MINING is still a dangerous job today — the recent disaster in a New Zealand coal mine and the miraculous rescue from the gold and copper mine in Chile are proof of that.

But in the UK, mining became a much safer occupation for its workers as a direct result of the Pretoria disaster.

The most fitting legacy of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 344 men and boys, would be the tightening of safety regulations that would help to save future generations of miners, said one industry expert.

David Owen, from Westhoughton was a safety engineer at Bold Colliery in St Helens and worked in the industry for 37 years, starting his career as a miner at the age of 19.

He said: “Shafts were being built a lot deeper — machinery and electricity were being introduced, bringing with them their own hazards, so safety had to be looked at.

“After the disaster new legislation was introduced to improve ventilation and supports of the mine were increased.

“More inspectors were brought into the industry.

“In my day inspectors would be there every week but at the time of the disaster they were few and far between.

“How reports were compiled, including reports of gas, were improved and workers would travel to other areas to inspect mines and report back to their unions.

“The biggest legacy of Pretoria would be that people would be safer.”

But for the families, the improved safety — unless they still had relatives working in the mine — would be of little comfort.

It would be the emotional and financial strain on families that hit home immediately. Many families were robbed of more than one of their loved ones, as often fathers, sons and brothers worked alongside each other in the mine.

In 1910, Westhoughton was a thriving mining town.

Many of the miners’ families lived close to the pit face and the relatively new mine was attractive to young, enthusiastic workers.

Many of the men who died were young and single — in fact 217 of the men who lost their lives were under the age of 30 and many were in their early 20s.

A lot of youngsters lost their lives — 78 were under the age of 20.

Ken Beevers, from Deane, is a member of Westhoughton Local History Group and has a keen interest in Westhoughton and the disaster.

The former librarian said: “I am not sure how affected the number of men who went to fight in the First World War from Westhoughton would be, as miners didn’t have to go, although could do if they wanted to.

“After the disaster people talked about the date in relation to Pretoria. They would calculate from that date and say things such as ‘it was five years after Pretoria’. It was uppermost in people’s minds for a long time.

Clubs and societies would be bereft of members.

Wingates Band lost musicians, football clubs lost players, as did cricket clubs.

These were ordinary men who had lives outside of the pit and their tragic loss would affect so many people.

Many of the men and boys went to night school.

Mr Beevers said: “I found the minutes of the education committee in which they talk about a fall in attendances in night school. The men attended different classes, throughout Westhoughton, and they were usually held in schools.

“But it wasn’t just the men who could no longer attend — many who had lost loved ones didn’t go back to night school either.”

There were other tragedies, not directly as a result of the blast, that led to untimely deaths.

Philip Westhead, chairman of Westhoughton Urban District Council, took it upon himself to become actively involved in helping the families left behind.

He was on the inquest jury and tried to attend as many funerals as was possible, Mr Beevers said.

“There were more than 100 funerals between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, so it was a huge task.

He was involved in the Mayor of Bolton’s appeal fund.

“Sadly he died at the end of January, 39 days after the disaster. He died of a heart attack and it was said the strain and stress had brought it on.”

The people of Westhoughton had suffered such a lot in the 1850s when there was a lack of work and many families were dealing with extreme poverty.

Things improved with the opening of the mine, but by the 1930s pits, including Pretoria, would close and the hardship was to return.

Mr Beevers said: “This was a mining community which had been hardened to hardship and there could be nothing more dreadful for them to deal with than the death of so many of their men and boys. They were used to a hard life.”

Many of the women who were widowed following the disaster never remarried. It is known that by 1923 only 48 had remarried.

In 1960, the pain and anguish suffered by the miners’ widows was still apparent. At a memorial service in the church yard at St Bartholomew’s — where the disaster memorial stands — relatives talked of the poverty they suffered despite handouts from the fund.

Mr Beevers said: “For some they had just enough to get by.”

But it was the cost to their emotional health that was most striking.

He added: “One lady had a nervous breakdown straight afterwards and couldn’t go out for years.

“You just can’t imagine what suffering happened to these people and they would never forget it.”

Miners all over the world are facing danger on a daily basis.

The incredible story of the rescued 33 Chilean miners will be etched on the memories of their families for many years, but what of the 29 miners who recently lost their lives in New Zealand?

Mr Beevers said: “For their families it is as tragic today as it was for the Westhoughton families 100 years ago.”