b. 1873 North Wittington, Derbyshire. d. ?
DATE OF EM ACTION: 07/05/1910 Water Haigh Colliery, Oulton, near Leeds, Yorkshire.
DATE OF EM BAR ACTION: 19/11/1910 Water Haigh Colliery, Oulton, near Leeds, Yorkshire.
George Handley was the third eldest of at least six children of Joseph and Emma Silkstone (nee Parker), and was born in 1873 in North Whittington, Derbyshire. His father was a colliery enginewright who came from Derbyshire, whilst his mother came from Leicestershire. George followed in his father’s footsteps and also became a colliery enginewright. On 11th August 1896 in Ripley, Derbyshire, he married Mary Wright. By the time of the 1901 Census, he and Mary had moved to Yorkshire and were living in Whitwood. They had two daughters by this time, Constance and Mary. Soon after this, the family moved as George became employed at the Water Haigh Mine near Oulton, Leeds. George then became one of only two recipients of the Edward Medal to be awarded a Bar to the EM. The 1911 Census showed George and Mary living in Oulton and their family had grown to four children with the addition of a son and a daughter. Following the awards of his EM and Bar, little is known about his later life.
EM CITATION:
A serious shaft accident occurred on the 7th May last, at the Water Haigh Mine, by which six men lost their lives. The mine, which ia situated at Oulton, about five miles east of Leeds, consists of four pits in course of sinking to develop a new mining area. Shaft No. 1 where the accident happened had been, sunk to a depth of 109 yards, and the work of lining it with brickwork was being proceeded with. Skeleton iron rings are used to support the shaft during the process and it is necessary to remove these as the work of the bricking progresses.
At about 8 A.M. on the day mentionsd, seven workmen, including a charge man, were standing on a heavy scaffold, secured by bolts into the side of the shaft, engaged in the work of removing one of the iron rings. The chargeman, evidently having noticed some indication of danger, sent one of the men to the surface to call the master sinker, and, shortly after he had left, the scaffold gave way. Five of the men were hurled to the bottom of the shaft, and killed on the spot; but one of them, Patrick McCarthy, met with a less merciful death, being trapped by the legs between the heavy scaffold and the side of the shaft and partly buried by shale falling from the side, where he lingered in agony for over seven hours. Persistent efforts were made to rescue McCarthy from his perilous position.
Silkstone, Moore, Hosey and Jones were among the first to descend the pit when it was known that an accident had happened. In response to McCarthy’s cries for help, they tried to release him in spite of imminent danger from falling stones and bricks, but they were obliged to return to the surface for tools. Mr. Hodges, who had by this time reached the mine, immediately went down the pit and decided to build a temporary scaffold. Moore was given charge of this work and carried it out with admirable coolness and resource.
Mr. Pickering, His Majesty’s Inspector of Mines, arrived on the scene just when this was completed, and accompanied by Mr. Hodges and Silkstone, Moore and Hosey, he entered the pit and reached the place where poor McCarthy was held a prisoner. In this descent Silkstone’s head was severely injured by a falling stone, and Mr. Hodges and Hosey were also slightly injured. They found McCarthy still alive but the water was rising fast in the shaft and had reached his shoulders. It was evident that he would soon be drowned and that nothing could be done further to rescue him unless the water were lowered. Mr. Pickering at once sent all his fellow rescuers to the surface to enable a larger “bowk” to be put on and more men to be sent down to bale the water. In the meantime Mr. Pickering resolutely stayed by McCarthy — now almost delirious with his sufferings — and supporting his head on his arms and breast, he administered such comfort as he could to the dying man. Realising that McCarthy could not live until the water was baled out. Mr. Pickering decided that the only hope was immediate amputation of the legs, and at his request Mr. Hodges brought down two doctors and a Roman Catholic Priest, but McCarthy’s terrible sufferings came to an end just as they reached him.
Mr. Pickering ran imminent risk of losing his life during the time that he stayed with McCarthy. Silkstone descended the pit no less than four times and did not desist until he had been severely injured. Mr. Hodges went down with three separate parties and displayed great bravery and skill in directing the work of the attempted rescue. Moore and Hosey also made three descents and showed great courage and presence of mind in face of danger, while Jones who organized the first rescue party was only prevented from continuing his brave endeavours by being injured so seriously that he could not return to work for six weeks.
BAR TO EM CITATION:
On the 19th November, 1910, a shaft was being sunk at the Water Haigh Colliery at Oulton, near Leeds. A depth of 255 yards had been reached and the shaft had been lined to a depth of 240 yards with brickwork, the end of which rested on a stout oak crib. Below this and suspended from the crib were iron rings securing the unbricked sides of the shaft. On the day of the accident ten men were at work on or about a scaffold near the bottom of the shaft, when a mass of shale fell out of the seam, the timbering collapsed, and the rings broke away. The chargeman, James Cannon, noticed shale falling, and with great presence of mind and promptitude shouted to all to make for the centre; he also signalled for means of ascent to be lowered. He and five others jumped into the centre and escaped the other four were caught, either by earth or by rings of timber, one being killed on the spot, two trapped and seriously injured, and the fourth seriously injured but not trapped. Cannon went to the surface with the uninjured men and at once came back with Artis and others, to take up the work of rescue. The rescue operations were protracted, the woodwork of the stout oak crib having to be sawn through before the men who were trapped could be liberated, and, as shale and other material kept falling down the shaft, the lives of all the rescuers were in danger. The further task of extricating the dead man had to be abandoned until the pit had been made more safe. Cannon was engaged in the work of rescue for six hours and Silkstone for about half an hour. Artis, after assisting for two hours, was struck by a piece of shale and had to return to the surface. Asquith and Pickersgill were also in the pit for a long time and risked their lives, the former being hurt by debris.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
