b. 11/07/1846 Pentyrch, Glamorgan. d. 18/09/1928 Llwyncelyn, near Porth, South Wales.
DATE OF AM ACTION: 11/04/1877 Tynewydd Colliery, Porth, South Wales.
Charles Oatridge AM
Charles was the second of eleven children born to Edward and Ann Oatridge (nee Prichard). By the age of 15 he was working in the iron mines. In 1865, he married Sarah Griffiths, and they had four children – Charles, Sarah, Ellen and Eli. Shortly after the events at Tynewydd Colliery, his wife died and he supported his four children alone for four years. In 1881, he re-married to Rebecca Rees and they had four children of their own – Llewellyn, Ivor, Mary Ann and Idris. By 1901, he had been promoted to Colliery Under Manager. Tragically, his second wife died in 1910, just prior to him becoming Colliery Manager. He died on 18th September 1928, aged 82, at his home in Llwyncelyn, near Porth, South Wales.
AM CITATION:
On the llth of April the Tynewydd Colliery, situated near Porth, in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales, was inundated with water from the old workings of the adjoining Cymmer Colliery. At the time of the inundation there were fourteen men in the pit, of whom four were unfortunately drowned, and one killed by compressed air, leaving nine men imprisoned by the water ; of this number four were released after eighteen hours’ imprisonment, and five after nine days’ imprisonment. It was in effecting the release of these latter five that those distinguished services were rendered which the conferring of the ” Albert Medal of the Second Class ” is intended to recognize; During the five days from April the 16th to April the 20th the above named eleven men were at various times engaged in cutting through the barrier of coal separating them from the five imprisoned men, and while exposing their own lives to the great danger which would have resulted from an outburst of compressed air and water, and to the danger which actually existed from the presence of large quantities of inflammable gas, continued to perform their work until the five men were safely rescued.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
