Lewisham Train disaster 1957 - names of victims

[Gary Jenkins]

There's a letter this weeek in my local newspaper (News Shopper) from
a woman who's trying to compile her family tree. Her aunt was killed
in the Lewisham train crash. She's lost touch with relatives and
can't remember her aunt's married surname. She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.

I've done a google search but can't find any list of names and I know
that the memorial plaque put up at Lewisham Station a couple of years
ago doesn't give names.

Can anyone help?

[+++++ ++++++]

Have just checked the Inspectorate official report and no names listed in
that. I would suggest that news media of the time may have listed those
involved.

Post by Gary Jenkins
There's a letter this weeek in my local newspaper (News Shopper) from
a woman who's trying to compile her family tree. Her aunt was killed
in the Lewisham train crash. She's lost touch with relatives and
can't remember her aunt's married surname. She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.
I've done a google search but can't find any list of names and I know
that the memorial plaque put up at Lewisham Station a couple of years
ago doesn't give names.
Can anyone help?

[Charles Ellson]

Post by Gary Jenkins
There's a letter this weeek in my local newspaper (News Shopper) from
a woman who's trying to compile her family tree. Her aunt was killed
in the Lewisham train crash. She's lost touch with relatives and
can't remember her aunt's married surname. She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.
I've done a google search but can't find any list of names and I know
that the memorial plaque put up at Lewisham Station a couple of years
ago doesn't give names.
Can anyone help?

Lewisham libraries for copies of the local paper?
British Newspaper Library (Colindale) for copies of local and national
papers?
Libraries elsewhere which might have microfilms of The Times?

[Jim A]

Post by Gary Jenkins
There's a letter this weeek in my local newspaper (News Shopper) from
a woman who's trying to compile her family tree. Her aunt was killed
in the Lewisham train crash. She's lost touch with relatives and
can't remember her aunt's married surname. She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.
I've done a google search but can't find any list of names and I know
that the memorial plaque put up at Lewisham Station a couple of years
ago doesn't give names.
Can anyone help?

Easiest thing for her to do is go to the family records office in
myddleton street and look up the marriage entry for her aunt. There will
also be a death entry corresponding to the date of the accident.

[David Hansen]

On 17 Oct 2004 13:05:49 -0700 someone who may be

Post by Gary Jenkins
She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.

The Coroner will have held an inquest. The report(s) should be in
the archives of either the council or whatever the public record
office is now called.

[Charles Ellson]

Post by David Hansen
On 17 Oct 2004 13:05:49 -0700 someone who may be

Post by Gary Jenkins
She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.

The Coroner will have held an inquest. The report(s) should be in
the archives of either the council or whatever the public record
office is now called.

Surviving (they are subject to a "weeding" process) records of inquests
into deaths are normally still with the relevant coroner (depending on
the size of the storeroom and the historical/informative value) or
deposited in the County Record Office, the Greater London incarnation
being the London Metropolitan Archive. They are closed for 75 years even
when deposited in a record office thus requiring permission from the
Coroner for access. In this case the usual plan A of seeking out newspaper
reports still applies if no books name the victims.

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 18 Oct 04 22:36:57 GMT someone who may be

Post by Charles Ellson
They are closed for 75 years even
when deposited in a record office thus requiring permission from the
Coroner for access.

Why is that?

[BH Williams]

Post by David Hansen
On Mon, 18 Oct 04 22:36:57 GMT someone who may be

Post by Charles Ellson
They are closed for 75 years even
when deposited in a record office thus requiring permission from the
Coroner for access.

Why is that?
--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.
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As a Coroner's Report is very likely to contain pictures of accident scene
and post-mortems, the idea is that 75 years would be beyond the life-span of
anyone who knew the deceased personally. Even after 75 years, an archivist
friend tells me, they take the precaution of warning viewers that they might
happen something more realistic than 'Silent Witness'. As Charles suggests,
the Coroner's Office might grant permission to view before that, but it's
not a step to take lightly.
Brian

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 10:14:09 +0100 someone who may be "BH Williams"

Post by BH Williams
As a Coroner's Report is very likely to contain pictures of accident scene
and post-mortems, the idea is that 75 years would be beyond the life-span of
anyone who knew the deceased personally. Even after 75 years, an archivist
friend tells me, they take the precaution of warning viewers that they might
happen something more realistic than 'Silent Witness'. As Charles suggests,
the Coroner's Office might grant permission to view before that, but it's
not a step to take lightly.

It all happens in an open "court". There seems no reason to suppress
the log of what happened in "court" for any period of time.

[Charles Ellson]

Post by David Hansen
On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 10:14:09 +0100 someone who may be "BH Williams"

Post by BH Williams
As a Coroner's Report is very likely to contain pictures of accident scene
and post-mortems, the idea is that 75 years would be beyond the life-span of
anyone who knew the deceased personally. Even after 75 years, an archivist
friend tells me, they take the precaution of warning viewers that they might
happen something more realistic than 'Silent Witness'. As Charles suggests,
the Coroner's Office might grant permission to view before that, but it's
not a step to take lightly.

It all happens in an open "court". There seems no reason to suppress
the log of what happened in "court" for any period of time.

There is no suppression of what was actively recorded and published by
third parties at or around the time of the inquest. Unlike other public
records the closure is conditional/discretionary and in practice seems to
have not much more effect than preventing casual browsing and requiring
appointments at a mutually convenient time or in the case of deposited
records the same access restrictions as apply to some non-statutory
records. In any case, if the events are not recent, more information is
likely to be found in newspapers than remains in coroners' records, some
of which after a number of years will be no more than a brief entry in the
year's calendar/diary as applies to the great majority of "routine" deaths.
Unlike Fatal Accident Inquiries which are dealt with by the local Sheriff
Court in Scotland, English/Welsh inquests are dealt with by a separate
branch of the judicial system and thus have their own methods of working,
the effect being to allow access to those who aren't just being "nosey" but
stopping well short of just telling enquirers to "get lost".

[M.Whitson]

Coroners reports will probably be one of the many records that will be
excluded from the Freedom of Information Act when it comes into force in a
couple of months time. However, on the question of where one mght obtain a
list of victims I think that such lists were published in national
newspapers at the time.

MJW

[AAron Borbora]

Post by BH Williams

Post by David Hansen
On Mon, 18 Oct 04 22:36:57 GMT someone who may be

Post by Charles Ellson
They are closed for 75 years even
when deposited in a record office thus requiring permission from the
Coroner for access.

Why is that?
--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups
---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

As a Coroner's Report is very likely to contain pictures of accident scene
and post-mortems, the idea is that 75 years would be beyond the life-span of
anyone who knew the deceased personally. Even after 75 years, an archivist
friend tells me, they take the precaution of warning viewers that they might
happen something more realistic than 'Silent Witness'. As Charles suggests,
the Coroner's Office might grant permission to view before that, but it's
not a step to take lightly.
Brian

PMs aren't that bad. It's the smell you have to watch out for, rather than 'scene'.

[Chris Tolley]

Post by AAron Borbora
PMs aren't that bad. It's the smell you have to watch out for, rather than 'scene'.

Indeed, and even if the smell itself doesn't linger, the memory of it
certainly does.

[Charles Ellson]

Post by BH Williams

Post by David Hansen
On Mon, 18 Oct 04 22:36:57 GMT someone who may be

Post by Charles Ellson
They are closed for 75 years even
when deposited in a record office thus requiring permission from the
Coroner for access.

Why is that?

As a Coroner's Report is very likely to contain pictures of accident scene
and post-mortems, the idea is that 75 years would be beyond the life-span of
anyone who knew the deceased personally. Even after 75 years, an archivist
friend tells me, they take the precaution of warning viewers that they might
happen something more realistic than 'Silent Witness'. As Charles suggests,
the Coroner's Office might grant permission to view before that, but it's
not a step to take lightly.

There is also the aspect that most inquests involve private events and
details of private persons (usually the relatives of the deceased) who
survive the event. The closure is not absolute as coroners' can give
permission for records to be inspected and IMU some/all details to be
published on a "per case" basis. With a "public" event such as a train
crash many of the details of general interest can be expected to be found
in contemporary newspaper reports to which casual enquirers are likely to
be referred by coroners; more personal details being sought by relatives
might have more chance of being given. IMU the records are not generally
in transcript form and even if records of an individual inquest have not
been weeded out it is still more likely to find details in newspaper
reports as coroners' courts even on a "quiet day" provided a free source
for trainee reporters and for filling space in the papers.

[Charlie Hulme]

Post by Charles Ellson
With a "public" event such as a train
crash many of the details of general interest can be expected to be found
in contemporary newspaper reports to which casual enquirers are likely to
be referred by coroners

I've had a look at The Times Digital Archive via our Library's paid
on-line subscription, and located the 'list of the dead' from Page 6 of
the 6 December 1957 edition, as well as much more coverage of the
acident and its aftermath - the driver of the train which over-ran
a signal was charged with manslaughter.

If the original enquirer gets in touch with me I'll be glad
to help, or they can look up that ference on Microfilm in a
local library.

Charlie

[Kester Eddy]

Post by Gary Jenkins
There's a letter this weeek in my local newspaper (News Shopper) from
a woman who's trying to compile her family tree. Her aunt was killed
in the Lewisham train crash. She's lost touch with relatives and
can't remember her aunt's married surname. She's trying to find a
list of the victims in the hope that she make deductions from her
aunt's first name.
I've done a google search but can't find any list of names and I know
that the memorial plaque put up at Lewisham Station a couple of years
ago doesn't give names.
Can anyone help?

We have discussed this crash numerous times on the Southern e Group.
If you google Southern Railway Group, it should give the website. Then
search for Lewisham. Probably a lot of info, don't know about the
names, but there might be some links/pointers.

Kester

[Gary Jenkins]

Thanks to all who've taken the trouble to make suggestions, especially
Charlie Hulme. I'll write to the person concerned c/o the local paper
suggesting she looks up the Times at her local reference library.