New Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland, is probably most famous for the Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery mining disaster in 1950, which killed 13 men.
Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery Mining Disaster 1950
In September 1950, the pit workings at Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery were flooded by a glaciated lake filled with liquid peat and moss.
The rescue attempts took more than fifty hours.
116 men survived.
13 men died.
The newsreel commentary reminds the audience that miners do a dangerous job for the nation’s benefit.
Ayrshire mining disaster (1950) – British Pathé on YouTube
