Memorials

[P Binnersley]

There is a plaque at Nuneaton to commemorate the 1975 crash.

In 2015, a plaque was unveiled at the station to mark the 40th anniversary of the crash

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Buttevant in Co. Cork on the Dublin to Cork main line has a sculpture to remember the 18 killed in the 1980 disaster. The accident hastened the end of wooden bodied coaching stock and the introduction of the modern Mk3 stock.

 

[John Luxton]

Interstate update. Thanks

BBC reports today that the incident has been remembered by Sefton Council who have posted a memorial page with profiles of the victims.

https://catalogue.sefton.gov.uk/hallroaddisaster

 

[JBuchananGB]

My great grandfather was a passenger on the train, and survived "badly shaken up". I have researched the event quite a bit. I have transcribed the extensive report in the Lancashire Daily Post of the time which includes a list of the casualties. This does not quite match the list in today's memorial, but pretty close. I also have a copy of the report from the Herald, also with a list of the casualties. Anyway, it's good that 120 years after the event, a memorial has been erected. I will step off the train and look at it next time I go that way.

 

[cornishjohn]

Wondering if anyone knows the ownership/maintenance strategy of such memorials?

Only found out recently I have been driving past Penmanshiel fairly frequently.

Here is the Google image (Penmanshiel) from 2011:



And this is what it looked like yesterday



The parking area has completely disappeared. Guess not many folk actually go that way.

 

[WesternLancer]

Wondering if anyone knows the ownership/maintenance strategy of such memorials?

Only found out recently I have been driving past Penmanshiel fairly frequently.

Here is the Google image (Penmanshiel) from 2011:

View attachment 189089

And this is what it looked like yesterday

View attachment 189088

The parking area has completely disappeared. Guess not many folk actually go that way.

Interesting to see esp ref the adjacent parking spot. Does not look like weed removal / weedkilling between the pavers has happened.

I wonder if there is an assumption Network Rail attend to it? otherwise one might assume it's the local parish council or potentially highway authority.

 

[ian1944]

Re. the Penmanshiel monument, I'd think that Scottish Borders Council have it in their charge, as I assume is the case with local war memorials. Which reminds me of a recent legal notice giving their address as
Newtown Street Boswells Melrose TD6 0SA, where some thickie has expanded St as Street rather than Saint.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I believe there is a plaque in Salisbury Cathedral to commemorate those lost in the 1906 disaster.

Yes, it's still there: hopefully, this will be a link to an image of it.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Salisbury_03.jpg

 

[midland1]

Discovered a small plaque at Crewe (on platform 11) yesterday to the memory of a member of staff who died at work. Didn't give details, but my impression was natural causes.

I did see a plaque on Crewe this year I think it wat plat. 5 not 11 so maybe another plaque in memory of a staff member killed in a shunting accident in the 1990s I think, I could be wrong on date.

 

[Jim the Jim]

One at Lichfield City for a soldier killed by the IRA: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7449035

 

[gazthomas]

There is memorial garden adjacent to the Hatfield crash site, which happened on 17 October 2000.

Hatfield rail crash - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[EbbwJunction1]

There's a memorial on platform 12 at Crewe station to the two drivers involved in the Great Train Robbery in August 1963.

It commemorates Drivers Jack Mills and David Whitby who, although they weren't killed, never recovered from the ordeal they suffered at the hands of the robbers.

Victims of great train robbery honoured at Crewe Station

A loco was named after driver Jack Mills and a plaque unveiled to recognise the courage and bravery of both Mr Mills and co-driver David Whitby

www.crewechronicle.co.uk

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Discovered a small plaque at Crewe (on platform 11) yesterday to the memory of a member of staff who died at work. Didn't give details, but my impression was natural causes.

That's likely to be the small plaque on a wall alongside platform 11, commemorating Virgin Trains driver Michael (Mick) Flye, who died, whilst on duty, in October 2012, following a heart attack.

Elsewhere on the station, as @EbbwJunction1 has just confirmed, is a circular maroon-coloured plaque on platform 12, commemorating local driver Jack Mills and co-driver David Whitby, who were both attacked / injured in the so-called "Great Train Robbery" in Buckinghamshire in August 1963.

There's also a memorial plaque on platform 6/7 for Timothy Richard Irving, who was tragically killed (crushed) in a shunting accident at Crewe station in November 1990 whilst helping to add carriages to a parcels express standing on the track adjacent to platform 6.

And I believe there's also a plaque commemorating the men who worked in the North and South railway sheds of Crewe station and who were killed in the two World Wars. Think this one's been relocated and so I'm not 100% sure where this one is now. Might possibly now be in one of the station lounges.

 

[Elecman]

There are the memorial gardens at Colwich and at Tebay

 

[midland1]

I did see a plaque on Crewe this year I think it wat plat. 5 not 11 so maybe another plaque in memory of a staff member killed in a shunting accident in the 1990s I think, I could be wrong on date.

Yes thinking about it, it was plat. 6/7 not 5 as post above.

 

[Deepgreen]

This has been mentioned elsewhere, but 'Jessie's Seat' on the North Downs line, a topiary making the scene of an accident in 1892, was recenty cut down by NR during the line closure. There is now an item on the BBC News web site about it where NR simultaneously admit that it was a terrible error, and then claim that it had to be removed for safety reasons (which is utter rubbish)! They also claim they are looking at 'replanting' it - as it has been cut through completely just above ground level, that is simply not true either! It staggers me that anyone coming across the topiary could just mistake it for a shrub!! What a disastrous PR gaffe (again) by NR.

Network Rail mistakenly fells topiary in Surrey during repairs

Network Rail apologised and says removing the memorial was a "genuine mistake".

www.bbc.co.uk

A historical topiary has been removed during rail repairs after being "mistaken for a shrub".
Network Rail has apologised for felling the topiary between Chilworth and Gomshall, in Surrey, which stood as a tribute to railway guard Henry Wicks who died in a crash near the site in 1892.
A spokesperson said removing the memorial was a "genuine mistake" for which the rail operator takes "full responsibility".
"We're incredibly sorry for the accidental removal of the Chilworth Chicken Memorial during recent work on the North Downs Line," they said.

Image source,Paul Robinson
Image caption,
Jessie's Seat, also known as the Chilworth Chicken, was a tribute to railway guard Henry Wicks
The line, which runs between Guildford and Reigate, had been closed to allow four level crossings and 16 signals to be upgraded. It reopened on Saturday.
The topiary was removed "for safety reasons, as it was blocking signs that remind train drivers to sound their horn near crossings", the spokesperson added.
Network Rail says it is working on plans to replant the memorial in a "safer, more visible" location and will also look to install a plaque.
"We understand how much this means to the community and are committed to putting things right," the spokesperson added.

 

[43010]

The tiny village of Bere Ferrers in Devon has two memorials, one in the parish church and one in the village centre, to the 10 New Zealand troops killed in the tragic accident at the station in September 1917.

Unfamiliar with British railways, they had alighted on to the down track when their up troop train from Plymouth to Salisbury was halted by an unscheduled signal stop, only to be run over by a down Waterloo to Plymouth express.

There is also a memorial shelter, pathway and rose garden at Bere Ferrers station.

 

[WesternLancer]

This has been mentioned elsewhere, but 'Jessie's Seat' on the North Downs line, a topiary making the scene of an accident in 1892, was recenty cut down by NR during the line closure. There is now an item on the BBC News web site about it where NR simultaneously admit that it was a terrible error, and then claim that it had to be removed for safety reasons (which is utter rubbish)! They also claim they are looking at 'replanting' it - as it has been cut through completely just above ground level, that is simply not true either! It staggers me that anyone coming across the topiary could just mistake it for a shrub!! What a disastrous PR gaffe (again) by NR.

Network Rail mistakenly fells topiary in Surrey during repairs

Network Rail apologised and says removing the memorial was a "genuine mistake".

www.bbc.co.uk

How sad - and with some modest effort (and a lot less money than I suspect NR spend on certain projects on our network...) this could have been avoided and the memorial moved or transplanted I suspect.

I see an interesting thread on it from a few years ago (2023) started by your good self which also in the posts explains more about why they were not going to be maintaining it - so why the 'economical with the facts' position now....

Trivia - Has The Chilworth Topiary Been Abandoned?

On the North Downs line near Chilworth there is a large topiary bird which commemorates the site of an accident from, I think, the late 19th century or early 20th. Passing today I noticed it is overgrown and, more significantly, has clearly been sprayed with weedkiller from a train, bearing a...

www.railforums.co.uk

What was it grown from - Yew? if so I would expect it to take along time to grow a replacement in a more suitable / accessible location
EDIT - info on another web page suggests it was box - if so also slow growing I think

Interesting info here and good pics of it as was (page from 2022) - includes a picture of a DMU in 2020 with a commemorative headboard relating to this

The Chilworth Chicken | Surrey Hills Society

www.surreyhillssociety.org

Many people will have heard of the Dorking Cockerel but few will have any knowledge of the “Chilworth Chicken”.

This is the affectionate nickname given to a piece of topiary beside the North Downs railway line and which forms a moving memorial to a train guard who lost his life in a tragic incident over 130 years ago.

On Monday 29 February 1892 – a leap year – a goods train travelling from Redhill to Reading crashed at about 10:40pm, throwing the guard, Henry Wicks, to his death. The train, led by two locomotives, had come apart because of a broken goods wagon coupling.

The front portion of the train continued down the gradient and was eventually stopped by the two locomotives. The rear wagons caught up and collided with the front section between Gomshall and Chilworth. The impact threw 30 wagons down the embankment and derailed the vehicle’s front nine wagons and the second locomotive.

Henry, age 52, was found at first light lying on the embankment. He had worked on the railway for 30 years and left behind his wife, a son and daughter-in-law, Jessie Wicks. Jessie was especially upset by the loss of her father-in-law, and was instrumental in the planting of his lineside memorial and asking railway workers to care for it.

Rather than a chicken, the topiary is pheasant-shaped. It sits on a wide chair, symbolising Henry’s peace, and is also known as Jessie’s Seat. Former railway operators maintained it until 1989 and, since then, volunteers have looked after it.

The “Chilworth Chicken” is still there but blink and you’ll miss it! Unfortunately, it’s not accessible from a public route and sits very close to the track. However, to keep the memory alive, a special memorial train was run on the anniversary in 2020. There are now plans to place a poster cabinet at Chilworth Station to explain the story, along with a replica of the train headboard used on the commemoration event.

 

[Skiddaw]

Don't think anyone has yet mentioned this one? A young man called Henry West who died as a result of a whirlwind at Reading station in 1840. He's buried in a nearby churchyard and there's a very prominent memorial.

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8008110/in-memory-of-henry-west

 

[stuving]

Don't think anyone has yet mentioned this one? A young man called Henry West who died as a result of a whirlwind at Reading station in 1840. He's buried in a nearby churchyard and there's a very prominent memorial.

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8008110/in-memory-of-henry-west

I'm puzzled by a couple of things about that Science Museum listing. One is that is says nothing about where their one stood, though it is described as "Fixtures & Fittings from Railway Buildings". This picture from 2010 shows the one in St Lawrence's churchyard in Reading, and I'm puzzled that the wording is the same, including the bit about when replacements were erected. I was expecting that the old one would go to as museum when the new was was put up (presumably on his grave, though the wording is not explicit).

 

[Skiddaw]

I'm puzzled by a couple of things about that Science Museum listing. One is that is says nothing about where their one stood, though it is described as "Fixtures & Fittings from Railway Buildings". This picture from 2010 shows the one in St Lawrence's churchyard in Reading, and I'm puzzled that the wording is the same, including the bit about when replacements were erected. I was expecting that the old one would go to as museum when the new was was put up (presumably on his grave, though the wording is not explicit).
View attachment 189296

That's the one I remember from the churchyard.

Next time I'm in Reading and have a moment I'll have a look- I'm pretty certain it was the same grave marker last time I was in the churchyard but that was probably a couple of years ago if not more.

 

[Ken H]

My great grandfather was a loco driver killed in an air raid in 1945 in Ilford
There is (was) a war memorial at Kings Cross but he wasn't on it. I can't find mention of a war memorial at Liverpool St. He is mentioned on a war memorial to civilian dead in Ilford Cemetery
There were no remains. The house was blown to smithereens including 5 members of my family including a baby girl.
Grandad identified his sister by her wedding ring....

Is there a war memorial to Liverpool Street Division war dead?

 

[High Dyke]

Is there a war memorial to Liverpool Street Division war dead?

Yes, there is. Took a photo of it some time ago. Go up to the mezzanine level, near to McDonald's. The base of the memorial incorporates a lift from the concourse.

It may only be for those who were killed in action. Civilians killed as a result of enemy action may only appear on a memorial, as you've found at Ilford Cemetery.

 

[Ken H]

Yes, there is. Took a photo of it some time ago. Go up to the mezzanine level, near to McDonald's. The base of the memorial incorporates a lift from the concourse.

It may only be for those who were killed in action. Civilians killed as a result of enemy action may only appear on a memorial, as you've found at Ilford Cemetery.

Could you post the pic please?

 

[High Dyke]

Could you post the pic please?

I no longer have it on my phone, but can transfer it back from the desktop computer in the couple of days.

 

[Ken H]

I no longer have it on my phone, but can transfer it back from the desktop computer in the couple of days.

Ta m8

 

[WesternLancer]

Could you post the pic please?

I don't know if this helps at all - the War Memorials Trust (who grant aided restoration work to a war memorial near where I live - albeit not a railway one) support a data base where people can upload reports about war memorials and images - given the scale of this one it does not list the names on the web page - but there are pictures

However, the text indicates this is a 1914-18 war memorial and does not mention names from WW2 - but the entry ahs probably been done by a volunteer so should not be regarded as 'the last word' on the memorial

Great Eastern Railway

Board/Plaque/ Tablet

www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk

Reference WMO/111827

Address:
Liverpool Street Railway Station
City of London
London
EC2M 7QH
England

It was sobering to read you post about what happened to your family members.

 

[Ken H]

I don't know if this helps at all - the War Memorials Trust (who grant aided restoration work to a war memorial near where I live - albeit not a railway one) support a data base where people can upload reports about war memorials and images - given the scale of this one it does not list the names on the web page - but there are pictures

However, the text indicates this is a 1914-18 war memorial and does not mention names from WW2 - but the entry ahs probably been done by a volunteer so should not be regarded as 'the last word' on the memorial

Great Eastern Railway

Board/Plaque/ Tablet

www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk

Reference WMO/111827

Address:
Liverpool Street Railway Station
City of London
London
EC2M 7QH
England

It was sobering to read you post about what happened to your family members.

Thanks. I will look at that on a big screen when I get home.

Thanks for kind words.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks. I will look at that on a big screen when I get home.

Thanks for kind words.

also found this

Roll of Honour - London - Liverpool Street Station - Great Eastern Railway Company

Recorded here are the names of the men who worked for Great Eastern Raiwlays that died in World War 1.

www.roll-of-honour.com

names listed in alphabetical order at the bottom of web page with brief details so a lot of research done - again unsure if ww2 included.

also better to look at on larger screen when you can.

 

[Gloster]

My great grandfather was a loco driver killed in an air raid in 1945 in Ilford
There is (was) a war memorial at Kings Cross but he wasn't on it. I can't find mention of a war memorial at Liverpool St. He is mentioned on a war memorial to civilian dead in Ilford Cemetery
There were no remains. The house was blown to smithereens including 5 members of my family including a baby girl.
Grandad identified his sister by her wedding ring....

Is there a war memorial to Liverpool Street Division war dead?

Generally railway memorials at stations and the like were either for staff who died on active service with the forces or who had been killed while on duty doing their job. Memorials for those who died when not at work were generally seen as being the responsibility of the local council or parish, whose decisions as to whether and how to remember were more varied.