
The Cambrian Colliery was a large coal mine that operated between 1872 and 1967 near
Clydach Vale
Clydach Vale ( 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 its situation on ...
in the
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), 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 (, 'large') and t ...
Valley, south
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. 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 stage ...
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 a violent attempt by coal miners to maintain wages and working conditions in parts of South Wales, where wages had been kept low by a cartel of mine owners.
What became known as the Tonypandy riots of 1910 ...
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 (Wales), community and electoral ward in the Rhondda, Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It stretches over from the junction of Cemetery Road and Brithweunydd Road in the east, to the junction o ...
.
Notable survivor
At the time of the disaster, George Brace, 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 ...
, 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 mining (hard rock), underground coal mining, although accidents al ...
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 ...
, 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 6,026.
Background
The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, C ...
'', 5 May 2010, at WalesOnline
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Collieries in South Wales
1965 disasters in the United Kingdom
1905 disasters in the United Kingdom