Scunthorpe’s annus horribilis went on relentlessly, this time with a home fire. The problem was that this was no blaze brought about by the careless flick of a cigarette-stub. This was deliberate.
This is a tale of a middle-aged man whose drinking habits led to the ruin of his life, and of his daughter, a heroine at the centre of the events, who prevented the outcome being even worse than it was. Frank Johnson was a labourer, living in Tomlinson Avenue in a council house. On an August night he had had one drink too many and when he came home, he was ready to cause a fight and to destroy anything in sight. He was so violent that his daughter Brenda barricaded herself and two younger brothers into a room, wedging the door shut with a chair.