ONCE again East Lancashire coal industry historian Jack Nadin seeks to mine readers' memories this time, for information on these colliers whose picture he wants to include in his latest book on the region's long-gone coalfield.

They were members of the last shift at Burnley's Reedley Colliery when it closed on May 20, 1960.

The picture comes from the Towneley Hall collection and has been lent to Jack for the forthcoming pictorial history that he plans to bring out in time for next Christmas.

To ensure it has a personal touch, he is eager to include as many pictures as possible of the people who worked in East Lancashire's mines and hopes readers can identify the men who were among the last to hew coal at the Reedley pit.

When it closed, it employed 245 men, most of whom were transferred to other local collieries. The pit's output in its last full year was 83,555 tons of coal. But its most singular feat, Jack says, was achieved long before, in the late 1890s, when it produced the largest block of coal ever extracted from the Burnley Coalfield -- one that was a full four-foot square.

Reedley Colliery was sunk in 1879 by the executors of John Hargreaves and originally excavated coal from the Arley Mine and, later, from the Dandy Mine.

The pit was connected underground with Bank Hall Colliery -- Burnley's biggest and last pit, which closed in 1971 -- and Jack adds that in later years coal from the Reedley mine was actually raised at Bank Hall through a surface drift there.

If you can clue up Jack to the identity of these last colliers at Reedley, write to him at 20 Willow Street, Burnley, or contact him on 01282-454927 or 07931-936276 or by e-mail at jack@nadin50.freeserve.co.uk