"Dear wife, farewell, my thoughts are about you and the children” – the final words of Durham miner Michael Smith, written while trapped underground. He was one on 164 miners killed #OnThisDay in 1880 in the Seaham Colliery Disaster. (1/5) 
Michael Smith's farewell message was later found scratched onto the base of his tin water bottle. His wife Margaret was one of 105 women widowed by the disaster. 265 children were left without a father. In total 382 adults and children were left with no means of support. (2/5)
By the end of the month, typhoid broke out in the community, believed caused by the handling of dead bodies, and further lives were lost. There had been six previous disasters since mining began at Seaham Colliery in 1852. It had already become known locally as “Hell Pit” (3/5)
Pictured is a drawing from the Illustrated London News showing people gathered, following the disaster, at the ‘dead house’ where bodies were taken to be identified. Also pictured is a sketch made of Michael Smith’s farewell. (4/5)
The victims of this tragedy and the earlier 1871 Seaham disaster will be remembered at a special memorial service at Christ Church, Seaham at 11am this Saturday, 10th September. All welcome. (5/5)
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