The memorial plaque, dedicated to the coal miners of Holditch Colliery who lost their lives in the 1937 explosion, is situated outside the Heritage Centre in the Apedale Community Country Park.
The memorial plaque is mounted on a concrete plinth below a pit wheel and is inscribed as follows;
'In memory of the thirty miners who lost their lives in the
Holditch Colliery Explosion
on July 2nd 1937
H.L. Adkins, 35
James Alfred Bloor 51
John Cocks, 57
Percy Condliffe, 35
Josiah Cooke, 37
Albert Leslie Cooper, 30
Albert Edward Cornes, 26
Harold John Finney, 41
J.W. Forrester, 40
T.Harris, 46
John Harvey, 39
John Hassell, 35
William Haystead, 45
William S. Hodkinson, 38
W.Hough, 37
Frederick John Howle, 36
Reginald Jackson, 35
Harry Johnstone, 34
Ernest Jones, 51
Thomas Henry Jones, 28
Samuel Henry Latham, 28
Abel Mayer, 39
Henry Mitchell, 44
William Pepper, 39
George T. Pickerill, 30
Charles Price, 33
George T. Rushton, 41
Albert W. Seaton, 26
Arthur R. Stanton, 31
Frank Turner, 22'
'Holditch Colliery, also known as Brymbo Colliery, opened in 1912, and was one of a number of coal mines in Staffordshire. It was located around two miles north west of Newcastle-under-Lyme. The colliery employed 1,500 men and mined ironstone in addition to coal. The colliery consisted of two 2,000 feet deep shafts, sunk in 1912 and 1916, working Great Row and the Four Feet seams and was believed to have been the most gassy colliery in Britain.
Despite heavy investment in the 1960s and 1970s the colliery closed down in 1990, just three years after the end of the year long miners' strike. The current site of Holditch Colliery is now a large business park.
The Holditch Colliery disaster was a coal mining accident that occurred on 2nd July 1937, in which 30 men died and eight were injured. It was caused by a fire and subsequent explosions, and was exacerbated by a decision from management to risk the lives of mine workers to try to save the coal seam. The workers who lost their lives are listed below.
Adkins, H.L. (35) undermanager.
Bloor, James Alfred (51) H.M. Sub-Inspector of Mines.
Cocks, John (57) managing director.
Condliffe, Percey (35) collier.
Cooke, Josiah (37) collier.
Cooper, Albert Leslie (30) collier.
Cornes, Albert Edward (26) haulage hand.
Finney, Harold John (41) H.M. Senior Inspector of Mines.
Forrester, J.W. (40) Hanley Rescue Brigade.
Harris, Thomas Ernest (46) Hanley Rescue Brigade.
Harvey, John (39) fireman.
Hassell, John (35) ripper.
Haystead, William (45) packer.
Hodkinson, William Stanley (38) underground mechanic.
Hough, W. (37) Hanley Rescue Brigade.
Howle, Frederick John (36) collier.
Jackson, Reginald (35) collier.
Johnstone, Harry (34) overman.
Jones, Ernest (51) fireman.
Jones, Thomas Henry (28) collier.
Latham, Samuel Henry (28) Hanley Rescue Brigade.
Maiyer, Abel (39) underground mechanic.
Mitchell, Henry (44) underground mechanic.
Pepper, William (39) fireman.
Pickerill, George Thomas (30) ripper.
Price, Charles (33) collier.
Rushton, George Thomas (41) ripper.
Seaton, Albert Warwick (26) collier.
Stanton, Arthur R. (31) packer.
Turner, Frank (22) underground electrician.
Men who escaped with injuries were as follows;
Bentley, Harry (47) fireman.
Birchall, Harry (34) collier.
Bloor, Percey (49) fireman.
Davies, John Owen (45) manager.
Edwards, George (29) collier.
Lightfoot, Job (33) Hanley Rescue Brigade.
Salt, Frederick Charles (39) collier.
Stanier, George (37) collier.'
Aftermath
'Josiah Wedgwood, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, speaking in the House of Commons said;
"I desire to thank the hon. and gallant Gentleman for his words of sympathy and appreciation of these brave men. They went down the pit to save their fellows, and Staffordshire will never forget them."
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The Apedale Community Country Park has 184 hectares of open space to explore with a varied landscape of woodland, meadows and pools crossed by many paths and tracks. The land at this location was previously an opencast mine until as recently as 1998.
The Heritage Centre was founded in 2001 on the site of the Apedale Colliery, which had closed a few years earlier in 1998. It is run entirely by volunteers with their main funding coming from the café, mine tours and donations. (
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