At the Minnie Pit Memorial Event, last Sunday, we met quite a few people who were descendants of Minnie Pit miners. One gentleman brought this scout belt buckle with him, which belonged to Bernard Spode, a haulage worker. Bernard was just 14 when he died of terrible injuries in the disaster, and this item helped to identify him. Sure enough, we found it mentioned in the Minnie Pit Record Book that we have in the museum:- “Identified by scouts belt & piece of trousers by his mother”. Sad though they are, details like this help to paint a real picture of the events, making the victims more than just a number.
A description of the day can be found on the Methodist Church’s webpage here.