In pictures: Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash, 8 October 1952 (60th anniversary)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

On 8 October 1952, 112 people were killed and 350 were injured when three trains collided at Harrow & Wealdstone station within the space of a few minutes.

[Electric train]

Some interesting comments about this accident in yesterdays BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) London News item; on board one of the trains involved was a team of USA field medics they used the equipment they had with them setting up triage system the newly formed NHS Ambulance service learned from the procedures used by the USA medics, one of the survivors of the accident suggested that this was the foundation of the modern day paramedics.

Harrow & Wealdtone was closely followed a few years later by Lewisham both these accidents lead to the widespread introduction of AWS^▸ (Automatic Warning System - an arrangement of permanent magnets and electro-magnets that convey information about the associated signal to the train driver)

[paul7575]

Some interesting comments about this accident in yesterdays BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) London News item; on board one of the trains involved was a team of USA field medics they used the equipment they had with them setting up triage system the newly formed NHS Ambulance service learned from the procedures used by the USA medics, one of the survivors of the accident suggested that this was the foundation of the modern day paramedics.

London Reconnections did a very good (IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion')) article on the incident (including a fair bit on the implications for the NHS and ambulance service) last year, and they have re-published it for the 60th anniversary. 

I think you'll probably find it interesting:  http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/angels-and-errors-how-the-harrow-wealdstone-disaster-helped-shape-modern-britain/

Paul 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks very much for posting that link, Paul - it's an excellent account of the accident.

I felt for Armitage, the signalman, watching the disaster unfold in front of him and, despite his frantic efforts, being unable to prevent it.

[bobm]

I knew a signalman who was working at Princes Risborough that day.  He had very vivid memories of that morning and was double and triple checking everything he did that day as the news filtered down to him.