The piercing alarm that shattered the pre-dawn quiet of north west Leicestershire on Tuesday, April 19, 1898, heralded one of Leicestershire’s most devastating industrial tragedies: a raging “gob fire” deep within Whitwick No. 5 pit. This spontaneous combustion in the colliery waste quickly consumed the mine’s dry, timbered roadways, trapping 35 miners and boys in the suffocating darkness beyond.
Of the 42 individuals underground, only a mere seven escaped. The rest, including 13-year-old John Albert Gee who bravely tried to warn others, succumbed to the silent, lethal embrace of carbon monoxide poisoning. The inferno and subsequent roof collapses meant that despite desperate rescue efforts, the danger was so extreme that 12 bodies were never recovered, forever entombed within the earth they toiled. The impact on the community was immediate and heartbreaking: 27 widows and 84 children under the age of thirteen were left fatherless, their lives irrevocably altered.
The response was swift, albeit tragically too late for many. Under-manager Mr. James Clamp was roused by miner John Bird at 4:30 a.m., followed by manager Mr. T.Y. Hay. Doctors, mine inspectors, engineers, and a multitude of colliery workers descended upon the pit, united in a desperate, yet ultimately futile, fight against the encroaching inferno. The only viable, albeit agonizing, solution was to seal off the fire with brick “dams,” sacrificing any chance of air reaching potential survivors in a desperate bid to contain the blaze. Even as bodies were slowly and painstakingly recovered – the last not until February 1899 – the pit bank became a site of profound grief, eased only by the compassionate presence of ladies like Mrs. J.J. Sharp and Mrs. E. De Lisle, and the constant solace offered by local clergy.
In the wake of such widespread sorrow, the community rallied with remarkable solidarity. While the Midland Miners’ Fatal Accident Relief Society provided some assistance, it was clear that the allowances would be insufficient for the scores of bereaved families. This profound need ignited a wave of public sympathy, which, crucially, manifested in practical, tangible support through extensive fundraising efforts.
Among them was a benefit match organized for the relief of the widows and orphans. At the end of the 1897-98 football season, Loughborough Reserves faced Derby County Reserves at the Baseball Ground. The wet weather unfortunately reduced the turnout and thus the financial returns. Loughborough, played with ten men. Swann scored for Derby in the first period and in the process injured himself and had to retire. The second half Andrews scored for Loughborough and Yorke for Derby, the game ending 2-1 in favour of Derby.
This football match, alongside various subscription lists — including a generous £500 donation from the Colliery Company itself — collectively raised over £5,000. This substantial sum, a testament to the era’s communal spirit, provided a crucial lifeline to those plunged into hardship by the disaster.
The Whitwick Colliery disaster left an indelible mark on North West Leicestershire. Though the colliery itself continued operations until 1986, the memory of that fateful April day has endured. Today, a new housing development, Grange View in Hugglescote, stands as a poignant and enduring memorial. Located off Grange Road, near the actual site of the former colliery workings, Grange View features a prominent memorial – a headstock pulley wheel from the colliery – serving as a focal point. It was unveiled by the actor Stephen Graham on 24 April 2022. Nineteen streets within this development are named after the men and boys who perished, including those whose bodies remain entombed. Names like Charles Beresford Clamp, Joseph Shaw, William Davis, John Elliott, Albert Edward Limb, and many others, now grace the roads, streets, drives and gardens of a modern community, ensuring that their sacrifice and the community’s collective grief are remembered by future generations.