A FORMER mining community has come together to commemorate a pit disaster which claimed the lives of 95 men and boys.

Children as young as ten died following an explosion at Haswell Colliery, in the heart of the east Durham coalfield, on September 28, 1844.

On Saturday, villagers came together to mark the 175th anniversary with a moving and poignant service.

Phillip Blakey, secretary of the banner group at Durham Miners’ Association, said the tragedy unfolded as miners were removing a support pillar of coal.

It led to a roof fall and the release of gas, which was ignited by one of the lights.

He said 15 men died from burns as a result of the initial explosion, while the rest perished due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mr Blakey said: “They had just come out of a strike so there was a lot of deprivation in the village at the time.

“There were 99 men underground and four survived.

“It important to note that 27 of those people who died would have still been at school today. They were boys aged ten to 16. There were other teenagers as well, but these boys would still be in education today.

“These villages were only in existence because of the collieries and almost every house in the village was affected by it.

“It would be wrong to forget the sacrifice that these people made just to earn a basic living.

“The impact of something like this on a small community has to be remembered.”

The anniversary was marked with a memorial service and banner march through the village.

The parade set off from St Paul’s Church, Haswell, at 2pm, moving through the village to the engine house at Haswell Plough, all that remains of the colliery, for a short service and the playing of Gresford.

Reverend Muriel Peters, who led the service, said: “This is a mining community and people have not lost the significance of remembering those who were killed at that time.

“It is such a close knit community and the heritage is passed down from one generation to another.

“It is still very emotional for people and we are well supported by people from the mining communities in the area.”