South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 03 January 1942

Family’s Escape

House Fire at Wombwell

Mrs. Goulding, wife of Harry Goulding (26) miner, of 7, Brampton Road, Wombwell, snatched her children from bed and saved them when the house caught fire on Tuesday morning. To do this she dashed through flames which singed her hair and clothing, and eventually reached the backyard where she swooned in the arms of neighbours.

The house was gutted and the family lost all their personal belongings, apart from a couple of bed- steads. In the house at the time of the outbreak were Mrs. Goulding, her two children aged 4 years and 18 months, and her brother Joey Jackson (11), of 1/2, Old Lane Terrace, Old Lane, Halifax, who was a spending Christmas with them.

Mr. Goulding was at work at Wath Main Colliery and did not know of his misfortune until he reached home, later in the day.

Two men, Charles Henry Jackson, an A.F.S. man, and Albert Sanderson, at Cortonwood Colliery offices, were passing the house when they noticed that the curtains in the front room were alight. They started kicking at the door, which was locked, and this disturbed Mrs. Goulding, who awoke to find the bedroom full of smoke. She snatched up her children and the four dashed out in their night attire, passing through flames and smoke as they reached the bottom of the staircase.

Mrs. Goulding told a  Times” reporter she was afraid of the fire, but realised that it would have been fatal to go back. The heat was terrific but their clothing did not actually catch fire.

Neighbours formed a chain with buckets and fought the flames until Wombwell Fire Brigade arrived. A stirrup pump was also used to good effect. The house was completely burned out—even the door and window frames being charred to cinders—but the brigade were able to prevent the fire from spreading to other houses in a row of thirty.

As a precaution furniture was carried out of the house of Mr. George Exley next door.

Sanderson entered the blazing house with a wet cloth wrapped round his head only to find that the family had escaped by the back door. It is not known how the fire started.