Lavin 's possessions were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Early in the 1910s , he decided to return to Europe , and settled in Yorkshire , becoming a coal miner . He became active in the Yorkshire Miners ' Association ( YMA ) and also joined the British Socialist Labour Party ( SLP ) and the Workers ' International Industrial Union . The YMA asked him to stand for election in Pontefract , but he refused , as it would have required him to stand as a Labour Party candidate
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
John Lavin