A RARE medal awarded after a young boy died trying to save his pony down a coal mine is up for auction.

The silver RSPCA Posthumous Gallantry Award was given to Ernest Barnett's family in 1919 after the 14-year-old died in Williamthorpe colliery, in Holmewood, North East Derbyshire, for animal life-saving.

The young boy, who worked as a pony driver, had experienced difficulty when he was leading his pony up an incline in the colliery and, in trying to save the animal, Ernest died.

Steven Iredale, an auctioneer, valuer and cataloguer at Bamfords, where the item will be up for sale later this week, said he had never seen a posthumous RSPCA medal before.

"It is chilling to think that children as young as this were working down mines in very basic conditions here in Derbyshire less than a century ago, and could be involved such horrific accidents. He would have been a year nine pupil today.

"It is even more moving to think that his final thoughts were for his pony rather than himself."

To read the complete article, see:Medal of child coal-mine hero goes under hammer(www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Medal-child-coal-hero-goes-hammer/story-19901692-detail/story.html#axzz2hdAWvNUL)