Lawrence, John 1905 September 8th
The City Coroner (Mr S Buchanan-Smith) held an inquest last (Thursday) night at the London and South Western Railway station on the body of John Lawrence, a platelayer, residing at Bemerton, who was knocked down and killed by a train that morning. He was a Wilton man.
Mr H Trethowan represented the London and South Western Railway company, two officials being also present, as was the City Chief Constable (Mr F Richardson). Mr F G Hillier was appointed foreman of the jury.
Sidney Albert Lawrence, carpet shearer of Wilton, stated that the deceased was his brother, and was platelayer on the London and South Western Railway, and lived at Sidney Cottages, Bemerton, his age being 40 years. He was a married man and had two children.
Robert Gurd, of Gorringe Road, Wilton Road, platelayer on the London and South Western Railway, stated that he was at work that morning at about 6.45 o’clock, between the platform and the west signal box. Deceased, with others, was working with him. He saw a train coming, the engine being tender foremost, and he gave the alarm, so that the men might get out of the way. The buffer of the end coach knocked him out of the road. He did not see the deceased knocked down, but he just caught sight of his shovel swinging in the air. He saw the wheels pass over Lawrence, whereupon witness put up both hands and shouted to the driver to stop, which he did as quickly as he could.
The Coroner : Did you hear any warning that the train was coming down? No, Sir.
Continuing, the witness said he then went to the Inspector, who sent to the police station.
The Coroner : Ought you to have received any warning? I can’t say.
Can you answer yes or no? I think we should have had. There was so much shunting we could not hear anything.
Mr Trethowan : If there had been any warning you wouldn’t have heard it? No, we shouldn’t.
You usually look out for warning yourselves? Yes
The Coroner : Was it possible for the driver or shunter to see you? It would be impossible for the driver to see.
What about the shunter? I think he might have given us warning.
Do you know where the shunting was? No, I don’t know where it was, so I can’t say.
By Mr Trethowan : He could not say whether the shunting was taking place on the Great Western or the South Western. There was a good deal of shunting going on.
Charles Waters, platelayer, of Wilson Terrace, Bemerton, stated that he was working with Robert Gurd and others, including the deceased.
Did you hear anything?, asked the Coroner. I heard Gurd shout out, “For Christs’ sake look up”.
Continuing witness said he saw Gurd fall on the rails and clear himself. He also saw Lawrence on the rails and the wheels going over him. Three or four passenger coaches went over him.
Did you hear any warning? I only heard Gurd.
Ought you to have received a warning? We should have received one I suppose, but they mightn’t have seen us.
I want yes or no, should you have received a warning? Yes, Sir.
If a warning had been given, would you have heard it? I don’t know, they were shunting a lot of coal wagons on the Great Western….
Don’t go on. Would you have heard it or not? Yes.
From whom should you receive a warning? The shunter should have given us a warning.
Do you know where the shunter was? No.
Was he on the head of the train? No.
Mr Trethowan : The shunting on the Great Western would have prevented you hearing a warning? No, Sir.
At the conclusion of this witness’s evidence, Mr Beresford, a juror, remarked that as they could not seem to get the truth out of the witnesses, some of the jury present might be requested to retire. The jury wished to know whether the officials thought that the witnesses were afraid to say what they knew, because they feared that if they did they might get “the sack”. That was plain by the roundabout way in which they answered the Coroners questions.
The Coroner therefore asked the officials to retire, and they were about to do so when Mr Beresford said he was not referring to the officials, but to Mr Trethowan, who, he believed, represented the company, and in whose presence the witnesses were afraid to speak.
Mr H Trethowan : I am sorry, but I cannot retire.
Mr Beresford : We don’t mind the other gentlemen.
The Coroner : I am afraid we cannot ask Mr Trethowan to retire.
Edwin John Lidford, of Salisbury, shunter in the employ of the South Western Company, stated that at 6.30 that morning he brought some coaches down to the west of the station. When he got to the west signal box he asked the driver to put them back into a siding. He waited for the ground signal to come off, and when it did so he signalled to the driver to move back. There were five coaches on the train – passenger coaches – and after the train had gone some distance he heard somebody shout. Witness was close to the signal box then. He immediately shouted to the driver to stop and that was done as quickly as possible. He ran round in front of the engine to the other side of the train and he saw deceased lying on the rails. He assisted in taking him out. He should think about three coaches went over the poor fellow.
Is it usual when shunting to give a signal? Yes, sir, if you can see them.
Did you see them? No, sir, I did not.
Was the signal box the proper place for you to stand? Yes, sir, or else I couldn’t see the driver. If I had been at the end of the train the driver could not have seen me.
What prevented you seeing the platelayers, the train or the signal box? The signal box, sir.
Did you notice any platelayers when you brought the train down? No, sir, I was riding on the other side of the train.
Is it usual to have more than one porter shunting? Not when shunting into a siding.
The usual warning is by shouting, I suppose? Oh yes, sir.
Is it your duty to be on the end of the train? Yes, when you can give the driver a distinct signal.
You were not short-handed? Oh, No, sir.
Mr Trethowan : In this case it was neccesary for you to stop at the signal box? Yes.
How far down from the signal box must you have gone to see the spot where the accident occurred? To the other end of the signal box – about 30 yards.
The Coroner : There was no part of the train on the east side of the signal box when the signal was given to the driver to put back? Yes, about a coach.
Is there any notice given to the shunters that platelayers are on the line? No, not unless they are re-laying the line – permanent work.
Isn’t it the shunters duty to see that the line is clear? I didn’t know there were any men at work there.
James Harvie, medical practitioner, locum tenens to Dr Wilks, stated that he was called to the South Western station that morning, a little before seven. He found that the body had been removed to a neighbouring house. Witness described the terrible abdominal injuries, which he said were sufficient to cause instantaneous death.
The Coroner informed the jury that that was all the witnesses he could call, except the engine driver, but he saw nothing. There was only one verdict which could be returned, and that was “Accidental Death”.
Mr C Scammell (another juror) : Undoubtedly it was “Accidental Death” but there ought to have been a flagman with the shunter.
After consultation with his colleagues, the foreman said the jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death”. They thought, however, there should be some method of warning the platelayers when they were working in such a dangerous place. The signal box was so awkwardly situated that it was impossible for the shunter to see the men, and therefore he could not warn them. The shunter who had been called, appeared, in fact, not to have known that these men were working there.
Mr Trethowan pointed out that although one of the witnesses had said that the distance from the signal box to the spot where the accident occurred was thirty yards, the distance, as a matter of fact, was seventy yards. The train, it must also be borne in mind, was only going at a walking pace, so that there must have been a long period elapsed whilst it was approaching the platelayers.
The foreman : We have seen the spot and I should say that seventy yards is rather an exagerated estimate.
Mr Beresford said he was under the impression that the men working on the line were warned by a flagman. Some warning of the danger should have been given. In this case none of the five men knew the train was coming until it was upon them and Gurd shouted.
Mr Trethowan : I believe it is not usual to warn platelayers.
The Coroner : The jury think this place is a very dangerous corner? The Foreman : Yes.
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 