A partnership between West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Leeds Beckett University, the Fire Brigades Union and community theatre group Brave Words will honour firefighter James “Jim” Potter Schofield on the 133rd anniversary of his death by installing a red plaque in his honour in his home city.
Born and raised in Leeds, Jim dedicated his life to helping the local community. He served, along with his younger brother William. On 13th January 1892, a large fire broke out in the “Dark Arches” beneath the train station. Newspapers described it as ‘the greatest fire Leeds has ever experienced’, with flames rising high above the station attracting crowds of spectators. It took twenty hours to extinguish.
Midway through operations, Jim replaced his brother William on duty. A few minutes later, the platform on which Jim was working collapsed, sending him falling into the burning furnace. William told reporters that his brother “took the jet from me, and I never saw him again”.
The following week, Jim was buried in the family plot at Beckett Street Cemetery, with 20,000 people turning out to watch the procession. Jim’s coffin, draped in the Union Jack flag, wreaths and his helmet, was carried on the back of his horse-drawn fire engine, and was joined by firefighters from across the service. A public fund later raised money for a memorial, with the inscription “Always ready we may be, but for what, we do not know”, which was erected in Woodhouse Cemetery as a permanent tribute to Jim and six other Leeds firefighters who lost their lives.
On the 11th January 2025, a plaque will be unveiled at the Dark Arches entrance to the Leeds Station, off Neville Street, as part of the Red Plaque Scheme, funded by the Firefighters 100 Lottery, that remembers fallen firefighters and honours their sacrifice.
The research into the fire was led by Chris Smith, Honorary Historian of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and Shane Ewen, Professor of History at Leeds Beckett University.
Chris said “Jim was a proud Leeds man who worked to protect and serve the local community. It is a fitting tribute to honour his sacrifice close to where he fell. We are extremely grateful to Network Rail for supporting the Red Plaque Scheme and allowing us to honour Jim.”
Shane has also partnered with Brave Words, which runs community youth theatre programmes, to pay tribute to Schofield. “Working with young people is really important for sharing the stories of our fallen heroes like Jim”, says Shane, “and doing so through local history and drama is a unique way of doing so. I was thrilled to partner with Fran Cairns at Brave Words and the youngsters at Beeston Village Community Centre to develop a fitting tribute to Jim. It helps keep his legacy going while also involving the youth of Leeds in helping to shape the city’s cultural heritage.”
Dave Walton, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said “I’m really pleased to be involved in this partnership in honouring the life of a very brave man. All our firefighters go into each day not knowing what may happen and put themselves at risk to protect the public they serve. It’s important that sacrifices like this are not forgotten.”
Note to editors: The red plaque ceremony will be held from 11AM on Saturday 11th January. Later that day, the performance of ‘Fighting the Good Fight – The Tale of Jim Schofield’ will be held at The Old Fire Station in Gipton. Spaces are limited so please contact the Old Fire Station if you’d like to attend.