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

A tiny gold medal - the size of a 2p 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.

The disaster itself, however, was well documented.

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 immediately 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 died.

The final toll included 59 under the age of 21, and as news of the disaster spread throughout the country, attempts to recover the bodies were being made day and night.

The operation involved dozens of volunteers, like Mr Keegan's grandfather and Mr Snaith.

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

Neither the vendor of the medal, a Consett collector of pit memorabilia, nor researchers have been able to establish whether Mr 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 contact the auctioneers on 0191-232 6278.