Mine disaster memorial restored 100 years on from the tragedy
Last updated 13:22, Saturday, 22 November 2008
VILLAGERS have finally unveiled a memorial recognising the courage of those who perished in the Roachburn Mine disaster 100 years ago.
A local team has been planning the restoration of the stone monument since January, led by Farlam parish council vice-chair Alan Shaw.
The memorial records the names of three men who died following an horrific roof collapse at the Roachburn Colliery, which lies between Hallbankgate and Tindale Fell, near Brampton.
On the morning of January 28, 1908, a small tarn which was made up of clay, slit and water, broke into the shaft and submerged the mine.
All the miners, with the exception of William Wharton who was said to have a lame knee, managed to escape.
But when a roll call confirmed Mr Wharton was still inside the mine, two men, Robert Pattinson and Matthew Hillard, bravely returned to the pit to rescue the trapped miner.
Tragically, none of them was to return and the mine was later closed.
The decision to restore the monument, which was damaged when a lorry crashed into it some years ago, was taken during the 100th anniversary service this year.
The work, which cost £2,000, was paid for by North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the stone sourced locally and work carried out by local men.
Natural Stone Direct of Lanercost, with help from stonemason Hilton Watson of Midgeholme, cut the stone and carried out repairs.
The copper plaques describing the event were cleaned and treated and the remaining old stone washed and cleaned by Mr Shaw.
David Slee, who lives beside the memorial, keeps the area around it tidy and cuts the grass.
Mr Shaw said: “We now have a memorial which is in good condition and worthy of the men who lost their lives in the disaster, hopefully and with luck it will last for the next hundred years.”
He added: “When we had the service in the town to mark the anniversary, people came from far and wide.
“It is a very important part of local history and the local community so I felt it only right we try and restore it.
“It was a real local effort and we have had a lot of support.”
To mark the anniversary, a picture of the fallen miners was also re-framed and re-hung in the village hall detailing what happened on that fateful day in 1908.
