South Yorkshire Times, September 10th, 1960

Pit Fatality at Kilnhurst

Miner Hit by Falling Stone

A 47 year old Kilnhurst man was fatally injured on Tuesday in an accident at Kilnhurst Colliery.

Douglas Victor Dickinson of Greenwood Road, Kilnhurst, was working on a coal face in the Park gate seam, when a heavy stone broke away from the roof and struck him. Workmates worked quickly to clear the debris and release him.

Ambulance men carried the injured man on a stretcher for 1,000 yards to the “paddy mail” and he was taken out of the pit, but was found to be dead.

Mr. C. Taylor, Kilnhurst N.U.M. branch secretary said that it was believed that Dickinson was “cleaning up” the face when he was struck.

Dickinson, who had worked in the pit most of his life, leaves a wife and a 13 years old son. When the miners stopped work on Wednesday they broke a N.C.B.-N.U.M. agreement. Under an agreement drawn up in 1950 between the N.U.M. and the Coal Board, Mr. Dickinson’s wife is entitled to benefit of 200 from the N.C.B. together with £33 6s. 8d. for their 13-years-old son, Victor.

But the conditions laid down, and agreed, is that only those working in the immediate vicinity, and on the shift when the accident took place, may, if they wished, stop work.