RELATIVES of the first man to die in a village's pit will be among those gathering this weekend to remember those who lost their lives working underground.

A memorial to the 52 men who died in Bowburn pit -and the four men from the village who died at mines elsewhere in the Durham coalfield -will be unveiled today.

The service is the culmination of events that coincide with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the pit shaft and the birth of the village.

The first recorded fatality at Bowburn was in June 1912, when the clothing of 17-year-old rope lad Joseph Ferguson became tangled in the rope that hauled the tubs to the surface and he was carried up against a guide sheaf.

The last tragedy came in 1966, only a year before the mine closed, when 60-year-old Adam Cowley died.

Both men, along with dozens of their fellow miners, will be remembered during the service, which takes place at 11am in Bowburn Community Centre, followed by the unveiling of a memorial to the men.

The service, which has been organised by the Bowburn Village Celebration group, will be attended by Durham's Mayor and MP, representatives of the NUM, villagers and members of the miners' families, including three relatives of Joseph Ferguson.

The memorial is made from timbers that formed part of the original pit shaft, which were rescued when the mine closed. It is fitted with brass plaques listing the names of the dead.

Mike Syer, from Bowburn Village Celebration, said: "It is a simple memorial. The timbers are a deep red and, although they have been dressed and polished, which makes them look beautiful, you can still see the marks where the cages glided against them, so they are part of the colliery and its history."

Earlier this year, as part of commemorations, the Bowburn Banner Group restored the village's 1920s miners' banner, and unveiled a new banner that was proudly unfurled for the first time at this year's Durham Miners' Gala.

A photographic exhibition, featuring dozens of pictures documenting the restoration of the banner and creation of the new version, went on display in the community centre yesterday.

Mr Syer said: "The exhibition is a fantastic record of our project and will be forever more. It is something which, hopefully, will be treasured for a long time."