Story
James Plumb, later Plum, was born in Shelford, Essex on 11th May 1856. He was the son of Benjamin Plumb (1824-1863) and Elizabeth Plumb (1833-1895), who were cousins and married 11th November 1845 in Pimlico, Middlesex. Initially a farmer’s boy, he moved to Micklefield after the opening of Peckfield colliery. He was fined 21s 1d on 5th September 1884 for being drunk and fighting with fellow coal miner William Hesselgrave at the Crooked Billett Inn, Saxton, on 23rd August 1884, after they were apprehended by Police Constable Russell. In 1886, James married Lucy Ann Simpson (1870-1950), and they lived at 21 Bland’s Cottages, and had 8 children. James worked near the machine face in the far South East section of the East Level Division, in a gate that bore his name. On 17th and 23rd December 1895, a crack in the roof at James Plum Gate caused a leak of firedamp gas, which took 12 hours to clear on both occasions. James was fortunate to be off work on the day of the disaster, as the distance he would have needed to travel from his station to the pit shaft in order to escape would have been too great. George Benson, William Naylor Whitaker and Charles Noble were close to his workplace and succumbed to afterdamp gas poisoning. James’ wife Lucy had an uncle Edward Simpson (1846-1918) who survived the disaster.
After the explosion, James was promoted to Colliery Deputy, and moved to various addresses in Micklefield: 16 Crescent, 11 Crescent and 9 Prospect Terrace. He was killed in an accident whilst sinking a shaft at Ledston Luck Colliery in 1918. His widow re-married Dennis Rushforth in 1923.
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30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 