A POIGNANT service marked the centenary of an explosion at the Low Moor Munitions Company which claimed 40 lives.

Among the death toll in the blast and subsequent fires on August 21, 1916, were six firemen.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: POIGNANT: A re-dedication ceremony, led by Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling, below, in Birkenshaw

The rededication ceremony in Birkenshaw

Yesterday all 40 victims were remembered with a re-dedication of a plaque on a statue of a fireman at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s headquarters in Birkenshaw.

The event was attended by relatives of the six firemen, including David Crosby, 70, who had travelled from his home in Vancouver, Canada to remember his grandfather, firefighter Knighton Pridmore, who died while on duty at the explosion.

Mr Crosby said: “It was quite a moving service.

“The firemen that day were very brave. I think of my grandfather as being an inspiration.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: TRIBUTE: Relatives of the victims, including David Crosby, centre, laid wreaths

Relatives of the victims, including David Crosby (second right) laid wreaths

The other fallen heroes on that fateful day were station officer Charles Sugden firemen Joseph Binns, Eli Buckley, Edgar Shaw and Fred Normington.

Chief Fire officer Simon Pilling, who led the service, which including a rendition of the National Anthem and Last Post, said: “It is important for us to mark their passing.

“It is good that the community are now able to pay their respects.”

A service was also held at St Paul’s Church in Birkenshaw before the re-dedication service.

Fire service staff and dignitaries, including the Lord Mayoress of Bradford, Chris Reid, also laid wreaths at the memorial statues.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Dedication of monument at fire HQ.

The monument to the disaster at West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue headquarters in Birkenshaw

The Low Moor Munitions Company originally produced picric acid which was used to colour carpets but was also a product of high explosives. It was converted into a munitions factory at the start of the First World War and had expanded.

The first explosion was also heard in York,. Further explosions killed five of the 15 firemen and one of the three officers who had rushed on the scene from Bradford and Odsal.

The impact saw 50 homes demolished and a further 2,000 damaged, three schools had to close. Train lines were damaged, 30 railway carriages were destroyed and a further 100 were damaged.

The explosion is now the subject of an exhibition at City Hall, organised by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, which runs until September 8.