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.
The Railway Inspectorate investigated the death of William Howick on 14 March 1929 at Emsworth. He was a platform porter working for the Southern Railway (SR).
The Accident
On the evening of 14 March the Havant slow stopping train was expected. William followed his fellow porter, Fred Munday, as he pushed a “set of wheels loaded with parcels” across the line ready for the approaching train. Munday suddenly realized the train was a through express train, chartered for excursions from London to the coast by the Restall’s Company.
He shouted a warning and managed to reach safety with the trolley, but William was hit and died.
The Inquest
The Chichester Observer (20 March 1929) described the Inquest, held at the Red Triangle Club in Chichester by the Deputy Coroner and a jury. The Organising Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen and a representative of the SR attended.
The Deputy Coroner opened the enquiry by saying the only injury to the deceased was a head injury, caused by being struck by the train and falling over against the bridge. William Howick’s son had identified the body and confirmed his sight and hearing had been good.
Frederick Munday, porter at Emsworth station, described being on duty at about 7:20 pm and being on the down platform with William. They had both left the porters’ room, and Frederick had taken a pair of wheels loaded with parcels across the line to the up platform, with William following him.
Frederick had looked up as he was about to cross the upline, and saw it was the Restall’s Express, a fast train running every Thursday. Restall’s Excursions of Cheapside chartered Excursion Expresses running from London to coastal resorts, such as Portsmouth and Bognor Regis. Frederick shouted “It’s the Restall’s Bill!” and crossed just in time.
He looked for his colleague and found him lying clear of the line between the up line and wall of the bridge. The deceased had hit his head. Frederick thought he hadn’t heard his warning given the rattle of the trolley wheels and the roar of the train.
As Emsworth Hospital was closed for repairs William was taken by train to Chichester but died on the way.
The Restall’s train was running three minutes late bringing it very close to the time of the Havant slow train. The engine driver said it was too dark to see the deceased, and he had noticed nothing. The train had been going between 40 and 45 mph.
The Jury found the deceased was accidently killed in the execution of his duty, and no blame was attached to anyone.
Who was William Howick?
The 1921 Census finds William living at Glenthorne, Hambrook, with his wife Martha, nee Wakefield. They are both 47 having a birth date of 1874. William was a crossing keeper for the London, Brighton and South Coast railway (LBSCR). He worked at Southbourne. Joining them in the household was his 18-year-old son, Leonard Thomas Howick, who was a Domestic Engineer for the Ironmonger JE Ray. William had been born at Headley, Hampshire, and his wife and son at Chidham nearby. Making up the household were two sisters-in-law.
Ten years before, the 1911 Census shows the family of three at Glenthorne, Broad Road, Hambrook. William is a platelayer, a track maintenance worker for the LBSCR. Making up the household was Thomas Howick, a widower, aged 72 and a Domestic Gardener. He was William’s father.
William and Martha had married at Chidham in 1901. The Census for that year has him working as a platelayer and lodging at South Bersted.
In the 1891 Census William is 16 and living at Hinds cottage lodge in Slindon with his father Thomas, a domestic gardener, with his mother Matilda, a laundress, and with his sister Annie, aged 21. Thomas was born in Graffham, and the other three members of the family at Headley. William was working as a gardener and domestic servant.
The National Union of Railwaymen membership register records William as member number 529185 and having joined the Chichester Branch on 12 December 1913 at the age of 39. He was a platelayer employed by the LBSCR. In January 1921 he transferred to the Havant branch. Two payments were made on 25 March 1929 of £10 and £5 following his accidental death.
The UK Railway Employment Records 1833-1856 show William employed as a gatekeeper at Emsworth station. His wages in June 1920 are £2.18.0. The records give his date of birth as 20 June 1874, and he was recommended by the Engineering Department.
The records also show another William Howick employed at stations as a porter, but at times when we know William was working as a platelayer from the censuses. He was working as a crossing or gate keeper or porter by 1921, having been a platelayer when he joined the Union in 1913.
What did a Platelayer do?
Working for the railways allowed opportunities for advancement. The exception was the platelayers, who worked long hours for poor pay. They were out in all weathers inspecting and maintaining their allocated section of line. The work was physically hard using hand tools only. William was unusual in transferring to become a porter.
After the Accident
William is buried at Chidham on 18 March 1929, with an entry in the Register that he had died on the 14th having been accidentally killed. His family and colleagues attended. Probate was granted on 6 June 1929 to his widow Martha, and he left £490.7.6.
Martha continued to live at Glenthorn, Hambrook, with her son who became an omnibus driver. She died in 1947 at the age of 73 and is buried together with William and his father Thomas at St Mary’s Church in Chidham.
Geoff Robinson