Whilst blog posts have largely reflected our project sources and focus, and looked at mainline railways in the UK and Ireland, this doesn’t capture all of the railway activity – and dangers – in our nations. Plenty of railway systems were privately-owned and operated – like the coal railways which came to be part of […]
Archive | Accident aftermath
Charles Stewart, 1806-1864
By Pauline Figliolini on August 30, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Blog, Family History, Guest contribution
This guest blog post, from Pauline Figliolini, came about after Pauline had found the project and enquired about early staff accident records. Sadly we didn’t have further details to help directly, but we made a couple of suggestions and after a few emails back and forth Pauline not only found more information on her Great […]
On Track for Change: Receiving an artificial limb
By Head of Steam Team on August 23, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Blog, Disability, Guest contribution
We’re delighted to welcome back the team from Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum, with more from their ‘On Track for Change’ exhibition. This post looks at some of the people who received artificial limbs manufactured at the North Road Works in Darlington – including one necessitated by service in the First World War. […]
Charles Bennett Mugford, 1878-1959
By Jane Jarrett on June 14, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Blog, Disability, Family History, Guest contribution
In this post, guest author Jane Jarrett outlines her Grandfather’s life and career, including the accident that cost him his arm and changed his life in a variety of ways. It’s another reminder both of the personal impacts of railway accidents and of the ways in which the railway companies treated injured staff. The personal […]
The Bullhouse Railway Accident
By Mark Greenwood on May 31, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Accident reports, Blog, Guest contribution, Linking sources, Passenger
In this post, guest author Mark Greenwood looks at a passenger accident from 1884, which went on to have an interesting ‘afterlife’ in various forms of cultural production. He looks at how a mechanical fault led to the crash at Bullhouse, in Yorkshire – but also the part that the geography of the site played. […]
Frederick John Berriman
By Gordon Dudman on May 10, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Blog, Family History, Guest contribution, Linking sources
In this week’s post, from guest author Gordon Dudman, some of the legal issues raised by railway accidents come to light. These weren’t, however, arcane points, but had a very real impact on the ability of one man’s wife to claim compensation for her husband’s death. They also had wider implications for all areas of […]
John Rigby of Long Buckby Wharf
By Julie G on April 26, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Blog, Disability, Guest contribution, Local History
In today’s guest blog post, Julie G takes us back to a place-based approach. She’s interested in Long Buckby Wharf, in Northants – a transport hub, of sorts, with road, rail and canal links. Needless to say, that involved accidents, and she’s blogged about several – rail and canal – on her One Place Study […]
The treatment of railway workers injured in accidents
By Arthur Moore on April 19, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Accident reports, Blog, Disability, Guest contribution
In this guest post, NRM project volunteer Arthur Moore returns to consider some of the cases he’s encountered when transcribing state accident investigations for the period up before 1911. He draws together some threads to think about what might have happened to injured staff after their accident – raising more questions we should be considering. […]
The Case of the Monkey on the Railway
By Alexandra Foulds on March 15, 2021 in Accident aftermath, Blog, Guest contribution, Linking sources, Medical humanities
As guest author Alexandra Foulds notes, this post came about by a chance connection on Twitter – fortunately, though the subject matter is, perhaps needless to say, unfortunate. We’re really pleased to feature it, and look forward to working with St George’s University of London Archives again in the future. As this blog post makes […]
A Brynamman Accident
On 5 June 1914 Midland Railway fireman Iestyn Newman Nash, 27, was working his turn at Brynamman, Carmarthenshire. Moving some coaches to prepare his train, he appears to have leaned out of the engine in order to watch for any signals from the guard. Somewhat ominously, the state report, taken by JJ Hornby, noted that […]
