When the Oaks Colliery exploded at 1.15.pm on December 11th, 1866, it
was the worst mining disaster in the world. Some fifteen explosions
followed over the next few days, killing 27 volunteer rescuers. Stories of
the Oaks include tragic loss, horrific injury, selfless heroism, a miraculous
escape – immense public outrage and enormous public kindness. Yet
since the 1870s, the disaster was hardly researched at all until 1966, and
since then considerably neglected. And the story of the disaster raises
questions about exactly what we can know from history – how many died?
And what caused the explosion? Are just two of the questions that remain
unresolved to this day.
Thirty years after the Miners’ Strike, and twenty after the closure of the
industry in the area, at the same time the last deep mines in the UK
closed, groups of volunteers set out to commemorate the disaster,
attempting to explore the records for answers to unresolved questions,
and to raise the remarkable sum of £125,000 in fifteen months, without
any major donors. Sculptor Graham Ibbeson gave his work free in order to
create one last major work – the one job he really wanted – and
discovered he had lost a relative in the disaster.

This is a high quality version of the film - purchasers will also get lifetime access to extras as we release them including full versions of soundtrack songs.