 The memorial on Bluebell Lane, Pandy, incorporating the old pit wheel, commemorating the victims of the Gresford Disaster | |
| Date | 22 September 1934 |
|---|---|
| Time | approximately 2 am |
| Location | Gresford near Wrexham, Wales, UK |
| Coordinates | 53°04′22″N 02°59′28″W / 53.07278°N 2.99111°W grid reference SJ338536 |
| Type | Coal mine explosion and fire |
| Cause | Not determined |
| Burial | 253 left entombed |
| Inquiries | Walker, Brass & Jones 1937 |
| Awards | 9 |
The Gresford disaster occurred on 22 September 1934 at Gresford Colliery, near Wrexham, when an explosion and underground fire killed 261 men. Gresford is one of Britain's worst coal mining disasters: a controversial inquiry into the disaster did not conclusively identify a cause, though evidence suggested that failures in safety procedures and poor mine management were contributory factors. Further public controversy was caused by the decision to seal the colliery's damaged sections permanently, meaning that the bodies of only 8 of the miners were ever recovered. Two of the three rescue men who died were brought out leaving the third body in situ until recovery operations began the following year.