“Helping Hands” is what we call this sculpture. The Helping Hands Sculpture stands here on Three Mills Green. It is more than just a sculpture. It is a memorial to a tragedy.
The monument consists of a pair of clasped hands. They appear to be trying to lift each other from danger. Alec Peever created this simple and powerful memorial. It was unveiled in 2001. It commemorates the centenary of a tragedy. The tragedy occurred close to this very spot. It happened on July 12th, 1901.
Fragments of stones surround the hands. These stones came from a previous memorial on this site. One fragment urges us to pray for the souls of those who died. Thomas Pickett, Godfrey Maule Nicholson, Frederick Eliott, and Robert Underhill all perished. They lost their lives in a well beneath this spot. The first man named was overcome by foul air. The other three men descended to save their comrade. They shared the same death.
Let’s step back in time to July 12th, 1901. It was a typical working day for the men. They approached a well on the Three Mills site in Stratford East London. Godfrey Maule Nicholson led the group. He was the Managing Director of Nicholson’s Gin Distillery. The distillery owned the Three Mills site.
Ten years earlier, the well was sunk to collect groundwater. The water was for cooling at the distillery. However, the London County Council built a sewer nearby. The well dried up two years before this fateful day. Nicholson learned the council no longer used the sewer. He wondered if they could reopen the well. He led a work party to investigate. Albert Dawkins, Thomas Pickett, and Joseph Barber joined him.
The work party opened the well. They lowered a ladder into its depths. Thomas Pickett descended first. He had an 11-foot measuring pole. He measured the depth and passed the pole to Dawkins. Suddenly, Pickett slumped backward. He fell from the ladder into the well. Nicholson cried out and climbed into the well. He found Pickett unconscious in the water. Nicholson tried to pull him to the ladder. Then Nicholson passed out and fell.
Albert Dawkins prepared to climb down. Joseph Barber stopped him. He warned Dawkins about gas. He suggested using a rope. As they searched for a rope, George Frederick Elliott arrived. Elliott said he would help. He dismissed Barber’s warnings. Elliott told him he was used to gas.
Elliott ignored his workmate’s warning. He climbed to the bottom of the well. Barber watched as he slumped into the dark water. Overcome, Barber cried for help. Workers gathered around the well. One worker recoiled. He cried that it was full of gas.
Another labourer, Robert Arthur Underhill, ignored the warning. He scrambled onto the ladder. He took a deep breath and descended. Moments later, a splash was heard. Then came silence.
Dawkins returned with Job Vanning. They tied a rope around Vanning. He was lowered into the well. He was to tie the rope around a body. They would then haul them up. Vanning located a body. He felt drowsy. He felt like he was falling asleep. He lost consciousness but was pulled out. He was more fortunate than the others.
The fire brigade arrived and retrieved the bodies. Dr. George Hilliard arrived. He pronounced the men dead.
The inquest revealed the cause of death. It was asphyxiation due to carbon dioxide poisoning. Rotting weeds had been left in the well. They decomposed and gave off gas. When Pickett disturbed the water, the gas escaped. This rendered him unconscious. His fall released more gas. This asphyxiated Nicholson, Elliott, and Underhill.
The coroner questioned why a lit candle was not used to test for gas. A senior distiller said there was no reason to suspect gas. There was no sign of it when they opened the well.
The jury returned verdicts of accidental death. The coroner commended the men’s bravery. He praised Job Vanning for his courage.
A memorial was erected. It was replaced by the Helping Hands Sculpture in 2001. The well’s exact site is marked with a stone disc. It bears the inscription “in memoriam”. It also has the initials of the four men. Their lives ended tragically beneath this spot.
The Helping Hands Sculpture serves as a reminder. It reminds us of the tragic event. It also reminds us of the courage and sacrifice of those involved. Their story continues to resonate today.