major mining disaster in South Wales history.

References

External links

Cambrian Colliery, Clydach Vale. c. 1910
on Welsh Coalmines historical website *Turner
Anniversary of Cambrian pit disaster
from ''

South Wales Echo The ''South Wales Echo'' is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area. It has a circulation of 7,573. Background The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, C ...

'', 5 May 2010, at WalesOnline {{Coord, 51.6241, -3.4883, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Collieries in South Wales 1965 disasters in the United Kingdom 1905 disasters in the United Kingdom