ATHERTON Parish Church is holding a special service along with the annual memorial service in Westhoughton on Thursday in memory of hundreds of men who died in the Pretoria pit explosion 90 years ago to the day.

A total of 344 miners were killed in a blast in the Pretoria Mine, between Atherton and Westhoughton, on December 21, 1910.

The two services of remembrance mark the coming together of two communities who were decimated by the pit blast - the third worst mining disaster in this country.

The services, one held in Atherton Parish Church and the other at the Pretoria Pit memorial in the cemetery of Westhoughton Parish Church, are both to be held at 10am on Thursday.

Hymns, prayers and readings will take place to remember the men and boys who lost their lives in the tragedy.

The full-day shift had just started when at 7.50am on that fateful day miners working on three separate seams in the Yard pit were killed instantly by a blast so forceful it could be felt two miles away.

Nobody could get into the pit for hours because the cage that transported men down the shaft was jammed by the explosion.

It had gone dark by the time the lift was repaired at 9 pm.

A later inquiry found an ignition of gas and coal dust, probably by a defective or overheated safety lamp, occurred when a roof collapsed in the North Plodder seam.

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the disaster, Westhoughton Library on Market Street, is showing a display of artefacts, photographs and documents until the end of January. A poignant item on display is a watch recovered from the mine, stopped at 7.50 am.

A guided walk to the area of the pit and other places associated with the disaster is being organised for spring next year.