Atherton Online

Some of you may remember the book by local author Andrea Finney titled '344 - A Story of the Pretoria Pit Disaster (Inspired by a mother's tale)'.

Well the book is now going into a second print run which has extra content, including the names and the ages of the 344 men and boys who died. The front cover has also been redesigned and now ties in with the 100th Anniversary of the disaster on the 21st December 2010, making the book a Centenary memento.

If you're not familiar with the original book, here's a description of what it's about:

"Andrea's story, with the help of her great, great grandmother's diary, covers

Local Author - Andrea Finney

three generations of the Gore family in Lancashire, England from the late 19th to the early 20th century. It covers the tragic loss of Elizabeth's son in the Pretoria Pit disaster of 1910, when 344 men and boys lost their lives and tells of the hardships faced by the family, of tragedy and loss to people already struggling with life. Further research took Andrea into the archives of the 'Bolton News' and reports of the disaster form the second part of the book. We are given an intimate glimpse into the lives, loves and tragedies of a close knit northern community. Andrea has captured the taste of the time, and we have the privilege of tasting it too, Jack bait and all."

For more information about the book, please visit Andrea's website [HERE] where you can find updated items, including more photographs and upcoming events marking the 100th Anniversary of the disaster this month. You can also purchase the book online from [HERE].

A good site with lots of information about the disaster can be found [HERE].