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Benson Road School 50 years anniversary train crash

E

Elmo

master brummie
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread, or put it on the Benson Road school site as I did last year, but felt it important to get it at the forefront of the forum.
On the 2nd July 50 years ago 2 young children Wayne Dandy aged 11, and Katherine Clarke aged 10, lost their lives on the way back from a school day out to Rhyl, when the last coach of the train we were travelling on derailed. I was on the train that day aged just 9, so was in a carriage nearer the front.
When I was about 18 I used to see Mr Dandy, Wayne's father in the local social club. Can't believe it will be 50 years next week. My condolences and thoughts are with those friends & relatives should any of them be reading this.
Some details are on Ted Rudge's Winson Green site.
RIP both sleep well
Elmo
 
RIP

The Railway Archive site highlighted by ragga does not mention the subsequent Inquiry. A fault on the line had been discovered 5 months before but had not been remedied. Evidence was given of “rail creep". At this early stage evidence indicated that the derailment had been caused by distortion or buckle.

The Inquiry Chairman, Major Rose, pointed out that their had been similar cases, such as the Royal Scot being derailed under similar circumstances in 1947.
 
From my vague memories it was an extremely warm day. All I really remember about the day is looking out the small compartment window and seeing a broken door hanging off a carriage towards the rear of the train, and subsequently arriving back at the school by bus seeing crowds of parents gathered around.
 
Elmo said:
From my vague memories it was an extremely warm day. All I really remember about the day is looking out the small compartment window and seeing a broken door hanging off a carriage towards the rear of the train, and subsequently arriving back at the school by bus seeing crowds of parents gathered around.
Click to expand...
such a very sad and tragic accident to be involved in...may they rest in peace

lyn
 
The Liverpool Echo of 2 September 1971 reports the verdicts of accidental death of the two children involved. The public inquiry found that the cause of the derailment had been lateral distortion, a rail buckling, under the train.

Evidence was given that the weather was hot, and caused the rail to creep, with the expansion gaps between the rails closing and then becoming unevenly distributed.

There is no mention in this particular report of the knowledge of a rail problem 5 months earlier.
 
Elmo said:
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread, or put it on the Benson Road school site as I did last year, but felt it important to get it at the forefront of the forum.
On the 2nd July 50 years ago 2 young children Wayne Dandy aged 11, and Katherine Clarke aged 10, lost their lives on the way back from a school day out to Rhyl, when the last coach of the train we were travelling on derailed. I was on the train that day aged just 9, so was in a carriage nearer the front.
When I was about 18 I used to see Mr Dandy, Wayne's father in the local social club. Can't believe it will be 50 years next week. My condolences and thoughts are with those friends & relatives should any of them be reading this.
Some details are on Ted Rudge's Winson Green site.
RIP both sleep well
Elmo
Click to expand...
I remember this trip and have the newspaper article. I was on the trip with my brothers and my best friend Katherine Clarke. I remember the train rocking violently back and forth until it toppled over. Thank you for this forum and for paying homage to them. My deepest respects to Wayne and Katherine and their families & friends.
 
Elmo said:
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread, or put it on the Benson Road school site as I did last year, but felt it important to get it at the forefront of the forum.
On the 2nd July 50 years ago 2 young children Wayne Dandy aged 11, and Katherine Clarke aged 10, lost their lives on the way back from a school day out to Rhyl, when the last coach of the train we were travelling on derailed. I was on the train that day aged just 9, so was in a carriage nearer the front.
When I was about 18 I used to see Mr Dandy, Wayne's father in the local social club. Can't believe it will be 50 years next week. My condolences and thoughts are with those friends & relatives should any of them be reading this.
Some details are on Ted Rudge's Winson Green site.
RIP both sleep well
Elmo
Click to expand...
Wayne Dandy was my Uncle, my dad Barry’s older brother. I obviously never met Wayne and my dad never spoke about him, I don’t think he ever came to terms with what happened.
I just wanted to say that it is very kind of you to post this.
Best wishes
 
I remember this well because of a few reasons.
The main one was that my school Dee Point was twinned with Benson road following the incident and I visited Benson Rad on a reciprocal visit about a year later. We were presented with a barometer which hung for many years in the school hall and was sadly lost recently when a new headmaster took over.
Coincidentally, at the time of the crash I was in hospital having my tonsils out and the boy in the bed opposite had been in the crash. Obviously, i didn't know then our schools were to become twinned.
There was a very good website where all this was catalogued with pictures of the school visits to Blacon, Chester and Benson road. Sadly, that too has vanished.
 
I remembered the unfortunate accident. I was on that train journey from Rhyl to Birmingham. Katherine Clarke and I had many pictures taken together by a photographer that day. We were looking at various sea shells. Katherine had a mop of lovely curly red hair and freckles. I'd visited Katherine's grave in Handsworth crematory around 20 years. On her headstone was a photograph of her at the seaside looking at a seashell. ( Although the seashell wasn't visible). Katherine lived on the same road as me. I remembered that her family always used to go to church every Sunday.

Thinking of your family and how much of a devastating impact your untimely death must have had on them. Rest in peace, Katherine. Love Tina xxxx
 
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Soul said:
I remember this trip and have the newspaper article. I was on the trip with my brothers and my best friend Katherine Clarke. I remember the train rocking violently back and forth until it toppled over. Thank you for this forum and for paying homage to them. My deepest respects to Wayne and Katherine and their families & friends.
Click to expand...
Hello, do you have any pictures of the newspaper articles? My dad was on the train when it crashed and was injured also. Can't seem to find anything online. Thank you
 
AD94 said:
Hello, do you have any pictures of the newspaper articles? My dad was on the train when it crashed and was injured also. Can't seem to find anything online. Thank you
Click to expand...
Hi there, apologies as I did not see your message requesting the newspaper article. Please find attached. I hope you're able to view it once downloaded. You may need to zoom in as the text is extremely small.
 

Attachments

  • School train accident.pdf
    1.5 MB · Views: 16
Elmo said:
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread, or put it on the Benson Road school site as I did last year, but felt it important to get it at the forefront of the forum.
On the 2nd July 50 years ago 2 young children Wayne Dandy aged 11, and Catherine Clarke aged 10, lost their lives on the way back from a school day out to Rhyl, when the last coach of the train we were travelling on derailed. I was on the train that day aged just 9, so was in a carriage nearer the front.
When I was about 18 I used to see Mr Dandy, Wayne's father in the local social club. Can't believe it will be 50 years next week. My condolences and thoughts are with those friends & relatives should any of them be reading this.
Some details are on Ted Rudge's Winson Green site.
RIP both sleep well
Elmo
Click to expand...
Hi there Elmo, Thank you for this post. I was in Year 5 at the time & Katherine & I were in the same class (R.I.P.). She was one of my best friends. If I remember rightly, she had a sister called Nancy.
I attached a newspaper article about the accident a few days ago as a member "AD94" had asked for it.
My name is Mary by the way. I wonder if anyone on this forum was in year 5 or year 6 that were on this school trip that day. My brother and Wayne Dandy (bless his soul - R.I.P.) were best friends at the time. I was in the second to last carriage that overturned & Katherine (bless her soul - R.I.P.) was in the last carriage. My love & prayers go out to both Katherine & Wayne's family & friends.
I wanted to ask, do you have a link to Ted Rudge's Winson Green site as I've tried searching for it but to no avail.
Thanks!
 
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hi soul...below is a post made by our member E E ALLEN a few weeks ago which explains the loss of some good history sites which makes me feel so grateful that this forum is still up and running after over 20 years


Sadly, all of us are getting old. And the authors of these sites are also getting old. Bill Dargue, whose site is still up, passed away earlier this year. Mac Joseph, who gave us Old Ladywood, was last I heard, not well, and his site has gone.
Keith Berry passed away, and some of his photos have been resurrected. Ted Rudge although still alive as far as I know, closed his site, Winson Green to Brookfields. Some of the material is available through web archives, but sad that they are gone. But these people were human beings, and with lives of their own, and sometimes the work, and cost, of maintaining a website can be too much in later years
 
_Shep said:
If you have access to the British Newspaper Archive, there is a picture of the children visiting Dee Point School in October 1973 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000157/19731005/093/0011?browse=False
I found the website with the barometer on it - http://www.winsongreentobrookfields.co.uk/schools-1
Click to expand...

Astoness said:
hi soul...below is a post made by our member E E ALLEN a few weeks ago which explains the loss of some good history sites which makes me feel so grateful that this forum is still up and running after over 20 years


Sadly, all of us are getting old. And the authors of these sites are also getting old. Bill Dargue, whose site is still up, passed away earlier this year. Mac Joseph, who gave us Old Ladywood, was last I heard, not well, and his site has gone.
Keith Berry passed away, and some of his photos have been resurrected. Ted Rudge although still alive as far as I know, closed his site, Winson Green to Brookfields. Some of the material is available through web archives, but sad that they are gone. But these people were human beings, and with lives of their own, and sometimes the work, and cost, of maintaining a website can be too much in later years
Click to expand...
Hi there, thanks for your reply. My condolences to Bill Dargue's family & friends. Yes, we are all getting older. I am grateful that I still have my faculties. What a journey this thing called Life is.
 
Elmo said:
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread, or put it on the Benson Road school site as I did last year, but felt it important to get it at the forefront of the forum.
On the 2nd July 50 years ago 2 young children Wayne Dandy aged 11, and Katherine Clarke aged 10, lost their lives on the way back from a school day out to Rhyl, when the last coach of the train we were travelling on derailed. I was on the train that day aged just 9, so was in a carriage nearer the front.
When I was about 18 I used to see Mr Dandy, Wayne's father in the local social club. Can't believe it will be 50 years next week. My condolences and thoughts are with those friends & relatives should any of them be reading this.
Some details are on Ted Rudge's Winson Green site.
RIP both sleep well
Elmo
Click to expand...
 
I've only just seen this but Wayne was my cousin. He was older than me so I am too young to remember him but his photo is still prevalent within the family and he is talked about often. My only memory is going around to see my Aunty Ann (his mom) before the funeral and realising that something terrible had happened but not fully understanding what and visiting his grave later. Sadly, I don't think his mom, dad and brother ever fully recovered from the tragedy. All, are now deceased and I like to think they are together and happy in another realm. All his aunts and Uncles on his maternal side have all now passed over also. Another cousin remembers him well as they lived closer and saw him more. My dad had an oil painting done of him and that still has pride of place at my cousin's home. I was talking only recently, to my Aunty Kath, just before she passed away about how all the parents and extended family members went to the school and had to wait for information. I can't imagine how traumatic that would have been and the struggle for his family to move forward without him. My condolences go out to Kathryn's family and friends.
 
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Soul said:
I remember this trip and have the newspaper article. I was on the trip with my brothers and my best friend Katherine Clarke. I remember the train rocking violently back and forth until it toppled over. Thank you for this forum and for paying homage to them. My deepest respects to Wayne and Katherine and their families & friends.
Click to expand...
I was a pupil of Benson Rd Primary and was injured in the train accident. Wayne and I were in the same class at school and in the last carriage that turned over. Wayne was due to start grammar school in the September and his grandfather had given him a pocket watch to celebrate his success. Sadly he did not get to take up his place at grammar school. My memories of him was that he was such a lovely boy and a dear friend
 
YLT said:
I was a pupil of Benson Rd Primary and was injured in the train accident. Wayne and I were in the same class at school and in the last carriage that turned over. Wayne was due to start grammar school in the September and his grandfather had given him a pocket watch to celebrate his success. Sadly he did not get to take up his place at grammar school. My memories of him was that he was such a lovely boy and a dear friend
Click to expand...
I am trying to access the newspaper article and pictures of the crash and us leaving the hospital by coach to return to the school to be picked up by our parents who had waited patiently for hours. The Head Mistress Miss Legg refused to allow us to travel back by train.
 
Welcome to the forum YLT. The attachment is a pdf, and you would have to download the (free) pdf reader to access it. There were also reports in the daily mirror and the birmingham post, the relevant pages being attached (as pdf) below
 

Attachments

  • BL_0002135_19710703_006_0001.pdf
    867.6 KB · Views: 14
  • BL_0000560_19710703_006_0001.pdf
    706.8 KB · Views: 6
I remember that day very well , I was on the train when tragedy struck, the carriage behind had derailed, I always remember Wayne who was my class fellow . Our deepest condolences for Wayne’s and Katherine’s family , two amazing beautiful souls . The remembrance award was established by the school “ Katherine & Wayne Award “ , my young brother was a recipient of the award in loving memory of two beautiful children.
 
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