Gas explosion on Effingham Rd in October 1973.

in the early 70s i was at woodbourn rdjunior school and remember an almighty bang and the floor shuddered we went outside at break as normal and i remember seeing helicopters overhead and thought nothing ofit when i got home it was all over the news that one of those massive gas tanks on effigham rd had exploded killing quite a few people apparently one man had been blown over half a mile away does anyone have an idea what year this was

I remember the event, it was pre-1974, definitely, I can date it to no later than that, as my cousin was not yet one yr old, and my aunt, (his mother) was still living in her flat on hyde park, which overlooked the "gasometers".

I don't think it was "quite" as dramatic as the tale you heard:- it's a bit "UL"-ish (the geezer being found a long way from the site). I don't remember more than one person being killed.

I have just asked Mr PT, to see what he remembers, but although he remembers the incident happening, he doesn't remember specifics, either.

PT

Is this the incident where a gasholder/gasometer was being scrapped and tho all the gas had been removed the tank had not been purged and gas from the watertank in the base of the holder was still present in the water (Like fizzy pop)..anyway a man or two men where on the top of the tank with metal burning gear and when they cut through the top of the Holder the gas ignited and the rest is history...I believe one man was blown quite some distance onto a nearby roof. Thats how I heard the story.

Hi Timbuck

It was 1971/2 when that blew up and my best mates father was killed there, a Mr Lomas.

His son was in my class both at Pyebank and Hinde House and i remember him being called away from school when the incident happened to give him the bad news.

I worked down Effingham street when it went up it was like the end of the world coming,dont be kidded by folks who tell you it wasn't bad, it was and it was as close to being a trouser changing moment as you will ever get. One bloke who worked with us had just cut his forehead inside work .....nothing serious but he was walking over to the first aid room when an ambulance man and bobby stopped him and put him in the back of an ambulance and whipped him off to casualty. owdlad.

i am guessing summer 72. i was asleep after doing nights

and the noise woke me at andover st pitsmoor.

probably around lunchtime.

i have just read the post about the gas explosion ,and there is a book available called Sheffield in the seventies and it says that the explosion was in 1979. There are a couple of pictures in there of the explosion and one in particular where there is a just a big hole with cars in it caused by the expolosion.

The book is still in print and is on sale at Waterstones and WHSmiths.

the book has to have it's facts wrong.

(either that or it was another explosion that happened, a few years later, on pye bank road pitsmoor, around that date)

the effingham road one was pre 74, as my aunt still lived on hyde park when that incident happened

the pye bank road one sounds as if it is the more likely explosion referred to in the book. that one was a maisonette/ house that went up, not the big gas tanks.

PT

I stand to be corrected, but the book also has a newspaper cutting which is taken from the front of the star reporting the blast and the date is 1979.

It has been roughly 4 weeks since i looked at the book, and once again apologies if i am wrong. I will check this tommorrow and give the date from the star.

its deffo pre 1974 cause i was at woodbourn rd junior school the day it happend