Details of the Accident
Place | Lewisham St Johns, Kent, England |
Date | Wednesday 4th December 1957, 6.20 p.m. |
Railway Company | British Railways (Southern Region) |
No. of Fatalities | 90 |
Cause of Accident | Collision |
Description | Driver of the 16.56 London Charing Cross to Ramsgate missed two warning colour light signals in the fog and ran into the rear of the preceding train which was stopped at a red signal. This train was stopped so that the driver could telephone the signalman as there was some doubt as to which route the train should take at the next junction. The train describer system was at fault because of the fog and slow running. During the collision, the tender of the Ramsgate train swung sideways and dislodged a steel column that supported an over-bridge. The bridge collapsed and crushed two of the coaches. |
Sources/Further Reading
- Steam World magazine, January 1995 (photographs of damaged locomotive in depot - 34066 Spitfire)
- The Times, 5th Dec 1957
- https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=216839441:4078&d=bmd_1646647063
List of Fatalities
78 of the 90 fatalities that have been identifed so far are listed in the table below together with brief notes on 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ADAMS | Agnes M. | 47 | Embledon Road, Ladywell, SE13, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 90 | ||
ALLCHIN | Richard J. | 41 | Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 90 | ||
ALLEN | Joseph W. | 49 | (no address), | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 90 | ||
AMBROSE | Leonard Herbert | 38 | Conn Blythe Road, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 90 | ||
ASHLEY | Rosemary Gillian | 19 | Hillcrest View, Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 91 | ||
BAKER | Patricia D. F. | 19 | Lushingham Road, Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 44 | ||
BAKER | Richard A. | 37 | Stonepark Avenue, Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 94 | ||
BANFIELD | Maurice John | 28 | George Street, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 94 | ||
BARNARD | John Daniel | 55 | Woodfield Road, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 92 | ||
BASSETT | Peter B. | 58 | Estridge Way, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 93 | ||
BERKELEY | Anthony J. B. | 21 | Tunbridge Wells, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 93 | ||
BIRCH | Guthrie Oswald | 58 | Eversley Way, Folkestone, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 93 | ||
BOND | F. J. | Tonbridge, KEN | ||||
BRIDLE | Denise S. | 18 | Catford, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 94 | ||
CHARLESWORTH | Frederick | 35 | Keswick Road, West Wickham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 95 | ||
CLIFT | Kenneth Albert | 19 | Private (Army) | Hexel Road, Catford, SE6, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 95 | |
COOMBS | Thomas | 53 | Christchurch Road, Ashford, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 95 | ||
COPPARD | Roy Reginald | 28 | Kentish Mansions, London Road, Tunbridge Wells, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 95 | ||
DAVIS | Charles R. | 50 | Broadwater Down, Tunbridge Wells, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 95 | ||
EAGLAND | Brian | 19 | Fusilier | Connaught Barracks, Dover, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 96 | |
EMES | Victor B. | 38 | Harold Crescent, Abbey Wood, S.E., LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 96 | ||
EVERARD | Alan C. | 22 | Douglas Road, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 96 | ||
FLETCHER | Alfred Ernest | 47 | Bentham Hill, Southborough, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 96 | ||
FREEMAN | Graham B.E. | 3 | Catford, KEN | Youngest victim. He had visited Father Christmas on Oxford Street that afternoon and was returning home. | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 196 | |
GIBSON-FLEMING | Robert | 47 | (no address), | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 97 | ||
GREEN | Hugh M. | 37 | Church Cottage, Horsmonden, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 97 | ||
HALLAS | Brian H. | 34 | Bentham Hill, Southborough, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 97 | ||
HALSEY | William J. | 58 | St. Annes Road, Dymchurch, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 91 | ||
HALSTEAD | Walter C. N. | 49 | Wickham Grove, West Wickham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 91 | ||
HARRIS | Florence Ada | 36 | Persant Road, SE6, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 98 | ||
HEAVER | Percy H. | 51 | Harold Street, Dover, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 98 | ||
HENNING | Josephine E. H. | 32 | Ewhurst Road, SE4, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 98 | ||
HICKS | William J. N. | 34 | West Dean Avenue, Lee, SE, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 93 | ||
HUBBARD | Barbara M. | 20 | Eden Way, Beckenham, KEN | Unmarried. | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 98 | |
HUMPHRIES | Sidney J. | 47 | Vale Road, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 98 | ||
HUXTABLE | George D. | 50 | Brookside Way, Shirley, Croydon, SRY | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 99 | ||
JAMES | Colin M. | 26 | Crimson Gardens, Folkestone, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 99 | ||
JARRETT | Brian J. | 28 | Garden Cottage, Colebrook Road, Tonbridge , KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 99 | ||
KENNETT | Thomas Sidney | 24 | Elms Vale Road, Dover, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 99 | ||
LAWRENCE | Sidney John | 41 | Totteridge Road, High Wycombe, or Clarendon Road, High Wycombe, BKM | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 100 | ||
LEARY | Ethel M. | 51 | 137, Wickham Chase, West Wickham , KEN | Address from property found in possessions | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 100 | |
LIDDLE | Edwin J. | 57 | Bromley Farm-house, Pembury, near Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 100 | ||
MACGREGOR | Alexander R. | 45 | Stone Cottage, Camden Park, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 101 | ||
MARSH | Thomas W. | 58 | Dryhill Park Road, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 100 | ||
MASKENS | Eileen Mary | 17 | Roundtable Road, Downham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 101 | ||
MORLEY | Robert N. | 59 | Bordyke, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 101 | ||
McGREGOR | Ronald D. | 40 | Great Road, Hildenborough, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 101 | ||
NEWBERY | Rodney A. | 22 | Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 101 | ||
NEWLAND | Vernon H. William | 58 | Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 102 | ||
NEWLAND | Vernon Henry William | 58 | Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 102 | ||
NIGHTINGALE | Thomas F. | 51 | Oakemeads, Trenchwood, Tonbridge , KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 102 | ||
NOAKES | Gillian A. | 20 | Burrs Hill, Brenchley, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 102 | ||
NORRIS | Francis J. R. | 33 | Delva Avenue, Tunbridge Wells, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 102 | ||
NORTH | Henry W. W. | 63 | Yester Road, Chislehurst, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 102 | ||
POPE | Edwin J. | 40 | The Brickyards, Softwood, Hythe, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 103 | ||
PRIESTLEY | Harold | 49 | Lewisham Park, Lewisham, KEN | Dr. | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 89 | |
REEVES | Arthur E. | 65 | Romborough Way, Lewisham, SE13, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 92 | ||
RELFE | Ronald | 22 | The Priory, Bordyke, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 103 | ||
REYNOLDS | Robert W. | 32 | Crutchley Road, Downham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 103 | ||
ROSE | Derek | 33 | Ardgowan Road, Catford, SE6, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 104 | ||
ROWSON | Charles E. | 55 | Stanhope Grove, Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 104 | ||
ROYLE | Thomas | 50 | Silvermere Road, Catford, SE6, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 104 | ||
SEDGWICK | Raymond E. | 31 | Dover, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 104 | ||
SHERROTT | John Stanley | 53 | Silver Lane, West Wickham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 105 | ||
SHOTTON | John F. | 42 | Fordmill Road, Catford, SE6, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 105 | ||
SLIPPER | Peter E. | 29 | Peon Way, Higham Lane, Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 105 | ||
SNOOK | Edward T. | 56 | Folkestone, KEN | 1958/Mar Greenwich 5c 640 | ||
SOPHOCLES | Andreas | 22 | Moor Street, WC, or Pomfret Road, SE, LND | "a Cypriot" | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 105 | |
STEEPLES | Frank | 39 | Prospect Road, Tunbridge Wells, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 105 | ||
STONE | Charles George | 44 | Speldburst Road, Southborough, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 106 | ||
TAYLOR | R. W. | , LND | Male. | |||
TAYLOR | Roy H. | 31 | Care of Sydney Simon and Co., Graham Street, EC, LND | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 106 | ||
TAYLOR | Sheila M. | 23 | Brondfield Road (no town), | Married | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 106 | |
TIDMAN | William | 51 | Eden Way, Beckenham, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 106 | ||
WELLS | Rainald | 51 | Camden, LND | Husband of Dorothy H MARTIN (of the Martins Bank family) | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 107 | |
WILLIAMS | Ronald E. | 24 | Downderry Road, Bromley, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 107 | ||
WOOD | Ernest John | 28 | Tonbridge, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 108 | ||
WYARD | Wilmer T. | 75 | Beacon Hill, Cliff Road, Hythe, KEN | 1958/Mar Lewisham 5d 108 |