A tragic story today from over a century ago, yet worth remembering for after all, this was a man who spent much of his life in Blantyre.
Samuel Dixon, an employee of the colliery company for ten years, was killed on 30th August 1915, when a fall of rock happened at Extension Mines, Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada.
With Mr Owen Dabb, he was coming out of the mine when the rock broke the stringers and covered the Samuel from the chest down. Death was almost instantaneously. He was badly crushed about the waist and two ribs were broken.
Mr Dabb escaped serious injury by a couple of feet. Samuel Dixon was born in Limavaddy, Ireland, forty years ago around 1875. However, he came to Blantyre as a youth and was brought up in Blantyre. As an adult, he was employed by his namesake Employer, at Dixon’s Colleries at High Blantyre for some fifteen years.
He went to Canada around 1904 or 1905 seeking a better life and it was there almost immediately he met and married Mary Wright around 1910. They had 5 children, some of whom were born prior to his marriage. The eldest 11, the youngest just 14 months.
At the time of his death, he still had a mother and two sisters residing in Blantyre. As word spread around the Wellington Colliery Company, it was clear he had many friends who regretted his untimely death and sympathise with the grief stricken wife, and children left to mourn their loss.
Pictured just 2 years earlier in 1913 in Canada, are the striking miners of Ladysmith Extension Mines, being marched to jail. I wonder if Samuel was amongst them?!
