Bowhill is one of the ABCD villages: Auchterderran, Bowhill, Cardenden and Dundonald. All were mining villages whose mines are no more. One local lad John Thomson, managed to make a name for himself as a goal keeper, eventually playing for Glasgow Celtic and for his country.
It was during a football match at Ibrox on 5th September 1931, between Glasgow Rangers, that when diving for the ball he has accidentally kicked in the head and subsequently died of his injuries, he was 22 years old. Eighty years on from that fateful day his grave is still kept and visited by Celtic fans and curious cyclists.
Another famous son is the novelist Ian Rankin, who was brought up in Cardenden.
John Thomson - memorial
The Bowhill pit
The colliery at Bowhill was demolished in the last 15 years and a monument has been erected to the men who worked and to the 300 or so men (one every three months for 70 years)who were killed wile working at the Lady Josephine Colliery between 1895 and 1965. The pit was named after Miss Josephine Haig, the daughter of the Chairman of the newly formed Bowhill Coal Company.
Amongst that number are 10 men that died in the pit disaster of 31 October, 1931. Nine of the men are buried side by side, the tenth man John Donaldson, was buried in Kingskettle Cemetery.
James Drummond Paterson, 19, Miner
James Smith, 35, Miner
Alexander Dempster, 51, Fireman
Charles Baxter Fernie, 19, Miner
William Ireland, 35, Overman
Thomas Smith, 33, Miner
James Martin Cairns alias James Anderson, 45, Fireman
William Bruce Dodds, 24, Electrician
Andrew Smith, 27, Miner
John Donaldson, 48, Overman
It is not know exactly what happened. The most likely cause it is thought to be firedamp or Methane gas, which possibly found a source of ignition in a miners lamp. A full description of the disaster and the subsequent inquiry can be found at the excellent Fife Mining Resource web site.
Bowhill hutch
Bowhill disaster memorial