Bradford & District | Archive | 2000 | September | 8
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Friday 8th Sep 2000.
WHEN Albert Steele died, aged 91, he took with him a valuable part of Keighley history.
Mr Steele was the last surviving navvy to have worked on Stanbury's New Laithe Reservoir and waterworks. He was one of a band of men who, with very little equipment, helped build an embankment across Sladen Beck to form a reservoir and provide Keighley homes with running water.
Work began in 1909 and the waterworks was opened in 1925. Albert joined his father at Sladen Valley when he left school at 13. He returned to the site as guest of honour in July, 1994, when the new Sladen Valley Water Treatment Works opened.
Born in Bradwell, Derbyshire, he was the youngest of 12 children. Albert later settled in the Haworth area.
He went on to work on other reservoirs in such areas as Hawswater and Penistone.
While in Penistone he met Edith Harriet -- known as Betty -- whom he married in 1930. The couple had a daughter, Edna, but at five years old she died of diphtheria. They had a son Brian and later another daughter, Linda.
Albert started work as a crane driver at Jaggers Brothers Quarry, in Haworth. He left Jaggers in 1947 to work on Baitings reservoir, at Ripponden, near Halifax, but returned on a part-time basis afterwards. The rest of his time was devoted to running a fish and chip shop in Bocking, which he did for about five years. Leaving Jaggers again he became a boiler man at a local mill. He retired at 74.
Betty died 11 years ago and until Albert moved to Brontë Park Nursing Home 18 months ago he lived independently in Cross Roads. He died last month.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008