Story
Walter Toplis was born in Golden Valley, Derbyshire on 21st June 1862. He was the son of Thomas Toplis (1840-1870) and Selina Shooter (1841-1865), who had married on 29th December 1861. Both had been servants for Abraham and Ann Briddon. Given that both his parents had passed away before Walter had reached the age of 8, he spent some of his early years in Basford Union Workhouse. Walter was related to Peckfield Colliery Deputy Robert Henry Nevins through Nevins’s marriage to Mary Shooter, and Peckfield Underground Manager William Radford, as Mary Shooter’s mother was Hannah Radford (1823-1893). Walter was taken out of the Workhouse by his uncle, Henry Toplis and his wife Rebecca Clark. Rebecca was related to Samuel Clark who survived the Peckfield Colliery Disaster. Whilst living with his uncle, Walter worked as a labourer in an Ironworks.
In 1881, at the age of 18, Walter enlisted into the 15th Hussars for service in the army. After leaving the army, Walter moved to Micklefield to work at Peckfield Colliery, and married Laura Ann Taylor of Aberford (1868-1934) on 3rd April 1888 in Leeds. In 1891, they were living at Quarry View, Micklefield, and had a daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Toplis (1889-1962) and a son, Harold (1892-1958). After working in Micklefield for 4 years, Walter moved to Hemsworth, where he and Rebecca had a daughter Kitty (1894-1984).
Walter heard about the explosion at Peckfield Colliery on the evening of the 30th, and he started walking from Hemsworth at 9pm, arriving in Micklefield at 2am Friday morning after travelling 15 miles. He then had to wait patiently at the Pit-head in the early morning cold until 5:30am, when he was able to join one of the rescue parties. On leaving the pit Walter gave an interview to the Leeds Mercury:
“You must,” said our representative, “have been deeply concerned about the calamity to come to the work of rescue under such conditions?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I have a relative in the mine, and, besides, I’ve worked here up to four years ago, and, knowing the pit well, I thought I might have been of service. When I got down, there would be about 20 there, as well as Mr. Wardell and Mr. Mellors, the government inspectors. They were examining No.2 road. My work lay in the west level and the dips running down from it. We could not get far into the second dip, and on returning had to clear a lot of debris away before we could get to the third. Out of that road we got four bodies – those of Joseph and Walter Winfield, Joseph Johnson, and ‘Teddy’ Maggs, the last two being father and son in law. I don’t think they had started working, because two of them had their clothes on when we found them, and they were not near the working-place. They would be making their way to the shaft when they were overcome. We had a stiff job to get the bodies out. It was most difficult getting them over the falls.”
“And how long did you continue working?”
“I stay down till 10.15, helping to clear the ways and put the props in and so one, and then I felt I had done as much as I was able. We were very much astonished come upon two of the horses, alive, just 50 yards from the bottom of the shaft. They were not injured in any way that I could see, and they seemed just as lively as ever. They were in the stable with the others that were killed.”
“And how do you think they had escaped?”
“Nay, I cannot say. It’s a miracle.”
“And how about the other roads leading from the west level?”
“The fourth dip on the left-hand side is closed. They gave up working it some time ago; but on the opposite side of the level is the New North road, and we know, or at any rate we think, there are eleven men and two hurriers there, but we could not get near them up to the time I left. They are Daniel Taylor, Herbert Winfield, Samuel James, James Wilson, David Shillito, Joseph Wilson, Job Millership, Bill Sheldon, Tom Longdon, Edward Goodall, and Harry Tallett, besides the two younger men, George Whitaker and John Simpson.”
After a few more years in Hemsworth, Walter moved back to Micklefield, living at 12 West View. After the death of his wife in 1934, Walter moved in with his married daughter Margaret at 34 Garden Village. He passed away in 1946 at the age of 84.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 