During the evening of Thursday 7 September 1950 the underground workings of Knockshinnoch Colliery, New Cumnock were flooded by a deluge of liquified peat (known as ‘moss’). 135 miners were trapped, unable to reach the bottom of a pit shaft, with another 13 men unaccounted for.
This is a short first hand account of the disaster written in 2011 by the late James Lillie who served with Coatbridge Mines Rescue Brigade. Thanks to the bravery of Mr Lillie and his colleagues, all but 13 of the miners were saved.
We are sharing Mr Lillie’s account with the kind permission of Elizabeth Ross Baker (Nee Lillie):
‘Memories’ Knockshinnoch Disaster Sept. 1950
I was the youngest member of the Coatbridge Rescue Brigade and had been on standby at Coatbridge whilst other teams were at the disaster.
Saturday morning we arrived at the colliery and was told it would be afternoon before we were going down the colliery. A few of us went to look at the crater. It was enormous. You could see the top of the heading where all the sludge had gone down, it was frightening just looking down. Early afternoon we went down the old mine, find our way through the old workings, ventilation hoses everywhere.
Eventually three of us passed through the gas into the fresh air (?) where the men were trapped. It seemed ages before we got word to send the men out. The first walking was the oldest. I fitted the set, my mate behind me made sure air was on and properly fitted and the 3rd man send him on his way. We waited 20-30 mins before we got a telephone message to say he had arrived safe and sound. What a big cheer there was in the safety area. We still had to wait a while before getting orders to send the men out.
I fitted, my mate checked, and the 3rd despatched. It was all staggered and eventually all men were gone. We were in that area for about 10 hours. Mr Park and I switched the loco lights off and we were the last men to leave that area that night, travelling through the gas and to safety. One of the young men introduced me to his dad and all three had tears in our eyes.
I never got back to that area. Ironic [that] my Dad’s cousin was the Colliery Manager.
James Lillie – late of Rigside, Lanarkshire. Now in Gastang, having retired from the Police Service.
I am 83 years old and I do not think there will be many of us left who took part in that disaster.
A view of a training exercise in the mock-up mine at Coatbridge Mines Rescue. The circled man may be James Lillie.