9521008mdx
Details of the Railway Fatal Accident
| Location | Harrow and Wealdstone, Middlesex, England |
|---|---|
| Date | Wednesday, 8th October 1952, 8.20 a.m. |
| Railway Company | British Railways (London Midland Region) |
| No. of fatalities | 112 |
| Cause of accident | Collision |
| Description | A local train from Tring to London Euston was standing on the up fast platform line (having just been switched from the up slow line), when it was hit by the Perth to London Sleeper (locomotive 46242 City of Glasgow), this train having run past a warning distant and two semaphore stop signals in the fog. Despite the efforts of the signalman, the two trains that had collided were then hit by the London to Liverpool Express (double-headed with locomotives 46202 Princess Anne and 45637 Windward Isles). Thirty-five of the fatalities were railwaymen. Ten of the fatalities later died of their injuries. |
Sources/Further Reading
- Aberdeen Evening Express, 14th October 1952
- British Railways Magazine, November 1952
- Red for Danger by L.T.C. Rolt (Sutton Publishing 1955)
- Steam World magazine, October 1995
- The Harrow Railway Disaster 1952 by L F E.Coombs (David & Charles, 1984)
- The Railway Gazette, 10th October 1952
- The Railway Gazette, 17th October 1952
- The Railway Gazette, 24th October 1952
- The Railway Gazette, 31st October 1952
- The Railway Magazine, December 1952
- The Railway World, November 1952
- Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 14th October 1952
- Official Investigation Report available – see www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventlisting.php
List of Fatalities
107 of the 112 fatalities have been identified so far. They are listed in the table below together with brief notes on any other information that has been found. If there are more than 25 records, they have been split into separate pages – please use the navigation below to move to other pages.
The last column shows the General Register Office (England and Wales), Statutory Register (Scotland), General Register Northern Ireland or Civil Registration for Ireland reference where this has been identified (this reference can be used to order a copy of the official death certificate).
| Surname | First Name | Age | Occupation | Residence | Notes | GRO/SR/GRONI/GROIE Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEATTIE | John McCann | 18 | Son of J. Beattie, Powfoot Street, Glasgow | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 407 | ||
| BENJAFIELD | Albert Ernest | 19 | L.A.C. (R.A.F) | Winchester Road, Edmonton | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 408 | |
| BENTLEY | Clifford Maurice | 18 | Sapper (R.E.) | Next of kin, Alfred Street, Bloxwich, STS | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 408 | |
| BENTON | Donald William | 18 | Elgin | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 408 | ||
| BLAKE | Reginald Stanley | 51 | Hartford Avenue, Kenton | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 308 | ||
| BLUNDELL | H. | Woodcroft Avenue, Stanmore | ||||
| BLUNDELL | Unknown | Grasmere Gardens, Harrow | ||||
| BRIERS | Janice Ellen Georgina | 15 | Summerfield Road, Watford | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 408 | ||
| BROOKS | Herbert Noel | 22 | Copse Close, Watford | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 408 | ||
| BURGESS | Walter Frederick | 54 | Duke's Avenue, Wealdstone | Died of injuries | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 408 | |
| BURTON | Charles Harry | 33 | Sevington Road, Hendon | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 409 | ||
| BURTON | Henry | 45 | Q.C. | Kensington Court, London W8 | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 409 | |
| BURTON | Polly | 60 | Pinconin | Married | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 409 | |
| CHEETHAM | Alice | 45 | c/o Gaphurst Railway Station, Wigan | Married. | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 409 | |
| CHRISTOPHER | George Michael | Leggatt's Way, Watford | ||||
| CLARKE | George | Ridge Lane, Watford | ||||
| CLOUGH | Edwin Milton | 33 | Longley Road, Harrow | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 409 | ||
| COLBURN | F. | Abercorn Road, Stanmore | ||||
| COLE | Reginald Douglas | 46 | Colindale Drive, Stanmore | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 410 | ||
| COSIER | Ronald Charles | 54 | Beaconsfield Road, Tring | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 410 | ||
| CROCKER | John William | 20 | Ridge Lane, Watford | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 410 | ||
| CROW | John Norman | 25 | Lyonmeade, Stanmore | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 411 | ||
| CUBB | J.W. | Beaconsfield Road, Tring | ||||
| CULVERHOUSE | Raymond Henry | 21 | St. Albans Road, Watford | 1952/Dec Harrow 5F 411 | ||
| DENTIN | Sapper (R.E.) | Attached to R.E. Elgin |