William Henry Clayton
Died
:
19 February 1885
Age
:
25
Rank
:
Police Constable
Force
:
Blackburn Police Fire Brigade
Cause
:
Fire
Duty Status
:
On Duty
Roll of Honour Citation
Fatally crushed alongside PC Dawson when a fire-damaged mill collapsed on them.
About 5.30am on the morning of Thursday 19th February 1885. within the Knuzden Brook Mill. a weaver was lighting up the gas lamps on the 4th floor of the mill. As he went to light a lamp a spark found its way down and some fluff which had gathered on the tinder dry gas pipes set alight. The fire spread quickly, despite efforts to quell it. The alarm was raised and the building was evacuated but for an unknown reason there was no call to the police station until nearly 45 minutes after the fire broke out.
On arriving at the mill the Fire Brigade found that the roof of the mill had already caved in and was completely destroyed. They began to fight the fire hoping at least to save the surrounding buildings. They were, however, handicapped by the meagre amount of water obtained from the hydrants belonging to the Oswaldtwistle Water Company.
About 8:00am the Fire Brigade began to try to save the material that was stored in a lower room of the mill. Everything was a mass of ruins, the heat was unbearable and seven people, including Police Constables Clayton and Dawson, were concentrating their efforts to save whatever they could from the one place where the fire had not yet penetrated.
The Fire Brigade was concentrating on the east side of the mill and stationed near a doorway situated in a recently added part of the premises when the seven men entered a room immediately beneath a fireproof room containing a quantity of machinery, when the flooring near a hoist gave way and the whole weight fell through and buried those underneath.
A rescue attempt immediately commenced and for nearly three hours they worked on the rubble until the body of PC Dawson was discovered, still with a fire hose in his hand. He was found to be unconscious and was taken to the Knuzden Brook Inn but later died of his injuries.
The Superintendent in charge of the police at the mill dispatched a messenger to the Town Hall asking for assistance from the Borough Surveyor’s Department. The Borough Surveyor and a team of workers arrived to clear away the debris that was covering the bodies of the others.
At first it was reported that only PC Dawson had been killed and one of the first persons to visit Mrs Dawson to comfort her was Mrs Clayton, not knowing that her own husband had also perished under the rubble.
PC Clayton was born in Blackburn. He was formerly employed by the Blackburn Coffee House Company and acted as manager of the Tavern on King Street before joining the Police. After his first year he was quickly promoted from 4th Class to 3rd Class and in addition to his other duties the Chief Constable selected him as a member of the Fire Brigade.
He lived at Chapel Green with his wife.