These snapshots were accompanied by a letter of 1956 from the Halifax Fire Service addressed to a Mr G M Garth, of Ogden, thanking him for loaning them, so presumably he was the photographer.
Eastwood Mills, run by worsted spinners Robert C Franklin Ltd, caught fire during the afternoon of February 23, 1956, one of the most tragic days in Keighley’s history. Eight workers died – six women, a man and a boy.
A Keighley News editorial summed up its sudden horror: “The fire spread with such terrific rapidity, and was so intense, that the activities of the fire brigade were hopeless at the outset.”
Eastwood Mills had wooden staircases, and its fire escape did not reach all its floors. Most of those who died were trapped behind a locked door. As a result of this disaster, the Ministry of Labour undertook “to ensure that all premises with more than 20 workers have effective fire alarm systems”.
Arthur Hird, a British Rail driver who happened to be making a delivery, was awarded a ‘Daily Herald’ Order of Industrial Heroism for helping to rescue three women.
These amateur snapshots, with their blurry bystanders, manage to capture the bleakness of the atmosphere. They have been supplied by Mr Kevin Seaton, of Shann Lane, Keighley.
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