at the time of the explosion, they had been cabled earlier that morning and informed by about 4:30 pm that afternoon. Inquiry The inquest was opened on 30 of the victims in the West Riding Police Court at Barnsley. Mr C.J Haworth, the Barnsley District Coroner, opened the inquest. There were present Mr. L. Wagstaffe, solicitor representing the colliery company and officials representing the Yorkshire Miners Association and the Yorkshire Deputies Association. The inquiry adjourned and resumed on Monday morning, by then all the bodies had been identified. Dr. Sydney Fisher, Medical Inspector of Mines had now joined the proceedings. Mr. Herbert Smith called for a full, government inquiry. The subsequent inquiry took place in the Town Hall, Barnsley and took six days. Sir Henry Walker, the Chief Inspector of Mines chaired the inquiry and presented the report to Captain Harry Crookshank (Henry Frederick Comfort Crookshank. 1st Viscount Crookshank) who was the Parliamentary Secretary, Mines, 1935–39. At the inquiry, evidence was then taken concerning the loader motor. The electrician had been instructed to make a general overhaul of the electrical apparatus in 1’s district which meant that he would remove the covers and examine the commutator and the starter of each unit. His instructions were that before he removed the covers at the loader motor he would see that the gate end switch was out and the cable between it and the starting switch was disconnected and that he would not run the motors with these covers off. After the explosion the starter switch was found in the off position and the gate end switch had been cut off at the surface. Mr. Thomas Storrs, the chief electrician said he had been present on many occasions when the motors had been opened up and this was the first instance in which he had found a cover off a motor when the cable was connected. Mr. G. Cook, Senior Inspector, was present when the body of the loader was found between the loader and the left side of the gate pack, close to the commutator. This was on the other side from the switch but it was possible for him to reach the switch. The evidence seemed to point to the explosion being caused by a spark from the switch or the commutator of the loader motor but there was no absolute proof. Original memorial In 1979 a memorial was dedicated