The Minnie Pit disaster was a coal mining accident that took place on 12 January 1918 in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys died.

At 359 yd (328 m) deep, it had been one of the most profitable pits in the North Staffordshire coalfields because it mined five thick seams of good quality coal.

[3] Coal was crucial to the country's efforts during World War I, with miners working to meet demand to fuel ships, power stations, and coke ovens, for home use and for the munitions industry.

[1] On Saturday, 12 January 1918, 248 men and boys were working underground when a huge explosion tore apart the Bullhurst and Banbury Seams.

[1] A formal investigation of the causes and circumstances of the disaster was launched under section 83 of the Coal Mines Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo.

The jury returned the following verdict, after hearing witness evidence from 40 persons: We consider that the deceased persons met their death from a medical point of view as follows, 144 from carbon monoxide poisoning 11 from violence plus carbon monoxide poisoning The cause of death was an explosion of gas and coal dust in the Bullhurst and Banbury seams of the Minnie pit.

We consider that the pit has been carried on in accordance with the Coal Mines Act 1911, and general regulations as far as they have been issued, but, we are of the opinion that, if the dust had been systematically removed, the explosion would not have been so extensive.

[5] The disaster placed a huge strain on the mining community at Halmer End and its neighbouring villages because their livelihoods depended on the colliery and its related industries.

With World War I entering its fourth year, many families had now lost men at home on the Western Front.

The inscription reads: To the memory of those who lost their lives in the fight to extract coal from this mine, Minnie Pit, Halmerend, 1890–1931.

[6]One of the victims of the disaster, a miner named Samuel Richardson, was a prominent member of the local Methodist chapel, and died with his Bible by his side.