b. ? 1873 d. 12/06/1935 Perth, Western Australia.
DATE OF AM ACTION: 18/04/1905 Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Edward Nicholls AM
Very little is known about the life of miner Edward Nicholls other than his Albert Medal action. He later became an attendant at Claremont Mental Hospital.
AM CITATION:
On the 18th April, 1905, Nicholls (with two other miners, Bentley and King) was working in a “stope” on the 1,200 feet level of the Lake View Consols Mine, at Kalgoorlie. He and his comrades had charged a round of holes with dynamite, had lit the fuses, and were in the act of retiring to the level below for safety. Bentley had not retreated more than ten feet when one of the charges exploded. Nicholls was six or eight feet further away down the “stope,” and, consequently, partially sheltered from the force of the explosion. All lights were put out by the explosion and the mine was in complete darkness. Nicholls called to ascertain if any one was hurt, and hearing the groans of his comrade Bentley, groped his way back to the top of the rill (which is the name of the pyramid forming the floor of the ” stope”), in this case about 40 feet high. On the top of the rill he found Bentley, on whose body a big stone was resting. He had to roll this stone away before he could move him, but he succeeded, at the peril of his own life, in getting his comrade down the rill. While they were at the foot of the rill the other holes exploded. Beutley subsequently died of the injuries he had sustained. When Nicholls returned to aid his comrade, the lighted fuses of four other charged holes were burning, and other explosions were momentarily to be expected. The fuses averaged 6 feet in length, and the rate of burning was about 90 seconds per yard, that is to say, the, explosions were timed to take place within 3 minutes of the lighting of the fuses.
BURIAL LOCATION: KARRAKATTA CEMETERY, PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
K-CO-EA-0248
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
Acknowledgement:
Allan Stanistreet – Image of Edward Nicholls AM.