A MINING tragedy that put Birmingham in the national spotlight almost a century ago is being re-told to show the comradeship and heroism that went on 1,800ft below ground.
In March 1908, at Hamstead Colliery, 28 miners lost their lives in a drama that gripped the nation.
St Paul's Church, in Hamstead, which was built to serve the pit community, has now recreated a mine inside the church building, complete with miners' lamps, pick-axes and other equipment used underground.
Schoolchildren are now visiting the mine to learn about what life was like underground, thanks to retired teacher and mining enthusiast Roy Fell, who gives visitors a half-hour talk.
"This has always been a miners' church and we always keep a mining lamp burning here," said Roy. "Hamstead Colliery closed in the 1960s, so we thought it was important that the next generation realise what an important part it played in people's lives.
"Some youngsters today have not even seen a piece of coal."
The huge effort to save the entombed miners, following a ground collapse, made national headlines in 1908.
A rescuer from Yorkshire, John Welby, was also killed, and his family received a message of sympathy from the Queen.
There is also a photograph of the trapped miners' last testament, which they wrote in stone before laying down to die.
"The Lord preserve us, for we are trusting in Christ," it said. Six names were written below.
St Paul's curate Andrew Goodman said: "This is a living memorial which we believe will remain in the hearts and minds of the children who visit our mine.
"It's an incredibly moving tribute which illustrates the sacrifice and the fellowship of the miners, which was followed by the rest of Britain."
Retired teacher Hazel Barber, who was born into a County Durham pit family before moving to Birmingham, said: "It's a moving exhibition and encapsulates what life was like for miners."
Schools that have visited the mine include Grove Vale Primary, Hamstead Junior and Infants, Holy Name and St Mark's Catholic Primary.