Story
Francis, better known as Frank, was born in 1861 in Hull, but the family moved about quite frequently. Frank’s father, Robert Rainbird Edwards (1826-1908), was born in Barningham, Suffolk, but married Martha Beverley (1837-1866) in South Cave, Humberside on 24th November 1857. They moved to Bradford, then Castleford where Martha passed away at the age of 29. Robert then brought his four sons to Methley, and finally Kippax. Frank married Rhoda Howson in Kippax on 16th July 1883, and they went on to have six children. They lived on Robinson Street, Kippax, but to be closer to work at Peckfield Colliery, the family had just moved to Micklefield four months before the pit disaster.
On Thursday 30th April 1896, Frank descended in the lift, and walked along the West Level with Rayner Scrimshaw from Garforth, with whom he was working. Rayner had set off for work at half-past five, but Frank could now get up later as he lived closer. The two of them turned up the Old North Road, and started working in Capell’s Bord, not far from another Kippax man, Alfred Norton, who was in the Old North Road. When the explosion occurred, Frank and Rayner were standing just 400 metres away. The explosion travelled up the Old North Road, and horribly burnt Alfred Norton, killing him instantly. The fire did not reach Capell’s Bord, and both Frank and Rayner had time to react. They both tied their handkerchiefs around their mouths to combat the effects of afterdamp, and made their way back towards the old North Road, the way they had come in. Rayner received a severe head injury from a roof fall and went no further. Frank managed to get close to the Old North Road, but it was badly damaged in the explosion, and he died from the effects of after damp poisoning. He was 34 years-old.
The bodies of Frank and Rayner were recovered from the mine late on 2nd May. Frank’s widow Rhoda was too upset to attend the inquest, so Frank’s younger brother William Henry Edwards (1865-1929) who was living in New Street, Kippax gave testimony in her place. He stated that he had visited the Colliery shed between 9pm and 10pm on the Saturday, and saw his brother’s dead body, which did not appear to be disfigured. Despite living in Micklefield, Frank was taken back to Kippax where his father and siblings were living, and was buried on 4th May, same day as the inquest. He was the first of six men from Kippax to be buried in the old churchyard.
A newspaper reporter came up to Micklefield, in late June 1896, three months after the explosion, to write a review. “You want to see some of the widows?” asked the stationmaster. “Well, you’ll find them in yon street, pretty near every house you come to.” Whilst the reporter did not name the women he spoke to, unquestionably ‘Mrs C’ in the article is Frank’s widow, Rhoda:
“Mrs C. wore the utterly broken-down and slatternly look of one for whom the world had proved too hard. Her face was thin, worn, and sallow, her hair gathered up into an untidy wisp, her clothing far from clean. On the floor sat a chubby little fellow of ten months, his fat face very sore and very dirty. He was the youngest of six, and the eldest was twelve years of age. She had been married for fourteen years, and had lived at Kippax, whence her husband walked three miles to his work up to four months ago. Latterly he had been working only two days a week, but she thought that their average income during their married life would have been about £1 a week when he was in work. She also had received two payments of 5s. and 2s. 6d. for each child. She did not look more than thirty, but it was easy to see that excessive child-bearing, household drudgery, and bitter poverty had broken her spirit.”
Life never improved for Rhoda. Her fourth child, Sarah Jane Edwards passed away less than two years later aged 7, and was buried in Kippax with Frank, and her father passed away in 1912. Rhoda moved back to Kippax and lived on Old Robinson Lane. She never re-married, and further tragedy befell Rhoda when her youngest son was killed in the First World War. Francis Edwards was the 10-month old baby described in the article above. He joined the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (service no. 29710), and was killed in action on 3rd May 1917 aged 22. He was part of the British offensive at Arras. Rhoda died three months after the death of her youngest son on 25th August 1917 at the age of 56, from bronchitis and cardiac muscle failure.
After Rhoda’s death, a memento of her husband was passed down to her fifth child, Eliza Edwards (1893-1968). Before passing it on to another member of the family, Eliza kept for many years the pocket-watch that her father was wearing when he was killed in the pit disaster. Apparently it had stopped at seven o’clock, and it was never allowed to be wound up whilst in her possession. Her father died when she was three years-old, and her first husband, Albert Cripwell died in 1947, so she remarried James William Fox (1883-1963) the following year. Ironically her second husband had also lost his father, John Fox (1859-1886) at the same age as Eliza, but in an earlier mining disaster at Altofts Colliery which killed 22 men.
The gravestone of Frank Edwards, his young daughter Sarah Jane, and his wife Rhoda is still standing in Kippax old churchyard. A couple of plots away lies the grave of Alfred Norton, who died only 20-metres away from Frank in the explosion, and a little further away lies the gravestone of Harry and Fred Bellerby, who were also killed in the disaster. The family also had Francis remembered, the youngest son, killed in the First World War:
Frank Edwards and Harry Bellerby in particular would have been very familiar, as they were both members of the Green Elm Lodge, National United Order of Free Gardeners. Members of the Lodge were present at Frank’s funeral, and carried his coffin to its final resting place.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 