Evidence at the Blantyre Pit Disaster Inquiry was given by local man John Watson in November 1877. This insight shows what a hard life John must have had and how as a survivor, may have been down to a lucky, simple request to work in a different part of the pit beforehand. Questioned by Mr […]
This morning, we’re holding a minutes silence at 8.45am, Tuesday 22nd October 2024 to remember the 215 men and boys who lost their lives in the Blantyre Pit Disaster of 1877. Please join us. In that one instant in 1877, an explosion wiped out 6% of the entire population of Blantyre at Dixon’s Pits 2 […]
Continuing the story of the Blantyre Pit Disaster memorial. Today, we explore how the design came to be. When giving consideration to the form of a memorial which would aptly and fittingly commemorate the lives of the men and boys who lost their lives, Mr Robert Sim in Summer 1977 enlisted the help of his […]
This is the story of a 16-year-old boy who sadly lost his life in the Blantyre Pit Disaster of 1877. John McCulloch was born on 21st February 1861 in Bothnennar, Stirlingshire to parents John McCulloch Snr a coal miner and Alison Marshall, a domestic servant and shirtmaker. John would have 8 siblings throughout his short life […]
We should spare a thought for the widow Alison Marshall in this next story, who tragically lost not only her husband John McCulloch Snr in the 1877 Blantyre Pit Disaster, but also her 16-year-old son, John. Though there is another young man, Thomas McCulloch who also lost his life in this pit accident, but he […]
Part of the summary from the official Inquiry Report for “Blantyre Colliery Explosion” of 1877. Transcribed by myself word for word for the first time appearing online, this particular detailed section near the end of the report summarises the mines regulation and inspection This preceded their final conclusions and summary, which I’ll post tomorrow. MINES […]
Part of the summary from the official Inquiry Report for “Blantyre Colliery Explosion” of 1877. Transcribed by myself word for word for the first time appearing online, this particular detailed section near the end of the report summarises the discipline, skill and care within the mine. The favour of this extract is that men were […]