CHRISTMAS festivities in Westhoughton blend into the background on Monday, when the town remembers the victims of its worst single disaster.

The Hulton Colliery, commonly known as the Pretoria Pit, was situated on the border of Atherton and Westhoughton, and on December 21, 1910, an explosion killed 344 members of the workforce.

The tragic blast rocked the town, not only causing an earth tremor which could be felt for miles around, but spreading grief to hundreds of households.

Men and boys were killed instantly - the first body recovered was that of a youth aged just 15.

Although the first bodies recovered were horribly burned, the majority of victims showed no visible signs of injury as they had all been overcome by deadly carbon monoxide.

One woman lost her husband and four sons. A retired collier lost five sons, a brother and a nephew.

Christmas Day, 1910, was spent burying many of the dead. Undertakers in Bolton, Wigan and Westhoughton were stretched to the limit and in some cases the dead were buried in coffins which had not been varnished because there was not the time.

An inquiry into the cause of the blast started on February 20 and revealed that a roof collapse on the North Plodder Seam caused gas to build up and that was ignited by a faulty lamp.

Sadness

The terrible sadness of Christmas, 1910, is not forgotten by the people of Westhoughton, and on Monday, 88 years to the day, a memorial service is due to take place.

The service is at St Bartholomew's Parish Church, from 10am. Afterwards a wreath will be laid in the churchyard in memory of those who lost their lives and where many of the victims were buried.

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