Story
John and Arthur Simpson were brothers. John was the elder of the two, and was born in Old Manston, Crossgates in 1869. Arthur was the next sibling, born in 1872. They also had an older brother William (1867-1940), and a younger sister Hannah (1875-1957) who married Joseph Simpson (1872-1955). They were the children of Charles Simpson (1838-1889), a coal miner, and Ellen Hall (1838-1902) who married in 1862.
Arthur was no stranger to the dangers of working at Peckfield Colliery. On 29th March 1886, at the age of just fourteen, Arthur had to have his left arm amputated after being injured by two coal tubs:
Unable to resume employment as a coal miner, Arthur instead became the Brakesman at Peckfield Colliery, and was stationed at the pit bottom. By 1896, John and Arthur were 26 and 24 years-old respectively. They were still single, and lived together at Oxtoby Houses, Garforth, along with their sister Hannah and her husband Joseph Simpson, who had recently married on 8th February 1896. John worked as a Trammer in Peckfield Colliery.
On the morning of the disaster, the brothers were preparing to go to work together, whilst their brother-in-law Joseph Simpson, who was a rope winder at the Sister’s Pit in Garforth, left the house at 5:45am. Arthur and John set off soon afterwards, and parted at the pit bottom, where Arthur took up his post. John and George Henry Whitaker collected their pit ponies from Charles Shepherd in the Stables, and made their way along the West Level, then up Old North Road. When they reached John Goodall’s Gate, George needed a comfort break, so left his pony at the gate, whilst John waited outside with his own pony until his mate returned. George was killed as he stepped into John Goodall’s Gate, as a small roof-fall had released some firedamp gas, which reacted to the candle George was holding up to the right side of his head. The resulting blast blew away part of George’s head, killing him instantly. The blast was so strong, it also blew George’s pony out of the Gate and into the wall of New North Road, killing it also. John and his pony would have heard the blast, but were stood just meters away, and were both killed by both the force of the blast, and by the small amount of fire, which increasingly reacted to the coal dust dislodged by the explosion, and carried it along all the main pathways throughout the pit. John’s brother Arthur was killed as the explosion reached the pit bottom, and carried up the main shaft. Arthur’s body was the first to be found by the rescue teams at 3:30pm. Robert Routledge, the Garforth Colliery Manager, noted that he only had one arm, and found him underneath the Engine House. Arthur’s was the first body to be brought out of the pit between 3am and 6am on 1st May, and was the first man to be identified at the Inquest on 1st May. He was identified by his brother-in-law Joseph Simpson, who stated that he could not see any wound on Arthur, and that his watch had not been damaged.
The following day, John’s body was also found by Robert Routledge’s party. Routledge wrote afterwards: “We went forward up the North bord and found a pony and boy just past crossgate to the left. The boy, Simpson, and his horse, being badly burnt. The horse had evidently been driven inbye with the force. The horse’s body was struck against a prop. The boy laid with his head outbye.” John’s body was brought out, and was again identified by Joseph, who stated that John’s face had been bruised and burnt.
The brothers were brought back to Garforth and buried on the 3rd May. Their wreathes were of arum lilies, narcissus, ivy leaves, roses and forget-me-nots with black bordered cards expressing sympathy.
Sadly, the mining tragedies for the Simpson family didn’t end with the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. On 29th February 1916, John, Arthur and Hannah’s eldest sibling, William, had his son killed at the Ledston Luck Colliery:
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 