South Yorkshire Times March 15, 1969

Dramatic Rescue by Fire Brigade

Steven Hicks (7), of 33, Carlisle Street, Kilnhurst, was rescued by Mexborough Fire Brigade after he had strayed onto quicksand-like mud at a disused quarry a mile from his home on Wednesday.

Using ladders to spread their weight, two firemen inched their way to the boy, trapped only feet away from a sheer 80 feet drop, scene of a drowning accident only last summer. Steven became stuck on the tip at Kilnhurst Brick Company’s Wentworth Road, Kilnhurst, quarry while out playing with friends.

While his playmate, Stephen Crisp (8), ran for help, a nearby house-holder spotted him and called the brigade.

A Brigade spokesman said: “Stephen was so cold he would have died from exposure if he had not been seen.

“A six men team was involved in the operation. A flat ladder was laid out over the tip to prevent the men from sinking in, and, then two men inched their way 20 feet to reach the boy. The ladder was sinking all the time.”

Steven’s mother, 30-years-old Mrs. Sylvia Hicks, said, “He is always wandering off. He was involved in a drowning scare 18 months ago, which turned out to be a false alarm, but he got a good telling off.”

“The only thing Steven was worried about when he was brought back was getting a good hiding,” she added.

The Brigade were called by 40-years-old Swinton Comprehensive School teacher Mr. Keith Spencer, who saw Steven from the kitchen window of his home in Wentworth Road, overlooking the tip.

His wife, 39-years-old Mrs. Audrey Spencer, said, “Since the drowning we have always kept an eye on the quarry pond, particularly since we have five children of our own and know what young children can get up to.”