ONE of the worst pit disasters to befall the North-East will be remembered when a poignant reminder of the event falls under the hammer later this month.

The tiny gold medal, the size of a two pence piece, was awarded to Joseph Snaith 'for services with the relief parties at the West Stanley Colliery explosion, February 16, 1909'.

The medal, to be sold by Newcastle auctioneers Anderson and Garland on September 22, is the same as that awarded to Kevin Keegan's grandfather Frank Keegan, who rescued dozens of survivors.

But while much is known about Kevin's relative there is a complete blank about Joseph Snaith.

Residents were first alerted to the tragedy by a muffled bang followed by a loud roar from Burns Pit, West Stanley at 3.45pm on February 16, 1909.

As flames shot more than 1,500ft into the air, thousands of men, women and children rushed to the colliery and tried to get into the pit's workings. But no trained rescue team was available and there was no suitable equipment to remove wreckage - and no-one knew where the trapped miners were located. It was only 14 hours later that the first survivors could be brought to safety.

Meanwhile 168 miners lay dead underground, killed by the force of the explosion, from burns or carbon monoxide poisoning. In one street of 14 houses, 12 men were left dead.

By February 27, 166 bodies had been recovered, leaving two to remain unfound below ground until 1933, when the pit was re-opened.

Neither the vendor of the medal nor researchers have been able to establish whether Snaith has any surviving relatives.

But they would like to hear from them before the medal goes under the hammer. Anyone who may have information can call the auctioneers on (0191) 232 6278