THE memorial to the 361 men and boys who died in the Oaks Colliery disaster will be ready for the 150th anniversary in December, according to organisers who have now raised £100,000.
The 16ft high memorial, which will commemorate England’s worst mining disaster, will stand opposite the Barnsley Chronicle offices on Church Street.
It has been made by Barnsley sculptor Graham Ibbeson and depicts a recently widowed woman holding a baby and looking towards the site of the Oaks Colliery near Stairfoot. The lower section depicts a miner in a galley, effectively digging his own grave.
Barry Moore, treasurer of the People in Mining group, said the last section is now being worked on and hopes it will be transported to Barnsley on December 11 to be in place for the anniversary the following day.
Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle
