Details of the Railway Fatal Accident

LocationHither Green, Kent, England
DateSunday, 5th November 1967, 9.16 p.m.
Railway CompanyBritish Railways (Southern Region)
No. of fatalities49
Cause of AccidentDerailment
Description19.43 Hastings to Charing Cross was approaching Hither Green at speed when a wheel struck a small wedge shaped piece of steel that had broken away from the end of a running rail. This piece of broken rail caused a derailment. Poor track maintenance was blamed. In 2017 a memorial service was held to mark the 50th anniversary. I am proud to have helped by providing a list of the victims for use during the service.

Sources/Further Reading

  • Bexhill Observer, 1st December 2008
  • The Times, 7th November 1967

List of Fatalities

49 of the 49 fatalities have been identifed 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 will 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).

SurnameFirst NameAgeOccupationResidenceNotesGRO/SR/GRONI/GROIE Ref.
LEWIS Betty 26 Serving in the Women's Royal Naval Service Swan Terrace, Hastings, SSX 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 311
LINGHAM Ann E. 19 Ribblesdale Road, Streatham S.W., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 238
MCPHERSON-HEARD Juliet W. 20 Linden Cottage, Mill Hill, London N.W., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 238
MEYERS George Alfred 26 Tadworth Road, Neasdon, London N.W., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 273
REED Dianne Sandra 22 Teacher Curzon Avenue, Enfield, MDX Was married the previous week. 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 377
RITSON Susan Anne 21 College Glen, Maidenhead, BRK 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 341
ROLLS Ruby Hazel H. 48 Tottenham. London N., LND Unmarried 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 377
ROOTS Hugh P. 19 Rolvenden, KEN 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 237
SELLINGS Geoffrey 19 Naval cook H.M.S Hardy, Royal Navy, 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 340
SMITH Michael 2 Whitehall Hotel, Bloomsbury Square, London W.C., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 311
SMITH Wendy 38 Whitehall Hotel, Bloomsbury Square, London W.C., LND Married 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 311
SPENCER Richard 21 Student at Thomas Peacocke (now Rye) College Woodhurst Road, Abbey Wood. London S.E., LND Bench erected Rye SSX in memory 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 340
STEWART Rosemary 22 Fairmead Road, Upper Holloway, London N, LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 312
THOMSON William D. 28 Flight Lieutenant Relatives lived at Luton Road, Hastings, SSX 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 311
TREACHER Alison Winifred 23 Lancaster, Steyning, SSX 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 377
TURNER Christopher Ian 31 Cross-in-Hand, SSX Son of Surgeon Rear-Admiral P. S. Turner 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 238
TURNER James Gordon Melville 60 Former Merchant Navy officer Cripps' Corner, Staplecross, SSX Awarded the George Cross in WWII 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 239
WARD Lindsay Margaret 19 Gunters Lane, Bexhill-on-sea, SSX 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 239
WATSON Joyce 48 Chartfield Avenue, Putney, London S.W., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 342
WHITE Harold Arthur 75 Bollo Lane, Chiswick, London W., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 310
WHITTARD Walter H. 64 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London S.W., LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 239
WILLIAMS Dianna Student at Thomas Peacocke (now Rye) College Rye, SSX Bench erected Rye SSX in memory
WILLIAMS Mabel Lillian Daisy 69 Henderson Court, Fitzjohn's Avenue, Hampstead Ave, LND 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 341
YEO Catherine 20 Parents lived at Wadhurst, SSX 1967/Dec Lewisham 5D 271