Memorial to Maltby Colliery explosion victims unveiled

Twenty-seven men lost their lives while working at Maltby Colliery, near Rotherham, on 28 July, 1923.

A memorial to a group of miners killed in an explosion at a colliery more than 90 years ago has been unveiled.

Twenty-seven men died while working at Maltby Colliery, near Rotherham, on 28 July, 1923.

The ten-and-a-half tonne granite and black marble memorial stands immediately above the site of the disaster in Limekiln Lane.

Maltby Colliery closed in 2013 after more than 100 years of mining with the loss of about 250 jobs.

The bodies of only two of the 27 men were recovered following the explosion.

Bill Spilsbury, whose grandfather was among the men who died, said the "shafts are sealed and the area in which the explosion happened has been sealed off".

"As a consequence these men, if nobody does something about it, will ultimately be forgotten and what we want is for our kids, our grandkids and their grandkids to remember these 27 men."

He said fundraising was under way for a second memorial to all those who worked and died at the colliery, which he hoped would be erected in Maltby.

Hargreaves Services, who bought the colliery from UK Coal in 2007, closed the site saying it was no longer viable on safety, geological and financial grounds.