'I'll never forget the day 80 men died in the mine'

Dennis Smedley was working at the pit when the disaster struck 75 years ago

A former joiner who was working at a colliery during Derbyshire's deadliest mining disaster has said he has never forgotten the tragedy.

Dennis Smedley, 101, is thought to be the last surviving employee who worked at Creswell Colliery when 80 men died during an underground fire at the pit's main trunk conveyor transfer point on 26 September 1950.

Many of the miners were rescued or escaped the fire but a decision was made to seal off the mine to stop the flames spreading while other workers were trapped inside.

Mr Smedley said: "I knew a lot of the men... it was such a sad time."

Workers worked tirelessly to try and contain the fire by filling up sand bags

The underground fire was discovered in the early hours of 26 September, 1950.

It spread quickly, releasing toxic fumes into an area where 133 men were working to mine four panels of coal, three miles from the pit bottom.

Mining historian David Amos said rescue teams, from Chesterfield and later from Mansfield and Ilkeston, were called to the scene and three bodies were initially brought out.

The colliery's management, trade union representatives and mining inspectors then held a conference and realised any further rescue attempts would inevitably lead to a greater loss of life.

A decision was then made to seal off the affected area of the mine with sand bags in an effort to snuff out the fire by starving it of oxygen.

Families rushed to the colliery to await news of their loved ones after news of the fire broke

Dozens of other miners and volunteers then helped fill sand bags on the surface which were sent underground to block the mineshaft.

In total, 80 miners were killed through the effects of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Records show 47 bodies were recovered later that day, a further 27 bodies were recovered six months later in March 1951 after the sandbag barrier, also known as 'stoppings', were breached.

The final six bodies were recovered almost eleven months after the disaster.

The Creswell mining disaster resulted in 80 men losing their lives whilst working underground

Mr Smedley worked in the joiner's shop and said some of the men he knew who died were close neighbours.

"I remember that day vividly, you don't forget things like that," he said.

"There were gangs of men filling sand bags and sending them down the pit. I had to go in a lorry to Whitwell to [get supplies] - it was a very busy day.

"I knew a lot of the men [who lost their lives] - half a dozen lived 50 to 100 yards of me. It was such a sad time.

"I don't think [the disaster] is talked about a lot, I think it's because there's lots of people who live in Creswell now weren't there when it happened.

"It shouldn't be forgotten, people gave their lives."

Former miner turned historian David Amos said the disaster had a profound effect on the village

An investigation into the disaster conducted by the Ministry of Fuel and Power found there had been a failure of firefighting apparatus as well as a delay in warning the men of imminent danger.

Mr Amos, who worked as a miner for 24 years before becoming a historian, recently helped organise a community event for people to learn about and remember the disaster.

He said the 1950 tragedy had a "massive impact" on the village and the wider area.

"The fire itself started on the night shift on a conveyor which had been introduced slightly before to get the coal out of the pit and they were made of rubber which is flammable," he said.

"Some of the strands had been damaged, caught in the gear head and the friction from that which is thought to have caused it to catch fire.

"Creswell was the worst disaster [in Derbyshire].

"We recently went through some documentation which showed a list of widows and the dependant children - some were a set of twins just two months old when their father was killed."