WHITTINGTON FIRE DECEMBER 1926

This article caught my attention from the Sheffield Telegraph 20 December 1926.

The map below from 1909 shows the area of Whittington, Station Lane is highlighted.

There was then a follow up article in the Sheffield Independent 22nd December 1926. The copy is quite difficult to read and I have transcribed it below.

“15 CHILDREN HOMELESS

SAD PLIGHT OF FIRE VICTIMS

APPEAL FOR FUNDS

The disastrous fire in a row of 13 cottages at Old Whittington, Chetserfield, on Saturday night, has resulted in six families, with 15 children, being practically homeless. The families are in a pitiable plight, and although strenuous efforts are to be made to ease their unhappy lot by an appeal for funds, the outlook for Christmas is a sad one, as in most cases all their worldly possessions are gone. Following on the formation of a committee at New Whittington, a special meeting of residents at Old Whittington to consider the raising of funds to relieve the distressed families and to form a committee to work in conjunction with that of New Whittington, is to be held at the Swanwick Memorial Hall, Old Whittington tonight at 7.30. The Mayor (Alderman Cropper) has promised to attend.

LIVING IN A OLD HUT

The Mayor has issued an appeal for immediate help for the stricken families, an appeal that has the enthusiastic support of the “Sheffield Independent”. All contributions will be acknowledged in our columns free of charge. The families rendered homeless had to seek shelter where they could. One family can find no better home than an old wooden hut. Unless funds are quickly forthcoming to the various committees this family will have to spend Christmas in a miserable fashion. The sufferers in the disaster lived in back to back houses and it now appears (writes our Chesterfield representative) that the tenants of another house, Mr and Mrs T Barker, suffered considerable damage to their furniture and belongings chiefly through water. Mrs Barker stated yesterday that she had just finished cleaning through for Christmas and was looking forward to a convivial time when the fire broke out in Mrs Germy’s cottage.

A Welcome Visitor

Mrs Barker said that while she was thankful that her home had been saved, it was reduced to a piggery and she had suffered considerable loss. The firemen were obliged to deluge her house with water in order to save it, and other men removed all her furniture into an adjoining field. Mrs Eric D Swanwick, of Whittington House, paid a visit yesterday morning to the distressed families and it almost goes without saying that she did not go empty handed. A house – to – house collection is being organised in the Whittingtons for the affected families who are all of the working class type and are not un-naturally anxious to get back into homes of their own.”

Further information on 23rd December 1926 shows that everyone was willing to help the victims of the fire.

On 24 December 1926 the Chesterfield Mayor (Alderman H Cropper) launched an appeal for the victims of the fire.

By the 1st January 1927 the Sheffield Independent was able to report that the Fire Fund had already collected £24 17s

All newspaper extracts from British Newspaper Archive (https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/) accessed 20 Feb 1922