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Harry Price Railway Tragedy Enquiry

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rod
  • Start date Start date
R

Rod

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Ive had an inquiry with regard to a gentleman called Henry/Harry Price. He worked on the railway as a train driver. He was killed after falling from his engine and then being decapitated. This happened in the 1800's around the Saltley area. Does anyone have ideas as to how to research this for our inquirer?
 
Railway tragedy

Dear Rod
As there is no date known for this accident and no other details about the family I think you would have to start with the date of the railways comming to Birmingham which I think was around the 1830's plus possibly the late 1830's for saltley area. This narrows the search time down a bit.

A search of the GRO records for registration district of Aston which covers Saltley from 1837 to 1845 finds a death registered for a Henry Price in December Quarter 1845 Reg District Aston Volume 16 page 133. As Price is quite a common name it may not be the right person so the death certificate needs to be checked.

The Birmingham Registry Office has an on-line application form and if the person requesting the certificate stipulates that they only want the certificate if the Harry / Henry Price on this certificate is a train driver who died as the result of an accident, then if this is not the correct certificate they will not send it out nor will they charge you for it.

If it is the right person then the date of the accident and the date of the coroners inquest should be on the death certificate. This in turn will give you the newspaper dates to search in for an account of the accident.

The Birmingham Archives hold Coroners inquest reports only from August 1875 onwards only but the Local Studies and history section should have newspaper cuttings.

I hope this is of some help
Louisa
 
You have echoed my reply to the enquirer Louisa, he is looking this evening for dates, hopefully I will maybe know more tomorrow.

Good thinking with regard to the register office.

Thank for the reply, lets hope we get more info, its fascinating stuff.
 
Well I think Ive found the family and Quarter dates I need to find newspapers up at the library which hopefully will report the tragedy. We hope to do that next week sometime Louisa, if I can get news story and some more of the genealogy it'll make a smashing, although somewhat sad peice to put in the Railway section, and perhaps on the mainsite.
 
Xmas Tragedy

Thomas Price, as I have found out he was named was at his place of employment, Saltley Gas Works on the 25th December 1899. He fell in the path of a locomotive engine, his head was severed from his body. The inquest was held on I think the 29th December, and the death registered on the 30th.

This puts the part of the inquiry to bed, Im just desperate for any pictures now of Saltley Gas works/ railway sidings and shunters from the turn of the century.
 
found this one from 1920s
Replaced, maybe not with same photo
DSCF0003.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Don't want to start an argument, Jim, but I think your lovely pic is of the Windsor Street gasworks. The Saltley works was nearly a mile to the east. Although I was only a kid I have a strong recollection that the two works were quite distinct, possibly with some rivalry between the two.
Peter
 
It was yes Oisin, Ive traced him back with very little to go on at first, and I now know where he was born and a tiny bit of his life which ended so tragically. Once I can put some more together about his life, I will of course post it up on one of the mainsites. I need news cuttings and a coroners report next, I would imagine the 7th Floor of Central Library has to be somewhere close to the top of my list for visiting.

Thanks for the picture Jim, as Peter says its of Windsor Street. Im looking into finding out more about gas production and coking retorts so helping out a friend with this inquiry has been good stuff. Your picture will certainly come in very handy, Ive found one of the Saltley Gasholders on Keith Berry's site. I wish I could now drop on a picture of the rail area around the works and some background on that.
 
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