Plaque to honour firefighter killed in station fire

A red plaque is due to be unveiled in memory of a firefighter who died in what was described at the time as "the greatest fire Leeds had ever experienced".

James "Jim" Potter Schofield died while tackling a large fire in the Dark Arches beneath Leeds station on 13 January 1892.

The plaque has been installed at the Dark Arches entrance to the station, off Neville Street, on behalf of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS), Leeds Beckett University and the Fire Brigades Union.

Chris Smith, honorary historian of WYFRS, said: "Jim was a proud Leeds man who worked to protect and serve the local community. We are extremely grateful to Network Rail for supporting the Red Plaque Scheme and allowing us to honour Jim."

Mr Schofield was born and raised in Leeds and served alongside his younger brother William.

At the time of the fire, newspapers described it as "the greatest fire Leeds has ever experienced". Attracting crowds of spectators, it took 20 hours to extinguish.

Midway through operations, Jim replaced his brother, William, on duty but a few minutes later, the platform on which Jim was working collapsed, sending him falling into the fire below.

William told reporters at the time that his brother "took the jet from me, and I never saw him again".

Mr Schofield was buried in the family plot at Beckett Street Cemetery, with 20,000 people turning out to watch the procession.

A public fund raised money for a memorial, which was erected in Woodhouse Cemetery with the inscription: "Always ready we may be, but for what, we do not know".

Over time six other fire fighters who also died in service were added to the memorial.

The research into the fire was led by historian Mr Smith and Shane Ewen, professor of History at Leeds Beckett University.

Prof Ewen has also partnered with community youth theatre Brave Words to develop a piece titled Fighting The Good Fight - The Tale of Jim Schofield, which will be performed at The Old Fire Station in Gipton later.

Fran Cairns, who has written and directed the show, said the story was "full of great male role models and really interesting for starting discussions on the concept of masculinity".

She said: "I hope it is a fitting tribute to James Potter Schofield - it has certainly given our young people a greater sense of respect for the heroes who fight fires in our city today."

The Red Plaque Scheme, funded by the Firefighters 100 Lottery, remembers fallen firefighters and honours their sacrifice.

Dave Walton, deputy chief fire officer at WYFRS said: "All our firefighters go into each day not knowing what may happen and put themselves at risk to protect the public they serve. It's important that sacrifices like this are not forgotten."

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