So this is probably at train crash you have never heard of and why would you unless you know the history of the area. Well I do know the area as my family lived there and on that fateful night they may well have rushed to the scene of devastation to assist.
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| The river Yare at Thorpe St Andrew. Photo © Helen Steed |
The accident happened on the night of the 10th
September 1874 in the town of Thorpe St Andrew. A peaceful place on the side of
the river Yare east of Norwich in Norfolk. At the time the population was
between 4000 and 5000. It was an extremely wet night and due to the time it
happened it was also dark. The crash happened on the single track line at about
21.45 when the 20.40 mail train from Yarmouth collided head on with the 17.00
London to Yarmouth passenger train. Both trains were running late that night
and had both received written confirmation that they could proceed onto the
single track line. But unfortunately mistakes were made with a misunderstanding
about which train was to be given permission to enter the line. The station
master at Thorpe meant for the passenger train to enter the line but the duty
inspector thought he meant the mail train. With both travelling at speed they
stood no chance of stopping when they each caught sight of the other. There was
nothing the drivers could do to prevent disaster. It was said that when the
engines hit they pushed each other up into the air and the carriages were
destroyed. In the accident the drivers and firemen of the trains died instantly
and 17 passengers died at the scene and more died from their injuries. A
further 75 people were seriously injured.
Now at the time of the accident my ancestors were living on
Thunder Lane in the town. My great great grandma was 8 years old and living
with her mother and stepfather. Her eldest brother Edward was 21 and newly
married with his first child. It is fair to say when the accident happened Edward
and his stepfather along with other members of the family would have rushed to
the scene to see what had happened and they then probably stayed to help the
rescue of those trapped and the transportation of the injured to the nearby pub
for treatment. The young men of the town would have been pressed into service
to help in the rescue efforts. There were no heavy rescue units to call upon.
It would have been all hands on deck to get the injured out and to safety.
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Thorpe St Andrew showing the site of the crash and where my
family lived |
The eyewitness accounts of the accident said what a sight of
devastation with the mangled trains and carriages with the cries of the
injured. As it was night bonfires had to be lit so that the rescuers could see
what they were doing. Bodies had been flung from the train and survivors landed
in peoples gardens. Many had serious injuries that needed instant treatment and
others had lost their clothing or what they had left was in tatters. One child
had to have her leg amputated at the scene.
Of those who died there was a family. A mother, a father and
a young child. A family outing that ended in tragedy.
What did my family see, what did they hear. How did it
affect them at the time and in the future? I guess I will never know for sure,
but I can’t see them not being troubled by it. Anyone who had to witness such
an event must have been impacted by it. Did it impact them in their later
lives? Did little Julia Weeds see any of the carnage or was she sheltered form
it by her mother?
This rail disaster just goes to show that history and family
history/genealogy go hand in hand. The history is the rail disaster but my
family’s potential involvement is the family history and the genealogy. So the
moral of this blog is do not ignore the history of the time your ancestors
lived in. You can get an insight into their lives from it.
