A WREATH was placed on the miners’ memorial at the former Northern United colliery near Cinderford in memory of those who worked and lost their lives there.

The commemoration took place just days before the 50th anniversary of the closure of the pit, the last deep mine in the Dean, on Christmas Eve 1965.

A memorial service was led by lay minister Tony Hughes representing the benefice of Lydbrook, Drybrook and Ruardean.

The wreath was placed on the memorial by Mrs Sylvia Mills, of Ruardean, and Forest poet F W Harvey’s poem Coal was read out.

Mr Hughes said: “This service remembers and gives honour to the eight men who lost their lives here at Northern United.

“It is almost 50 years to the day since the last deep mine here in the Forest of Dean was closed and last week we saw the closure of the last deep mine (in Britain).

“While the mines might have closed physically our memories will continue of those who devoted their work to the extraction of coal and those whose lives were suddenly and tragically curtailed.”

A bell tolled as the names of the eight men who died at Northern United were read out.

They were: Charles Adams who died on November 26 1942, Charles Mason who died on December 13 1945 aged 59, Maurice Meek who died on December 21 1942 aged 41, Alfred Powell who died on September 4 1963 aged 36, John Halifax Roberts who died on May 21 1936 aged 50, Rowland Smart who died on December 10 1952 aged 45 and Thomas Yemm who died on July 28 1943 aged 58.