Incident
About 3:00am on 4th January 1922 a fire, believed to have been caused by the fusing of an electric cable, broke out at at the Yorkshire Paper Stock Company on Millgarth Street, Leeds.
Four hours later, at 7:00am, Police Fireman Dunleavy was part of a relief party sent to douse the smouldering remains of the fire.
As he did so, the first storey floor, on which he and another officer were standing, collapsed. Both fireman fell through to the ground floor and Patrick was buried by numerous bales of burning newspapers and rags.
The second fireman, who had been standing at the edge of the floor, fell on top of the bales and managed to escape.
It took forty-five minutes for his colleagues to force an entrance to the ground floor and rescue Patrick. He was taken to Leeds Infirmary but declared dead on arrival.
He had served in the force for fourteen-and-a-half years and left a widow and two young children.
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- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Fireman Dunleavy served with the Leeds Police Fire Brigade.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Fireman Dunleavy.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Fireman Patrick Dunleavy is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In ENG, 1,349 of 2,827 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 47.7% of this state's fallen. That is 16.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Leeds Police Fire Brigade, 7 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 87.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Patrick Dunleavy's cause is highlighted.
How Patrick Dunleavy Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Patrick Dunleavy is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Leeds Police Fire Brigade are honored on badge.nw.