Colliery flood claimed 26 lives

THE lives of 26 men and boys lost in the Gwendraeth Colliery tragedy have been remembered 170 years on since the community was left heartbroken.

Flooding swept through the colliery on May 10, 1852, and it took 18 months to recover the bodies.

The coal mining industry flourished during the late 19th and early 20th centuries with four principal mines in the Pontyberem area, including Pontyberem colliery, Pentremawr, Glynhebog and Gwendraeth colliery (Watney pit).

Pontyberem, which is based in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli, grew as the coal mining industry in the area developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The origin of the catastrophe was unknown but reports that the water came in from the canal are said to be untrue.

According to the London Times, among those who lost their lives, William Hughes left a wife and four children; John Hughes, 22, also died and David Jones left six children without a father, along with Griffith Lewis, 18; Morgan Griffiths, 18; William Davies, 12 and Thomas Morris, 18. Stephen Phillips left a wife and three children, Thomas Richards left a wife and a child, while David Rees left a wife and two children.

Rhys Davies left a wife and mother while John Evans left a wife and six children. Brothers David and John Williams lost their lives alongside brothers John, 15, and David Harris, 10; George and David Evans, the former of whom left a wife and three children; William, 15, and Daniel Wilkins, 17, and brothers Edward and Evan Thomas, the former of whom left a wife and four children. Brothers David and Daniel Aubrey are also among the tragedy victims, the former leaving a wife and four children, and the latter a wife and two children.

Brothers Daniel and David Thomas, aged around 11 and 12, also died. In the report at the time, it said: “It was a most fortunate occurrence that the accident happened at night instead of by day, or the loss of life would have been nearly four times greater, the number of men working in the pit by day being 100, and by night 27.”

All were drowned apart from one survivor, David Evans, who lived to give a graphic narrative of his escape.