The Pretoria Pit memorial at Ditchfield Garden, Westhoughton. A LOW-key approach has been taken to the 110th anniversary of the area s worst-ever mining disaster. Three hundred and forty-four men and boys lost their lives in the 1910 Pretoria Pit tragedy, following an underground explosion on December 21. And each year services have taken place in Westhoughton and Atherton to pay tribute to their memories. But pandemic restrictions and social distancing have put paid to any such large-scale gatherings for 2020. In past years Westhoughton Town Council has been behind commemorations, including one at the centenary memorial in Ditchfield Garden. A church service has still taken place at St Bartholomew s CE, where a separate memorial to the dead, who were mainly from the Westhoughton area, also stands.