A Westhoughton man has made a timely plea for help in tracing a precious heirloom from his heroic grandfather's past.

Retired transport worker John Rutter, 64, is asking for information about a missing medallion awarded to his late grandfather Enos Rutter for his bravery as a mine rescue worker in the infamous Pretoria Pit disaster of 1910.

Wigan Road resident Mr Rutter's plea comes just weeks before the 90th anniversary of the tragedy which claimed the lives of 344 men.

Disaster struck at 7.50 am on December 21, 1910, when an explosion rocked the Pretoria Pit at Hulton Colliery.

Just four workers were brought out alive from the coalface disaster, one of whom died later, which affected virtually every household in Westhoughton.

Among the gallant men who braved the dark and dangerous conditions to bring the stricken men up was Enos Rutter.

The Blackrod man worked as a miner all his life and was a fully qualified member of the Mines Rescue Team.

Mr Rutter said: "He was one of the men who were sent down to rescue the men but because of the extent of the tragedy sadly his main role was pulling bodies out of the pit."

For his bravery Enos was awarded a bronze Mines Rescue medallion which was passed onto Mr Rutter's father, also called John and a miner, after Enos' untimely death at the age of 40.

For decades the medallion was never out of Mr Rutter snr's possession.

"He would carry it with him everywhere in a purse compartment," said Mr Rutter. "He was fiercely proud of the role his father had played and while he would get the medal out to show us he would never let us handle it.

"He knew the value of the sacrifice which Enos had given for his fellow workers."

Mr Rutter's father died, aged 90, last year but a few years before this he mislaid the purse containing the medal in Bolton town centre.

"He was in his 80s and old age had taken its effect," said Mr Rutter. "He took to wandering a lot and must have lost his purse, containing the vital medallion, in the Bolton area."

He added: "I have searched through dad's "treasure boxes" in vain. If it was found then it is probably gathering dust in a drawer somewhere.

"It has no value other than to us and it was passed down to father to son. It is a long-shot but if anyone knows about it or where it is I would be very grateful.

"It was in the family for a long time and one day I hoped to pass it on to my children."

The medallion is round, made from bronze and slightly larger than an old penny. It would have had Mines Rescue and Enos Rutter's name inscribed on it.

Anyone who knows about the medal can e-mail Mr Rutter at johnrutter@cwctv.net or call reporter Phil Green at the BEN on 01204 361273. Disaster hero: Enos Rutter A group of workers at the Pretoria Pit and, inset, how the Pretoria Pit looked in its heyday The memorial to the three Pretoria Pit Disaster survivors