Wrexham: Son of Gresford disaster victim shares memories

When Cyril Crump's father, William, went to work on September 21, 1934 it was just a normal day, then tragedy struck. 

In the early hours of Saturday, September 22, 1934, the tragedy took the lives of local men and boys and affected the whole of Wrexham with almost every village in the county borough losing someone.

At 2.08am, a violent explosion tore through the Dennis Section of the Gresford Colliery mine, leaving an underground fire.

Over 200 rescue workers were sent down to rescue the miners, with three also losing their lives. In total, just six men survived the disaster, and only 11 bodies were ever recovered.

One of those men was William Crump, father of then four-year-old Cyril. 

Cyril, now 94, was one of four children and lived in Bradley when the disaster occurred. His sister, Ruby McBurney campaigned to get the names of those that lost their lives marked on the stones at the memorial in Gresford. She also met the Prince of Wales earlier this year. 

The Prince of Wales with Cyril's sister Ruby McBurney. (Image: PA) Ahead of the 90th anniversary, he spoke to the Leader about his memories and experiences following the tragedy. 

He said: "All I can remember is my father putting his hand through my hair and telling me he'd see me when he got home, but he never came home.

"It all happened so quick and at the age of four you don't really know what had happened, it's only until later that you realise what had gone on. 

"Nobody would speak about it, people were in the dark about it until you got older and found out, but attitudes had changed because of the disaster. 

"We had no money from the fund, I can't remember getting anything. All my mother had was around £1.76 to provide for the four of us."

Seven years after the disaster, Cyril's mother passed away which led to him being taken in by his auntie and uncle.

Cyril Crump (second from the left) alongside his mother and siblings in a newspaper article following the disaster. (Inset - A picture of Cyril's father William). (Image: UGC) With a lack of income following his father's passing. Cyril began working at the age of five in a bid to earn some money. 

He added: "Our auntie and uncle ended up taking us in, they helped with evacuees too and there were four of us in a bed. 

"There was no money, if you wanted money you had to work so I started helping to deliver milk on a horse and cart through Bradley when I was about five or six. 

"I also delivered papers, but I couldn't keep the money, I had to hand over my packets to my auntie and uncle and waited for whatever they gave me."

As he grew up, Cyril undertook a stint in the forces, before returning to Wrexham and getting a job in a workshop at Llay Colliery. 

One day, following a breakdown at the Gresford Colliery, Cyril followed in the footsteps of his father and headed down the Dennis shaft to make repairs.

Cyril said: "I managed to get a job as a mechanic before I had two years of national service in the forces. I spent most of the time in Germany. 

"When I got back, I was due to return to my previous job, but things had changed so I got a job in the workshops at Llay Main Colliery. I never thought I'd have to go down the pit and I never wanted to either. 

"There ended up being a breakdown in the pit at Gresford which was about three miles long. I had to go down the Dennis shaft to fix it and we were down there a long time. 

"The further you went in, the smaller it got and you did wonder what you were getting yourself into, you were going into the dark. 

"Even though I wasn't a miner, I'd experienced what my dad had done. My brother Bill also worked down the pit."

The night of the Gresford disaster had been a busy shift as many miners were ‘doubling up’ so they could watch the Wrexham match on Saturday afternoon against Tranmere Rovers.

Cyril has been supporting Wrexham for almost 90 years and would regularly watch games in the Kop stand.

The Gresford Disaster and Wrexham AFC will forever be connected and Cyril has been a lifelong fan, attending games for almost 90 years.

In addition, he has completed a lot of volunteering for the club over the years and was recognised for his efforts with an award in 2007.

He added: "I've been supporting Wrexham for close to 87 years and have only stopped going to the games in the last two or three years. 

"I would go on my own but it's difficult when you're my age. When I was younger I'd always be in the Kop but recently I was in the Mold Road stand. 

"They're doing brilliantly at the minute, I still can't believe they are top of the league!"