b. 13/12/1866 Whitehaven, Cumberland. d. 03/02/1944 Whitehaven, Cumberland.
DATE OF EM ACTION: 11/05/1910 Wellington Colliery, Whitehaven, Cumberland.
John was born on 13th December 1866 in Whitehaven, Cumberland. Little is known about his early life, but he did become a career miner. He married Agnes Beck and by the time of the incident at Wellington Colliery in May 1910, they had four children. John continued to work as a shiftman below ground until his 70s. He died aged 77 in 1944 and was buried in Whitehaven Cemetery.
EM CITATION:
On the 11th May, 1910, a terrible fire occurred in the Wellington Pit, Whitehaven, at a point about 4,500 yards from the shafts. Various rescue parties, with great courage and self-devotion and at considerable risk, descended the mine and endeavoured to extinguish the fire and penetrate to the persons in the workings beyond the same. Thorne and Littlewood, fitted with breathing apparatus, reached within a distance of 150 yards of the fire, but were driven back by the great heat and effusion of gases. The others got to within about 300 yards of the fire, working in the smoke backing from the fire. It was found impossible to penetrate to the scene of the fire or to rescue any of the entombed miners. Had an explosion occurred a by no means unlikely eventuality, seeing that the mine is a very gassy one — they would undoubtedly all have been killed. Special gallantry was shown by John Henry Thorne, to whom the Edward Medal of the First Class has already been awarded, and by James Littlewood.
BURIAL LOCATION: WHITEHAVEN CEMETERY, WHITEHAVEN, CUMBERLAND.
WARD 6, SECTION E, GRAVE 367.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: PRIVATELY HELD. SOLD AT DNW IN 2015.
Acknowledgement:
Dix Noonan Webb – Image of the Pearson Edward Medal.