Leeds nostalgia: Boy saves brother from fire

Indeed, if anyone knows of the two children mentioned - while at the same time remembering these events took place 70 years ago - or their descendants, then please get in touch with us.

The story concerns two brothers: Michael Wood (left), eight, and his four-year-old brother, Colin, whom he saved from a fire which broke out in his bedroom while the younger boy was asleep.

According to the report in the Yorkshire Evening Post from the day, Michael smelt burning and went to investigate. He found his brother asleep in the sitting room of their home and the room on fire. He pulled his brother to safety, before the two of them ran to tell their mother about what had happened.

The fire was large enough to destroy a carpet, a settee, dining table and easy chair. The man of the house, Mr Wood, was said to have been at work at the time, along with two of his daughters.

And in other news, Leeds was enduring something of a heatwave, with no rain for the previous 24 days (report on August 29). Temperatures were said to be the highest in 35 years, with a maximum of 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius), the temperature never dropping below 10 Celsius during the night on the 28th.

It seemed to be good news for farmers, who were making the most of the good weather to bring in the harvest, with teams working from noon until dusk most days ‘to stack the oats’. Heavy morning dew meant work could sometimes not begin until the afternoon.

However, there was one potential crisis on the horizon: a milk shortage.