On 27th August 1915, at Waleswood Colliery, a descending cage containing 10 men collided with an empty ascending cage. The impact was extremely violent, severely injuring all the men and breaking the winding ropes. The cages were, however, wedged together in the shaft so that neither of them fell to the bottom, though there was serious danger that they might do so at any moment. A hoppit manned by Havercroft, Albert Tomlinson and John Walker was at once sent down to effect the rescue of the trapped men. All the men were carried from the damaged cage along a girder to the hoppit, which made five descents altogether, the rescue taking two hours. During the whole of this time Havercroft, Tomlinson and Walker were exposed to great danger, either from the hoppit being upset by the winding ropes swinging in the shaft, or from the damaged cage breaking loose and falling down the shaft. Meanwhile, Edward Wingfield, one of the occupants of the descending cage, who had both legs fractured and had received a severe wound to his thigh and a wound to the head, seized hold of another man who had fallen half way through the bottom of the cage, and held on to him until he was rescued. During the whole time he displayed the greatest coolness and bravery, despite his own severe injuries.
The Edward Medal was awarded initially. In 1971 as a result of a change in the Royal Warrant Percy had the medal replaced with a George Cross.
A full restoration from base to raising the headstone and gilding it.
