Story
Edward was born in Garforth in 1854. His father, also Edward Goodall (1820-1897), was a coal miner, who later worked on the North Eastern Railways, and Edward Snr. married Hannah Turner (1827-1893) in Leeds on 1st November 1852. Edward and Hannah were receiving Parish Relief in Moor Garforth in 1891.
Edward jnr. continued to live in Moor Garforth . He married Ada Sarah Spencer (1865-1929) in her home village of Saxton on 11th April 1885, and they had 4 children: Joseph Edward Goodall in 1885, Annie in 1888, Mary Jane in 1890 and Ernest in 1895.
Edward had just passed John Goodall’s Gate when the explosion happened. He was continuing to walk along New North Road with Herbert Winfield and William Sheldon, and was about 70 metres from the explosion. The three men would just have had enough time to start to run. They were not burnt, but Herbert Winfield was crushed by a roof fall and killed instantly. Edward Goodall had made it a little further, but had also been injured by the roof fall, whilst William Sheldon had managed to travel the furthest, but died from afterdamp poisoning. Edward’s body was found between his two colleagues by William Wilson and Joseph Longstaff Routledge.
Edward was identified by his brother-in-law, Joseph Glover, also from Moor Garforth, who had married his older sister Ann on 19th October 1872. Ann’s surname was Turner, as she was born in 1851, a year before her parents married. Joseph Glover confirmed that one side of Edward’s face was scratched. Edward was buried at God’s Acre, Garforth, near two brothers, John and Arthur Simpson, who had also been killed in the disaster, and next to his mother, Hannah, who had died three years before him. A wreath of arum lilies, narcissus and lilies of the valley was placed with a note “Deepest sympathy from the members of the Garforth brass band” as Edward was their drummer.
After her husband’s death, his widow Ada re-married Eder Gee (1865-1916) in Garforth on 7th May 1898, and the couple had a daughter, Mabel Goodall Gee in 1900, who sadly died the following year. Ada and Eder then had two more sons: Percy Goodall Gee in 1902 and Norman Goodall Gee in 1904. Tragedy struck Ada again, when her husband was killed on 26th July 1916 in another mining accident (reported below):
Ada did not re-marry again, and passed away in 1929 at the age of 65. She chose to be buried with her first husband in Garforth (below):
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 