Patrick Dunleavy

Died

:

4 January 1922

Age

:

37

Rank

:

Police Fireman

Force

:

Leeds Police Fire Brigade

Cause

:

Fire

Duty Status

:

On Duty

Roll of Honour Citation

Fatally injured while fighting a warehouse fire when the first storey floor collapsed and buried him under burning bales.

About 3:00am on 4th January 1922 a fire, believed to have been caused by the fusing of an electric cable, broke out at at the Yorkshire Paper Stock Company on Millgarth Street, Leeds.

Four hours later, at 7:00am, Police Fireman Dunleavy was part of a relief party sent to douse the smouldering remains of the fire.

As he did so, the first storey floor, on which he and another officer were standing, collapsed. Both fireman fell through to the ground floor and Patrick was buried by numerous bales of burning newspapers and rags.

The second fireman, who had been standing at the edge of the floor, fell on top of the bales and managed to escape.

It took forty-five minutes for his colleagues to force an entrance to the ground floor and rescue Patrick. He was taken to Leeds Infirmary but declared dead on arrival.

He had served in the force for fourteen-and-a-half years and left a widow and two young children.