Service to remember lives lost in Unity Colliery disaster
Kearsley residents and councillors gathered at Unity Brook memorial to remember those who lost their lives in the Unity Brook Colliery Disaster.
The disaster took place on March 12 1878, when a pit explosion claimed the lives of 43 men and boys.
The service was well-attended, with residents, councillors, and local schoolchildren coming out to honour those who lost their lives.
Full view of the memorial with children from Spindle's Point and St Stephen's school reading out the names of the dead (Image: Stacey Wilkinson)
Kearsley Councillor Tracey Wilkinson said: "This is one of the most poignant events in Kearsley’s calendar.
"Each year, hearing the children from Spindle Point and St Stephen’s read the names of the 43 men and boys who lost their lives reminds us that this was not just a tragedy of the past, but a loss felt by family generations and by our whole community.
"It is a real honour to attend and to ensure that their memory is never forgotten."
The Unity Brook memorial now stands on the spot where the colliery once stood on Manchester Road, Kearsley.
The disaster took place 148 years ago, caused by an explosion at the colliery.
It occurred in one of the lower 'cannel' mines.
Replica minecart with coal at the memorial (Image: Stacey Wilkinson)
Cannel is a type of dark coal used in the 19th Century for gas lamps and fireplaces.
Everyone in the Unity Brook Colliery cannel mine that day died.
According to the Northern Mine Research Society, the explosion may have been caused when the tunnel filled with gas from a hole in ceiling.
This gas could then have been ignited by the naked flames of miners' lamps and candles.
The explosion took place at 1:07pm - the same time at which the memorial service includes a minute's silence.
Hearing a noise, workers from nearby mines flocked to Unity Brook Colliery to help survivors.
Residents came to pay their respects (Image: Stacey Wilkinson)
In one of the most striking scenes of the disaster, a nearby pub was used as a makeshift chapel of rest as bodies were pulled out of the rubble.
The memorial itself was constructed in 2018, on the 140th anniversary of the tragedy.
An annual memorial service has been held since then on March 12.
