Restoration of Pretoria Pit memorial names approved by councillors

Town councillor Ollie Younge has taken up calls for the names on the Pretoria Pit Memorial in Westhoughton to be restored.

A restoration was approved by town councillors at Westhoughton Town Council on Monday this week.

The 12-year-old memorial, situated in Ditchfield Gardens, lists the names of people who perished in the mining accident on 21 December 1910, when an underground explosion occurred at the Hulton Colliery Bank Pit No. 3.

Councillor Younge, who is Westhoughton’s deputy town mayor, said: “This monument has stood here for over 12 years showing the names of miners who perished during the Pretoria Pit disaster. However, the names have faded and we will do our best to make sure the names are reprinted so that everyone can see who perished during that disaster.”

What happened at the Pretoria Pit disaster?

At 7:50am, on 21 December 1910, there was an explosion in the Plodder Mine, which was thought to have been caused by an accumulation of gas from a roof collapse the previous day.[1]

That day 349 workers descended the No 3 bank pit shaft to work in the Plodder, Yard and Three Quarters mines. Of those, only four survived to be brought to the surface. One died immediately and one the next day. The two survivors were Joseph Staveley and William Davenport. In addition one man died in the Arley Mine of No. 4 Pit, bringing the total to 344. There was a final fatality that day, William Turton, who died while fighting a fire in No. 3 pit. The men who were working the other mines in the pit worked from No.4 shaft were unharmed.