Five: Captain B. F. Glaysher, Royal Artillery, Allied Control Commission, killed in an explosion whilst inspecting the Monopol-Grimberg coal mine in Unna, Germany, 20 February 1946, which cost the lives of 410 miners

1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Territorial (Lt. B. F. Glaysher. R.A.) nearly extremely fine (5) £140-180

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Second World War Casualties.

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Basil Francis Glaysher was born in Kent, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 16 January 1942. He served during the Second World War, and was advanced War Substantive Lieutenant and Temporary Captain. On 20 February 1946 he was one of a party of three British officials from the Allied Control Commission who were inspecting the Monopol-Grimberg coal mine. Captain Glaysher was the Supplies Officer for that section of the Rhur, and his duties were to ensure that adequate supplies were received to maintain coal output. An important part of his duties was to carry out underground examinations of the mine to see how the supplies were being used. On the day in question he was going to examine the specialist coal cutting equipment that was in use in the mine. Shortly after midday a large explosion occurred which looked like ‘a violent flash of light in the midst of a cloud’. By the following day some miners had been saved but 425 men including the three British officials were still trapped. The mine was sealed the following day and although a few escaped and survived the total casualties were finally recorded as 410 men killed.

Captain Glaysher was 25 years old at the time of his death; his body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial. He was posthumously awarded the Efficiency Medal on 21 January 1949.

Sold together with various copied research, including copy extracts from The Times reporting the disaster.