Continuing a detailed look at Blantyre news stories from 1905, this one had an explosive ending! On Monday 6th November 1905, George Rice, a Polish labourer was working at Dixons Pits in Blantyre. Part of his daily tasks was to fetch explosives for the miners, which he did by travelling to a Glasgow store and […]
A different take on Blantyre Explosion next. This account was written by Labour Leader and MP of the time, Keir Hardie. Published in the Labour Leader Magazine on Hogmanay 1909, it’s more of a story around fictional characters, putting them in the situation of the Blantyre Pit Disaster of 1877. It is published here in […]
Today, 5th November 2021 marks the 100 year anniversary of a great explosion in Blantyre. Exactly one Century ago today, on the evening of Saturday 5th November 1921, Stonefield Road, Blantyre was the scene of great alarm, fear and excitement owing to a tremendously, disastrous gas explosion that occurred at the Gasworks. (the site of […]
On Saturday 25th April 1914, two Blantyre men, not particularly fond of one another decided to settle their difference in a Burnbank Pub. Differences that were to be settled with gunpowder! Shortly after six o’clock, when the bar in Burnbank was filled with customers, a loud explosion attracted the attention of everybody there to some […]
This next story took place 155 year ago in Blantyre Stores, in the Village, Low Blantyre in the building which is now the Village Bar on Station Road. About two o’clock on Friday 23rd January 1863 three boys from Blantyre works were employed at Blantyre Stores for the day only. James Maxwell, William Maxwell […]
Sunday 9th March 1958 certainly started with a bang in High Blantyre! When Royal Engineers carried out the demolition of High Blantyre’s Dixon’s Pit, a demolition that the National Coal Board thought would cost nothing, ended up being quite costly! The Territorials were demolishing the old washing plant at High Blantyre Pit that day, but the […]
In May 1930, while workmen were engaged cutting a new roadway through Priory Pit, Blantyre, a charge of gelignite, which had been left buried by mistake the previous night, exploded, causing the death of one man and serious injury to another. The man killed was William Stewart (57), who resided 51 Small Crescent, High […]