This page is one of a series introducing railway staff who worked on the south coast of England before 1939. They’ve been researched as part of the ‘Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts’ project – which you can read more about here, including accessing details of the other railway workers featured.
Research was undertaken from November 2024-July 2025, by a small group of volunteers from the Havant Local History Group, working with the University of Portsmouth’s History team. The work was funded by the University of Portsmouth’s Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation.
The workers featured were selected from staff who appear in the Railway Work, Life & Death project database of accidents to pre-1939 British and Irish railway workers.
It seems as though Albert Rogers’ conscientiousness might have been his undoing. Sadly this is a story the Railway Work, Life & Death project has seen over and over. The railways inspired dedication in their workforce, with staff doing everything they could to keep the system moving and the trains running. Sometimes that had deadly consequences for the individual.
A hard start to life
Albert Frank Rogers was born in Bishopstoke, in 1883. He was the first of three children born to Richard and Ann Rogers, who had married in 1881. However, his mother had two children from a previous marriage. Richard died in 1886, age 51; Albert was only three, Robert was two and their youngest child, Lily, a new-born.
Richard was a blacksmith’s labourer – possibly on the railway, though that is unknown. His accident certainly happened around the railway. He was working at Bishopstoke station and had his arm fractured between two carriages as he crossed lines between them. Those injuries proved fatal.
Ann took work as a charwoman, with her eldest children (from the previous marriage) working and contributing to the household economy. They remained living in Bishopstoke in 1891, being joined by Ann’s father.
By 1901 Albert had joined the railway as a fitter’s assistant. Bishopstoke was well-placed for railway work, as it was next to Eastleigh, the London and South Western Railway (LSWR)’s major works and a significant junction. Albert’s younger brother, Robert, also worked for the LSWR, at the works, as a labourer in the saw mill.
In 1911 Ann still had four of her children living with her in Bishopstoke. In 1915 Albert married Annie Read in Wareham, Dorset. They returned to Hampshire to live – presumably tied by Albert’s job, as a signal fitter. In 1921 Albert and Ann were living at 42 High Street, Eastleigh.
Albert’s work and life after 1921
There’s a bit of a gap in the records after the 1921 Census, and the next time we can trace Albert it’s due to the accident that caused his death in 1937. He and Ann do not appear to have had any children, and were living in Chandler’s Ford, just to the west of Eastleigh.
As a signal fitter, Albert would have been responsible for repairing and maintaining the fixtures and fittings for railway signals. On what was, after 1923, the Southern Railway, this could have been quite a mixed role, with both mechanical and electrical signalling equipment in use. It was also a mobile role, and Albert would have been sent out to a variety of locations where his experience was needed.
Albert’s accident, 1937
The accident on 14 May 1937 was no exception. Albert was sent out to Havant, working with a blacksmith, Alfred Jacobs, from Eastleigh. Whilst there, the signalman asked Albert to try to fix a pair of points which had just failed. He and Jacobs went to take a look, but couldn’t see anything wrong.
Albert left Jacobs at the points and went to the nearest telephone to call the signalman. As he did so, he noticed a train coming, so warned Jacobs to stand clear – which he did. Albert returned to the site of the points; the next time Jacobs saw him, he was falling away from the front of the engine. The driver said that as the train approached, Albert bent down. The driver sounded the whistle and shouted a warning. Although the train was travelling slowly due to a speed restriction, it could not be stopped before hitting Albert.
The state accident investigation concluded that Albert ‘wanted to see the effect of the train on the points, and in his anxiety to get into the best position for doing so, he inadvertently placed himself too close to the track.’ It therefore attributed the cause to an error of judgement on Albert’s part.
The inquest
The inquest was reported in the Hampshire Telegraph of 21 May 1937. It established a similar cause to the state investigation, though procedurally had to explore other options. It ensured that Albert had not touched the electric third rail. The route to Portsmouth from London Waterloo had only been electrified earlier in 1937, so this was a relatively new hazard for many in the area to be aware of. Evidence was taken about Albert’s health. A niece confirmed that he had never suffered from fainting or giddiness and was in good health. And the conditions on the ground were discussed, to make sure Albert had not slipped.
Jacobs’ testimony carries within it some interesting comments. We get a sense of the working relationship between the two men. Albert said ‘We cannot do anything now Alf as the train is passing’ – a sense of familiarity and friendliness between workmates. There was respect, too: ‘He was an exceptionally keen and conscientious and a very cheerful chap’.
One comment suggests that accidents might have graver impacts on those who witnessed them. Recalling the moment Albert just before was struck, Jacobs said ‘I can see it still in my mind’s eye.’ No doubt this is the kind of thing that would remain with someone.
All the evidence pointed to a man who had pride in his job and was doing the best he could. He tried to make the most of a chance to gain some extra understanding of a problem – but misjudged the situation slightly, leading to his death.
Mike Esbester
I’m Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth, and one of the wider Railway Work, Life & Death project co-leads. I’ve greatly enjoyed the Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts project and have valued the chance to learn with and learn from Neil, Ann, Geoff and Alan – and to share what we’ve uncovered here.