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Sutton Train Crash
- Thread starter rowan
- Start date
Lloyd
master brummie
Heartland
master brummie
The official report makes interesting reading
A section is attached-
Sutton Coldfield Accident
27/01/1955
The train concerned was the 12.15 pm. Express from York to Bristol via Sheffield, Derby, Burton- on-Trent and Birmingham, comprising ten bogie coaches hauled by a 4-6-0 type mixed traffic engine. It had been booked to run between Wichnor Junction (South of Burton) and Birmingham on the secondary line via Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield, owing to routine permanent way renewals on the usual main line route to Birmingham via Tamworth; the train driver, who was stationed at Gloucester, was unfamiliar with the Sutton Coldfield route, so a local driver had joined the engine at Burton to act as "conductor" as far as Birmingham. The speed, however, was not reduced at Sutton Coldfield in accordance with the permanent "Appendix" restriction of 30 m.p.h. which is in force through the station on account of the severe left-handed curvature,
and the train entered the curve at 55-60 m.p.h., with the result that the engine and all of the coaches except the 10th were derailed to the outside of the curve between the platforms. The engine and tender were over- turned and there was heavy damage to the rolling stock which included the destruction of the lst, 4th and 5th coaches. There was also considerable damage to both the platforms and to the tracks between them, and a part of the Down platform awning was carried away. There were about 300 passengers in the train, and I regret to state that 17 persons lost their lives, twelve passengers, the conductor driver and the fireman were killed outright, and two passengers and a driver travelling on duty subsequently died of their injuries in hospital. In addition, 40 passengers were taken to hospital, 17 of whom were discharged the same afternoon after treatment; 23 passengers were detained, some with very serious injuries, also the regular driver of the train, who was not on the engine at the time, and a goods guard, who was travelling on duty. Twenty-four others complained of minor injury or shock. The derailment blocked both the lines. As the signal box was switched out of circuit all the Sutton Coldfield signals were clear, and with no local passenger service over the line on Sundays the station was closed and unattended. The 1.20 pm. express passenger train from Bristol to York was already in the section on the Down line but it was stopped at the home signal well clear of the wreckage owing to the very commendable initiative of Train Ticket Collector G. A. Attenborough and Fireman D. H. Smith who were travelling in the derailed train, and lost no time in running forward to the unoccupied signal box. Credit is also due to two lineside residents, Mr. and Mrs. Fairey, who saw that the train had come to grief and ran along the line to warn opposing traffic; they might well have succeeded in stopping the Bristol to York express if the signals had not been placed against it by Attenborough and Smith. This train was eventually drawn back to Birmingham with uninjured passengers from the derailed train, some of whom continued their journey in a special train which left Birmingham at 7.32 pm. after refreshments had been provided. It is probable that the first call for emergency assistance was sent by Marine H. Swam a passenger in the derailed train, who dialled 999 from a public telephone after he had forced his way out of the locked station. Superintendent G. C. Gardner of the Warwickshire County Police, who had heard the noise of the derailment and seen the wreckage, made sure at once that all the emergency services in the area were notified from his headquarters close by, in accordance with the standing arrangements drawn up by the Police and the Railway Authorities to deal with a serious accident. He also took immediate steps to summon Police reinforcements. A minute or so later the Railway Control, who had been informed of the accident by Train Ticket Collector Attenborough from the Sutton Coldfield signal box, put the railway emergency plans into action and also notified the Birmingham City Police; the time of this message was recorded as 4.17 pm. There was a rapid and complete response to these calls. The first ambulance arrived before 4.30 pm. and the first doctor at about the same time. More ambulances, doctors, nurses and other medical staff were quickly on the scene, together with the Police in force, Fire Brigades, Civil Defence Units, R.A.F. Detachments, the Home Guard and the Women's Voluntary Service. With the help also of local railwaymen, passengers in both the trains and members of the public, the relief work in all its aspects was promptly organised and carried through most efficiently. The first loaded ambulance left the site at 4.35 pm., and the last of the injured passengers was removed from the wreckage by 7.10 pm. All who worked so unselfishly under very difficult and distressing conditions deserve the highest praise, and a special tribute is due to the Warwickshire County Police who made such a valuable contribution to the organisation on the site under the direction of Superintendent Gardner.
DESCRIPTION OF ENGINE AND TRAIN
1 The engine was No. 45274, of the 5 M.T. (mixed traffic) Class with 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. It is driven from the, left hand side and weighs 1253 tons in working order with its six wheeled tender. The coupled wheels, of 6 ft. 0 ins. diameter, are driven by two outside cylinders, 18* ins. by 28 ins., and the rated tractive effort at 85% of the boiler pressure of 225 lbs per sq. in. is 25,455 lbs. With a total weight of 54; tons on the coupled wheels, the adhesion factor is 4.77. The coupled wheelbase is 15 ft. 0 ins. and the driving (middle) wheels have thin flanges of 'G' profile. The bogie side control springs are designed to exert an initial force of 3.134 tons rising to 4.03 tons at the maximum displacement to one side of 23 ins. The steam brake acts on the coupled and tender wheels under the control of the vacuum equipment working the train brakes. No speedometer is fitted.
2. Engine No. 45274 was stationed at Bristol Motive Power Depot and had run 747,517 miles since it was built in 1936. It had run 102,283 miles since the last general repair in October 1952, and 24,928 in the five months since the last "heavy intermediate" repair in August 1954. The repair history of this engine and its condition are dealt with more fully in paragraphs 61-66 below, in view of the statements which were made that it was riding roughly at the time of the accident, with heavy knocking in the coupled axle
3. London Midland and Scottish Railway and British Railways between 1934 and 1949, and all are still in service. They are simple and robust, and with the 6 ft. 0 ins. coupled wheels and ample cylinder and boiler power have proved to be very successful general-purpose machines. They have a good reputation for steadiness of running and are suitable for all but the heaviest classes of passenger and freight traffic.
4. The total weight of the 10 corridor bogie coaches was 304 tons. They were screw coupled through- out, with British Standard gangways, and all were equipped with long stroke shock absorbing buffers of London Midland and Scottish Railway design. All the underframes were of steel. The body of the leading coach, a corridor third built in 1923, was of al-timber construction. The remaining nine were built between 1931 and 1950, and their bodies were framed in hard wood with sheet steel panels. The front brake compartment of the train was at the leading end of the 2nd coach, the leading coach having been attached at Sheffield, and the guard was travelling in the brake compartment at the extreme rear of the train. All the wheels of the coaches were vacuum braked, and all except the 1st and 7th were fitted with direct admission valves which accelerate the response of the brake to the driver's application. The combined brake power of the. engine and train were approximately 76% of their total weight of 4293 tons. The total length of the train was 225 yards.
A section is attached-
Sutton Coldfield Accident
27/01/1955
The train concerned was the 12.15 pm. Express from York to Bristol via Sheffield, Derby, Burton- on-Trent and Birmingham, comprising ten bogie coaches hauled by a 4-6-0 type mixed traffic engine. It had been booked to run between Wichnor Junction (South of Burton) and Birmingham on the secondary line via Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield, owing to routine permanent way renewals on the usual main line route to Birmingham via Tamworth; the train driver, who was stationed at Gloucester, was unfamiliar with the Sutton Coldfield route, so a local driver had joined the engine at Burton to act as "conductor" as far as Birmingham. The speed, however, was not reduced at Sutton Coldfield in accordance with the permanent "Appendix" restriction of 30 m.p.h. which is in force through the station on account of the severe left-handed curvature,
and the train entered the curve at 55-60 m.p.h., with the result that the engine and all of the coaches except the 10th were derailed to the outside of the curve between the platforms. The engine and tender were over- turned and there was heavy damage to the rolling stock which included the destruction of the lst, 4th and 5th coaches. There was also considerable damage to both the platforms and to the tracks between them, and a part of the Down platform awning was carried away. There were about 300 passengers in the train, and I regret to state that 17 persons lost their lives, twelve passengers, the conductor driver and the fireman were killed outright, and two passengers and a driver travelling on duty subsequently died of their injuries in hospital. In addition, 40 passengers were taken to hospital, 17 of whom were discharged the same afternoon after treatment; 23 passengers were detained, some with very serious injuries, also the regular driver of the train, who was not on the engine at the time, and a goods guard, who was travelling on duty. Twenty-four others complained of minor injury or shock. The derailment blocked both the lines. As the signal box was switched out of circuit all the Sutton Coldfield signals were clear, and with no local passenger service over the line on Sundays the station was closed and unattended. The 1.20 pm. express passenger train from Bristol to York was already in the section on the Down line but it was stopped at the home signal well clear of the wreckage owing to the very commendable initiative of Train Ticket Collector G. A. Attenborough and Fireman D. H. Smith who were travelling in the derailed train, and lost no time in running forward to the unoccupied signal box. Credit is also due to two lineside residents, Mr. and Mrs. Fairey, who saw that the train had come to grief and ran along the line to warn opposing traffic; they might well have succeeded in stopping the Bristol to York express if the signals had not been placed against it by Attenborough and Smith. This train was eventually drawn back to Birmingham with uninjured passengers from the derailed train, some of whom continued their journey in a special train which left Birmingham at 7.32 pm. after refreshments had been provided. It is probable that the first call for emergency assistance was sent by Marine H. Swam a passenger in the derailed train, who dialled 999 from a public telephone after he had forced his way out of the locked station. Superintendent G. C. Gardner of the Warwickshire County Police, who had heard the noise of the derailment and seen the wreckage, made sure at once that all the emergency services in the area were notified from his headquarters close by, in accordance with the standing arrangements drawn up by the Police and the Railway Authorities to deal with a serious accident. He also took immediate steps to summon Police reinforcements. A minute or so later the Railway Control, who had been informed of the accident by Train Ticket Collector Attenborough from the Sutton Coldfield signal box, put the railway emergency plans into action and also notified the Birmingham City Police; the time of this message was recorded as 4.17 pm. There was a rapid and complete response to these calls. The first ambulance arrived before 4.30 pm. and the first doctor at about the same time. More ambulances, doctors, nurses and other medical staff were quickly on the scene, together with the Police in force, Fire Brigades, Civil Defence Units, R.A.F. Detachments, the Home Guard and the Women's Voluntary Service. With the help also of local railwaymen, passengers in both the trains and members of the public, the relief work in all its aspects was promptly organised and carried through most efficiently. The first loaded ambulance left the site at 4.35 pm., and the last of the injured passengers was removed from the wreckage by 7.10 pm. All who worked so unselfishly under very difficult and distressing conditions deserve the highest praise, and a special tribute is due to the Warwickshire County Police who made such a valuable contribution to the organisation on the site under the direction of Superintendent Gardner.
DESCRIPTION OF ENGINE AND TRAIN
1 The engine was No. 45274, of the 5 M.T. (mixed traffic) Class with 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. It is driven from the, left hand side and weighs 1253 tons in working order with its six wheeled tender. The coupled wheels, of 6 ft. 0 ins. diameter, are driven by two outside cylinders, 18* ins. by 28 ins., and the rated tractive effort at 85% of the boiler pressure of 225 lbs per sq. in. is 25,455 lbs. With a total weight of 54; tons on the coupled wheels, the adhesion factor is 4.77. The coupled wheelbase is 15 ft. 0 ins. and the driving (middle) wheels have thin flanges of 'G' profile. The bogie side control springs are designed to exert an initial force of 3.134 tons rising to 4.03 tons at the maximum displacement to one side of 23 ins. The steam brake acts on the coupled and tender wheels under the control of the vacuum equipment working the train brakes. No speedometer is fitted.
2. Engine No. 45274 was stationed at Bristol Motive Power Depot and had run 747,517 miles since it was built in 1936. It had run 102,283 miles since the last general repair in October 1952, and 24,928 in the five months since the last "heavy intermediate" repair in August 1954. The repair history of this engine and its condition are dealt with more fully in paragraphs 61-66 below, in view of the statements which were made that it was riding roughly at the time of the accident, with heavy knocking in the coupled axle
3. London Midland and Scottish Railway and British Railways between 1934 and 1949, and all are still in service. They are simple and robust, and with the 6 ft. 0 ins. coupled wheels and ample cylinder and boiler power have proved to be very successful general-purpose machines. They have a good reputation for steadiness of running and are suitable for all but the heaviest classes of passenger and freight traffic.
4. The total weight of the 10 corridor bogie coaches was 304 tons. They were screw coupled through- out, with British Standard gangways, and all were equipped with long stroke shock absorbing buffers of London Midland and Scottish Railway design. All the underframes were of steel. The body of the leading coach, a corridor third built in 1923, was of al-timber construction. The remaining nine were built between 1931 and 1950, and their bodies were framed in hard wood with sheet steel panels. The front brake compartment of the train was at the leading end of the 2nd coach, the leading coach having been attached at Sheffield, and the guard was travelling in the brake compartment at the extreme rear of the train. All the wheels of the coaches were vacuum braked, and all except the 1st and 7th were fitted with direct admission valves which accelerate the response of the brake to the driver's application. The combined brake power of the. engine and train were approximately 76% of their total weight of 4293 tons. The total length of the train was 225 yards.
Heartland
master brummie
A description of the route showed-
Notes on Journey
30. The engine crew from Derby were Driver J. T. Martin and Fireman J. T. A. Howell of Gloucester Motive Power Depot, who had worked a northbound express from Gloucester that morning via Sutton Coldfield, arriving at Derby at 1.3 pm. Driver Martin had signed for the relevant weekly "notices", and as it was known that he was unfamiliar with the Sutton Coldfield route, arrangements had been made in advance for a local driver to accompany him on the engine as conductor from Birmingham to Burton-on-Trent on the northward journey and from Burton-on-Trent to Birmingham on his return with the 12.15 p.m. express from York to Bristol. The relationship of the train driver and the conductor is governed by the Notes to Rule 127 (iii)-see Appendix. Briefly, the conductor must drive if he is familiar with the type of engine, but the train driver must always be with him on the footplate.
31. When the train arrived at Derby from the North at 3.9 pm., 30 minutes late, Driver Martin and Fireman Howell took charge of engine No. 45274, which was working home to Bristol, and they were told by the Sheffield men whom they relieved that the engine was riding roughly with some knocking in the axle boxes. The guard from Derby was F. J. Harrison, and the times given below have been extracted from his journal. Time was saved at Derby station, and the train left at 3.13 pm., 13 minutes late. Owing to permanent way work, 20 minutes were occupied in running the 11 miles to Burton-on-Trent instead of the 16 allowed, and the train stopped there at 3.33 pm., 17 minutes late. The conductor driver, H. E. Allen of Burton (Horninglow) Motive Power Depot, joined the engine at the platform; he also had signed for the weekly " notices."
32. The station time at Burton was cut from 6 to 4 minutes, and the train started again at 3.37 pm., 15 minutes late, with Driver Allen seated at the controls and Driver Martin standing behind him; I refer later to the extent of Driver Allen's experience of this type of engine and train. The passing time at Wichnor Junction was not recorded, but 17 minutes were occupied in running the 10% miles from Burton to Lichfield (T.V.) instead of the 21 minutes allowed by the section timing, and the train arrived there at 3.54 pm., 11 minutes late. At this point Driver Martin left the footplate and took a seat in an empty compartment of the leading coach; he gave the reason that he had found it uncomfortable standing up on the rough riding engine and thought it a good opportunity to take a rest as he considered that Driver Allen was competent to handle the train with- out his advice. Four minutes instead of the five allowed were spent in taking water and station duties at Lichfield (T.V.) and the train restarted at 3.58 pm., 10 minutes late, with Driver Allen and Fireman Howell on the footplate
33. Though it was not possible to determine the precise time of the derailment at Sutton Coldfield, it probably occurred between 4.12 and 4.13 pm., as Guard Harrison noted the time by his watch as 4.14 pm. when he began to go forward along the station platform after collecting his hand lamp and some detonators; he subsequently noted "Sutton Coldfieldil.14 pm." in his journal. The block signal times recorded in the train registers of the signal boxes at Lichfield (T.V.), Lichfield (City), Four Oaks and Erdington were not of much service to establish the time of the derailment owing to the considerable variation in the clocks, and moreover the times were hooked to the nearest minute in accordance with the usual practice. All that can be said is that they were not inconsistent with the times recorded by Guard Harrison.
34. If the time of the derailment is taken as 4.13 pm. the elapsed time from the start at Lichfield (T.V.) at 3.58 pm was l5 minutes, as allowed by the section timing. Subsequent tests, to which I refer later, indicated that the average speed of 39.0 m.p.h. for the 92 miles of difficult road would have required an exceptional output of power from the Class 5 M.T. engine with the load of 10 bogie coaches, though the booked average speed of 31.8 m.p.h. over the 17: miles from Lichfield (T.V.) to Birmingham (New St.) was well within its capacity, allowing for strict observance of the various speed restrictions.
35. There was very little evidence on the running between Lichfield (T.V.) and Four Oaks, and none of the signalmen on the route noticed anything of Driver Allen on the footplate, but a photograph was taken of the train from the Four Oaks station footbridge, and it showed clearly that the engine was still under. steam on the 1 in 100 falling gradient. The photographer was Mr. A. Reason, an engineering apprentice, who lived nearby and took a great interest in railways; he was an intelligent and careful witness. He stated in his evidence that the train was running at about 45 m.p.h. and accelerating. The Four Oaks signalman thought that the engine was under steam when it passed his box 65 yards beyond the footbridge at a speed which he estimated as not less than 40 m.p.h., and a lineside resident in Boswell Road said that he saw steam as well as smoke streaming hack from the engine when he looked out on hearing the sound of a train running unusually fast. It is not hown when steam was shut off, hut as the train approached the Sutton Coldfield tunnel, Guard Harrison and Train Ticket Collector Attenborough who was with him in the rear brake compartment, thought that it was running too fast in view of the sharp curve ahead, so the former made a light application of the brake in order, as he said, to attract the driver's attention. He did not, however, keep the valve open long enough to effect any noticeable retardation of the train, and the derailment occurred as already described, probably at 55-60. m.p.h.
36. m.p.h. Attenborough, who was uninjured, got out of the rear brake van directly it came to rest between the tunnel mouth and the platform ramps. He saw that both lines were blocked and then recollected that the 1.20 pm. Down express from Bristol to York was due, so he ran forward to the signal box. He reached the box just after Fireman Smith (see page 1) had entered it through the unlocked door, and they succeeded between them in reversing all the signals before the distant came into view from the engine of the Down train. Smith then took some of the signal box detonators and put them down about 50 yards in rear of the 7-home signal, and as he did so he saw the Down express approaching, well under control. It should be mentioned that Smith had been travelling in the brake compartment of the second coach with Driver E. Blount to take duty at Birmingham. Driver Blount was killed as the right-hand side of the compartment was wrecked, and Smith sustained severe shock and some injury when he was thrown out on to the ballast through the gap which had been tom in the front end of the coach.
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Notes on Journey
30. The engine crew from Derby were Driver J. T. Martin and Fireman J. T. A. Howell of Gloucester Motive Power Depot, who had worked a northbound express from Gloucester that morning via Sutton Coldfield, arriving at Derby at 1.3 pm. Driver Martin had signed for the relevant weekly "notices", and as it was known that he was unfamiliar with the Sutton Coldfield route, arrangements had been made in advance for a local driver to accompany him on the engine as conductor from Birmingham to Burton-on-Trent on the northward journey and from Burton-on-Trent to Birmingham on his return with the 12.15 p.m. express from York to Bristol. The relationship of the train driver and the conductor is governed by the Notes to Rule 127 (iii)-see Appendix. Briefly, the conductor must drive if he is familiar with the type of engine, but the train driver must always be with him on the footplate.
31. When the train arrived at Derby from the North at 3.9 pm., 30 minutes late, Driver Martin and Fireman Howell took charge of engine No. 45274, which was working home to Bristol, and they were told by the Sheffield men whom they relieved that the engine was riding roughly with some knocking in the axle boxes. The guard from Derby was F. J. Harrison, and the times given below have been extracted from his journal. Time was saved at Derby station, and the train left at 3.13 pm., 13 minutes late. Owing to permanent way work, 20 minutes were occupied in running the 11 miles to Burton-on-Trent instead of the 16 allowed, and the train stopped there at 3.33 pm., 17 minutes late. The conductor driver, H. E. Allen of Burton (Horninglow) Motive Power Depot, joined the engine at the platform; he also had signed for the weekly " notices."
32. The station time at Burton was cut from 6 to 4 minutes, and the train started again at 3.37 pm., 15 minutes late, with Driver Allen seated at the controls and Driver Martin standing behind him; I refer later to the extent of Driver Allen's experience of this type of engine and train. The passing time at Wichnor Junction was not recorded, but 17 minutes were occupied in running the 10% miles from Burton to Lichfield (T.V.) instead of the 21 minutes allowed by the section timing, and the train arrived there at 3.54 pm., 11 minutes late. At this point Driver Martin left the footplate and took a seat in an empty compartment of the leading coach; he gave the reason that he had found it uncomfortable standing up on the rough riding engine and thought it a good opportunity to take a rest as he considered that Driver Allen was competent to handle the train with- out his advice. Four minutes instead of the five allowed were spent in taking water and station duties at Lichfield (T.V.) and the train restarted at 3.58 pm., 10 minutes late, with Driver Allen and Fireman Howell on the footplate
33. Though it was not possible to determine the precise time of the derailment at Sutton Coldfield, it probably occurred between 4.12 and 4.13 pm., as Guard Harrison noted the time by his watch as 4.14 pm. when he began to go forward along the station platform after collecting his hand lamp and some detonators; he subsequently noted "Sutton Coldfieldil.14 pm." in his journal. The block signal times recorded in the train registers of the signal boxes at Lichfield (T.V.), Lichfield (City), Four Oaks and Erdington were not of much service to establish the time of the derailment owing to the considerable variation in the clocks, and moreover the times were hooked to the nearest minute in accordance with the usual practice. All that can be said is that they were not inconsistent with the times recorded by Guard Harrison.
34. If the time of the derailment is taken as 4.13 pm. the elapsed time from the start at Lichfield (T.V.) at 3.58 pm was l5 minutes, as allowed by the section timing. Subsequent tests, to which I refer later, indicated that the average speed of 39.0 m.p.h. for the 92 miles of difficult road would have required an exceptional output of power from the Class 5 M.T. engine with the load of 10 bogie coaches, though the booked average speed of 31.8 m.p.h. over the 17: miles from Lichfield (T.V.) to Birmingham (New St.) was well within its capacity, allowing for strict observance of the various speed restrictions.
35. There was very little evidence on the running between Lichfield (T.V.) and Four Oaks, and none of the signalmen on the route noticed anything of Driver Allen on the footplate, but a photograph was taken of the train from the Four Oaks station footbridge, and it showed clearly that the engine was still under. steam on the 1 in 100 falling gradient. The photographer was Mr. A. Reason, an engineering apprentice, who lived nearby and took a great interest in railways; he was an intelligent and careful witness. He stated in his evidence that the train was running at about 45 m.p.h. and accelerating. The Four Oaks signalman thought that the engine was under steam when it passed his box 65 yards beyond the footbridge at a speed which he estimated as not less than 40 m.p.h., and a lineside resident in Boswell Road said that he saw steam as well as smoke streaming hack from the engine when he looked out on hearing the sound of a train running unusually fast. It is not hown when steam was shut off, hut as the train approached the Sutton Coldfield tunnel, Guard Harrison and Train Ticket Collector Attenborough who was with him in the rear brake compartment, thought that it was running too fast in view of the sharp curve ahead, so the former made a light application of the brake in order, as he said, to attract the driver's attention. He did not, however, keep the valve open long enough to effect any noticeable retardation of the train, and the derailment occurred as already described, probably at 55-60. m.p.h.
36. m.p.h. Attenborough, who was uninjured, got out of the rear brake van directly it came to rest between the tunnel mouth and the platform ramps. He saw that both lines were blocked and then recollected that the 1.20 pm. Down express from Bristol to York was due, so he ran forward to the signal box. He reached the box just after Fireman Smith (see page 1) had entered it through the unlocked door, and they succeeded between them in reversing all the signals before the distant came into view from the engine of the Down train. Smith then took some of the signal box detonators and put them down about 50 yards in rear of the 7-home signal, and as he did so he saw the Down express approaching, well under control. It should be mentioned that Smith had been travelling in the brake compartment of the second coach with Driver E. Blount to take duty at Birmingham. Driver Blount was killed as the right-hand side of the compartment was wrecked, and Smith sustained severe shock and some injury when he was thrown out on to the ballast through the gap which had been tom in the front end of the coach.
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Lady Penelope
master brummie
Thank you all for your input. Really helpful. Still wondering why he was buried in Sutton or why he had an RAF stone but I'm not sure where to go for this information. He was stationed in Wales so he may have been back to Nottingham.
It may be that his parents had died and the RAF buried him.
Thanks again.
It may be that his parents had died and the RAF buried him.
Thanks again.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Lady P, long entries before your post !
Any road up, searching a different way noticed in the Yorkshire Observer a mention of Michael Newton (21) of RAF Billbrough. So he would be stationed there but not his home town ?
(99 Beechdale Road still exists, and a few other papers put a comma after the RAF, so it probably looks like that was his address at the time of the accident.)
Any road up, searching a different way noticed in the Yorkshire Observer a mention of Michael Newton (21) of RAF Billbrough. So he would be stationed there but not his home town ?
(99 Beechdale Road still exists, and a few other papers put a comma after the RAF, so it probably looks like that was his address at the time of the accident.)
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Lady Penelope
master brummie
Thank you Pedro for the Guardian Journal write up and Heartland for the very useful map.
So Bilborough was his home and he was returning to his base at St Athan's which I understand is near Barry, South Wales. From the article Pedro, is seems that he was doing National Service as he joined at 18 and was due to be demobbed in the June following the crash.
Just need to know why he was buried in Sutton which I'm sure will become clear in time. I will be contacting the RAF to see what there thoughts are.
For Heritage weekend we are proposing a small exhibition at Sutton Station in the booking hall. In view of the fact that it is the 200 year celebration of the railways, 80 years since the end of WWII, and 70 years since the Sutton rail crash, the day will be based around these.
Thanks again to everyone.
So Bilborough was his home and he was returning to his base at St Athan's which I understand is near Barry, South Wales. From the article Pedro, is seems that he was doing National Service as he joined at 18 and was due to be demobbed in the June following the crash.
Just need to know why he was buried in Sutton which I'm sure will become clear in time. I will be contacting the RAF to see what there thoughts are.
For Heritage weekend we are proposing a small exhibition at Sutton Station in the booking hall. In view of the fact that it is the 200 year celebration of the railways, 80 years since the end of WWII, and 70 years since the Sutton rail crash, the day will be based around these.
Thanks again to everyone.