Story
William Shackleton was identified as a rescuer at the Peckfield Colliery Disaster by Samuel Cheesbrough, who spoke to him about the event. Sadly, the contents of the conversation were not recorded, so it is not known in which rescue party volunteered to join, or in which area of the mine William was sent.
William was born in 1857 in Kippax, and was the first son of a coal miner, Joseph Shackleton (1825-1901) and his wife Elizabeth Clayton (1831-1906) who married in Leeds on 27th April 1856. Joseph’s older brother John Shackleton (1817-1875) is the great x 4 grandfather of current Leeds United football player, Jamie Shackleton. William was raised in Kippax, and by 1871 when he was 14 years-old, he was working as a coal miner. William married Augusta Smales (1858-1946) in Kippax on 27th April 1878, and they went on to have 11 children, 10 of whom survived infancy: Sidney (1879-1898); Asnath (1881-1962); Janet (1884-1952); Laurie (1886-1972); Horace (1889-1980); Lily (1891-1968); Timothy (1895-1964); Hilda Fenetta (1896-1971); Baden Powell (1900-1968) and Russell (1902-1977). By 1881, the family were living at Hanover Place, and in 1891, they were living on Well Lane. William does not appear to have had any relatives who were amongst the 105 miners present in the Peckfield pit at the time of the explosion, but there were several men from Kippax trapped, and doubtless many men with whom he had worked.
After the disaster, William remained in Kippax for the rest of his life, moving to Moor Terrace, Leeds Road. By 1911, he had stopped hewing coal, and was working as a Stableman in the pit bottom. William passed away in 1932.
30th April 1896. The Peckfield Colliery Disaster at Micklefield 