THESE brave men are thought to be among those who were part of the rescue team that entered Haig Pit in March 1928 following the explosion.

John Rule, of Hillcrest, tells us his daughter-in-law recently acquired it from an aunt.

“I have checked with retired miner Jack Mullen who says that because of the Meco breathing apparatus in the picture, it is probably this rescue operation which left 13 men, including mines inspectors, still entombed following the earlier accident of December 1927 that killed four.”

John has checked at Whitehaven archives office and found the names of rescue team No 1: J McAllister, lived at 59 Hill Top, New Arrowthwaite, James Kinsella, George Bray, T Beck, M McCrink and instructors from Brigham: G Tucker, J Charlton.

John says: “Our only hope of identifying these people is through your paper and its readers. Hopefully relatives will recognise family members.”