Flames erupted from the pit shaft and lit up the sky after a huge explosion caused by a build-up of flammable ‘firedamp’ gas tore through the mine as men toiled at the coalface, according to eyewitness reports.
The terrifying blast echoed throughout the town and struck fear into the hearts of families whose loved ones were working in the dark, deep underground. Crowds desperate for news of husbands, sons and brothers rushed to the entrance of the Burns Pit in West Stanley.
The disaster, at 3.45pm, 116 years ago on Sunday, was one of the worst in the history of the Durham coalfield. It claimed the lives of 168 men and boys, some as young as 13, some as old as 66.
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
But miraculously, there were survivors, and one of the men who rescued them was Frank Keegan, a local mine inspector who made it out alive and bravely returned underground to save 26 lives. His grandson, Kevin, would be born over 40 years later and earn his own ‘hero’ status in the eyes of North-Easterners as the legendary Newcastle and England footballer and manager.
But had fate dealt his grandfather a different hand, King Kev would never have been born and the course of history would be different. Frank Keegan, whose family had moved to the region from Ireland, risked his own life to re-enter the colliery to recover bodies and look for survivors.
(Image: Wilson of Stanley)
Twenty-six men trapped in pocket of clean air in the Tilley seam for 14 hours were guided to safety along with four men from the Townley seam, although one died days later from the effects of afterdamp, and another from the Busty seam.
Durham Mining Disasters, by Maureen Anderson, published in 2008, includes a foreword from Magpies legend Kevin Keegan. He said: “I was brought up with the story of my grandfather having been a hero.
“My father told me that his father had been rescued after a major colliery disaster and then gone back down the pit with one of the search parties.
“They managed to get other survivors and some pit ponies to safety. At the time I thought it was just a story with no truth in it. When I was in Newcastle in the early 1980s I was shown a photo of the survivors of the disaster that took place in the Burns Pit at West Stanley in 1909.
“Looking back at me from the image was my grandfather, Frank Keegan. There was no mistaking the strong resemblance between us except that he wore a moustache.”
(Image: Reach)
In 1993, when funds were being raised for the memorial colliery wheel on Chester Road in Stanley, Kevin Keegan brought the Newcastle United first team to Annfield Plain Football Club for a friendly match between the two sides.
It was was unveiled two years later by the football manager.
Writing in the book Keegan continued: “In February 1995 I had the honour of unveiling plaque to commemorate those who lost their lives on that terrible day. Memorials such as this ensure that both the victims and the heroes of this and other similar tragedies will never be forgotten.
“It is hard to believe that there are no pits left and in many ways very sad but at least people no longer have to work in those kinds of conditions.”
A commemorative service will be held in the chapel at Beamish Museum on Saturday at 2pm. Beamish Choir will sing Lead Kindly Light, the hymn sung by the survivors of the disaster as they waited for rescuers to reach them, and Beamish Youth Club will read out the names of the 168 men and boys who were killed.
(Image: Edwardian Mining in Old Postcards’ by John Hannavay)
On Sunday from 3.30pm, a service will be held at the West Stanley Colliery Disaster Memorial, near North Durham Academy, with a minute’s silence at 3.45pm, the exact time the disaster happened.
The bells at St Andrew’s Church will toll solemnly 168 times and the service will be attended by dignitaries and people from the town to honour the dead and to recognise the devastating impact it had on the close-knit community. Craghead Colliery band will play hymns during the service ahead of wreath-laying.
Councillor Carole Hampson, Mayor of Stanley Town Council, said: “With us being such a strong mining community in the past it is really important people know about this and what happened. It is about showing our respect and gratitude to people for what they did.
“What happened was heart-wrenching but so many people came to Stanley to help it was gridlocked. I don’t know how they did it but the survivors went back down to look for people to rescue.
“It is important people remember what this community is about and the service is about trying to bring people together.”
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/kevin-keegan-grandad-pit-disaster-30980315
