Details of the Accident
Place | Barnes, Surrey, England |
Date | Friday 2nd December 1955, 11.28 p.m. |
Railway Company | British Railways (Southern Region) |
No. of Fatalities | 13 |
Cause of Accident | Error by Signalman |
Description | The 23:12 electric passenger train travelling from Waterloo to Windsor and Chertsey collided with the rear of a LMS class 8 2-8-0 hauled freight train from Herne Hill to Brent at about 35 mph. The wreckage from the passenger train short-circuited the third rail and electrical arcing started a fire in the wooden coach frames; the leading coach of the passenger train was burnt out. The coaches were classified as 2-NOL and were converted in the 1930s from old LSWR steam carriages |
Sources/Further Reading
- Steam World magazine, May 1996 (briefly in connection with similar accident at Maze Hill, 1958)
- The Times, 2nd Dec 1955
- The Times, 3rd Dec 1955
- The Times, 8th Dec 1955
List of Fatalities
The 13 fatalities are listed in the table below together with brief notes of any other information found so far.
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.
Surname | First Names | Age | Occupation | Residence | Notes | GRO/SR/GRONI/GROIE Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEARD | Adrienne M. | 20 | Alton Gardens, Twickenham, MDX | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 639 | ||
BRAID | Peter Karl | 42 | Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Chobham Lane, Chertsey, SRY | , | Lieutenant-Colonel | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 639 |
CROUCH | Bernard Easterbrook | 30 | Clerk for London County Council | Baybrook Avenue, Egham, SRY | International table tennis player and well known lawn tennis player (ranked no.3 in Surrey). | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 640 |
DAVAN | David A. | 18 | Lyndhurst Avenue, Twickenham, MDX | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 638 | ||
DOYLE | Margery Silvia | 40 | , | Married. Husband injured in crash. | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 639 | |
FLANDERS | Wilfred G. | 55 | Railway driver | John Kay Court, Latcham Road, Sheperton, SRY | Driver of the electric train. | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 640 |
FOSTER | Jack G. | 20 | Student at Shoreditch Teacher Trainee College, Egham SRY | Inigo Road, Stoneycroft, Liverpool, LAN | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 639 | |
HINMAN | Ernest Alfred | 45 | Railway guard | Robert Street, Regent's Park, London NW1, LND | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 639 | |
JAMES | Anita | 22 | Evelyn Road, Richmond, SRY | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 638 | ||
MAIDEN | James | 22 | Student at Shoreditch Teacher Trainee College, Egham SRY | Langwith Road, Bolsover, DBY | Died of injuries. | 1956/Mar Wandsworth 5d 1075 |
ROUSSEL | Louis Tristan | 38 | , | From Mauritius. | Student at Shoreditch Teacher Trainee College, Egham SRY | |
SCOONES | Laura | 27 | Clarence Street, Staines, MDX | Unmarried | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 639 | |
WARD | Herbert Thomas | 61 | Railway driver | Colne Road, Twickenham, MDX | Travelling as a passenger. | 1956/Mar Surrey N. 5g 640 |