A plaque unveiled for a Leeds fireman who died in a station fire in 1892

James “Jim” Potter Schofield died in a fire outside Leeds station in 1892

Chris Smith/West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Victorian photo of a man with a mustache, wearing an old-fashioned helmet and fireman's uniform. — James “Jim” Potter Schofield died in a fire outside Leeds station in 1892

A red plaque is to be unveiled in memory of the firefighter who died in what was then described as “the biggest fire Leeds has ever experienced”.

James “Jim” Potter Schofield died while fighting a large fire in the Dark Arches outside Leeds Station on January 13, 1892.

The plaque was installed at the entrance to Dark Arches station, off Neville Street, on behalf of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS), Leeds Beckett University and the Fire Brigades Association.

Chris Smith, WYFRS honorary historian, said: “Jim was a proud Leeds man who worked to protect and serve his local community. We are extremely grateful to Network Rail for supporting the Red Plaque Scheme and allowing us to honor Jim.”

A memorial to Mr. Schofield was erected at Woodhouse Cemetery and the names of six other firefighters who died in the line of duty were later added

Chris Smith/West Yorkshire Volunteer Fire Brigade A stone monument with gold lettering in a green, wooded area of the cemetery. — A memorial to Mr. Schofield was erected at Woodhouse Cemetery and the names of six other firefighters who died in the line of duty were later added

Schofield was born and raised in Leeds and served alongside his younger brother William.

At the time of the fire, newspapers described it as “the biggest fire Leeds has ever experienced”. Attracting crowds of spectators, it took 20 hours to put out the fire.

Halfway through the operation, Jim replaced his brother William on duty, but a few minutes later the platform Jim was working on collapsed, sending him falling into the fire below.

William told reporters at the time that his brother “took the plane from me and I never saw it again.”

Schofield was buried in the family plot at Beckett Street Cemetery, with 20,000 people attending the procession.

Money was raised from public funds for a monument, which was erected in Woodhouse Cemetery with the inscription: “We may always be ready, but we don’t know for what.”

Over time, six other firefighters who also died in the line of duty were added to the memorial.

James Potter Schofield died when the arches under the railway station collapsed in a fire

Chris Smith/West Yorkshire Volunteer Fire Brigade Old photograph of a collapsed railway station after a fire. — James Potter Schofield died when the arches under the railway station collapsed in a fire

Research into the fire was led by historian Smith and Shane Ewen, professor of history at Leeds Beckett University.

Professor Ewen also partnered with local youth theater Brave Words to develop a play entitled Fighting The Good Fight – The Tale of Jim Schofield, which will later be performed at The Old Fire Station in Gipton.

Fran Cairns, who wrote and directed the series, stated that it was “full of great male role models and a really interesting one for starting a discussion about the concept of masculinity”.

She said: “I hope this is a fitting tribute to James Potter Schofield – he has certainly given our young people a greater sense of respect for the heroes who are fighting the fires in our city today.”

The Red Plaque Scheme, funded by the Firefighters 100 Lottery, commemorates fallen firefighters and honors their sacrifices.

Dave Walton, WYFRS deputy chief fire officer, said: “All our firefighters go out every day not knowing what might happen and put themselves at risk to protect the public they serve. It is important not to forget such victims.”

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