ALMOST 900 men and boys went to work at the Pretoria Pit on December 21,1910 - 344 never returned home.
In an instant, 344 men and boys (the youngest just 13) lost their lives as a result of an underground explosion at Hulton Colliery on the Atherton/Bolton boundary making it the third worst disaster in British coal-mining history.
The magnitude of the Pretoria disaster was such that its impact and aftermath will never be forgotten.
This weekend a special Pretoria lecture tour will take place.
The Over Hulton Community Group in conjunction with mining historian Alan Davies run a regular event providing a detailed insight into the tragedy.
On the Pretoria Ruins Lecture Tour Mr Davies gives a full and detailed account from cause to event to aftermath.
The assembly point is the Pretoria Memorial on Broadway off Newbrook Road, M46 9HW.
From there people take part in short walk to the site where it actually happened with the ruins still clearly visible.
The tour will take place on Saturday 8th October at 10am.
The distance is less than a mile and the duration is two hours. Attendance is £4 for adults, under-14s £3. Places must be booked by rining 01942 874719 or emailing
j.bullen1@ntlworld.com.
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