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Full Details

Surname
GRAHAM
Forename
Herbert
Day
02
Month
05
Year
1925
Age
Occupation
Drawer
Mine/Quarry Name
Westwood
Mineral Worked
Oil Shale
Owner
Scottish Oils Ltd
Location
West Calder
County
Linlithgowshire
Details of Event
2 May 1925: Mining Fatality at West Calder - A miner named Herbert Graham, residing at Oakbank Cottages, West Calder, was fatally injured in Westwood shale pit. A piece of shale fell from the roof and dislodged a wooden pillar, which struck Graham with great force, fracturing the base of his skull. He was conveyed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he succumbed. [The Scotsman 5 May 1925] FAI Record – Herbert Graham, miner's drawer, 5 Oakbank Cottages, Westwood, died on 2 May 1925 at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, from injuries sustained on 1 May 1925 in Westwood Shale Pit, Livingston Parish, West Lothian, when a quantity of shale fell upon him. NAS Reference: SC41/13/1925/3 Information from the Inspectors of Mines - 1925: Roof fall At Westwood Shale Mine, Linlithgow, a drawer was watching the faceman lever down a layer of top shale which had been shaken by shots. The place was 11 ft. high and, when the shale fell, a large piece knocked out a long prop, which struck the drawer on the side of the head, and fractured his skull.