Descendants mark the centenary of the Manton railway tragedy

The centenary of the Manton railway tragedy has been marked with a special event (23 May) held by Network Rail and the University of Portsmouth.

On 24 May 1924, a railway worker Richard Shillaker was filling lamps with oil near the Manton tunnel southern entrance when there was an explosion. The alarm was raised, and four track workers went to help. 

Colleagues working nearby rushed to help, but as they did so a second, bigger, explosion followed, killing John Cockerill and William Hibbert, and injuring the other three men, George Buckby, Richard Shillaker and Thomas Shillcock.

Descendants of the men involved in the accident attended a special commemorative event, which took place near the site of the accident.

Dr Mike Esbester, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth, has been investigating the tragic accident as part of the 'Railway Work, Life & Death' project; a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth, the National Railway Museum and the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick. The project researches accidents involving British and Irish railway staff that occurred before 1939.

Dr Esbester has accounts of the accident from the press at the time, including this from the Daily Mail which explains: “A barrel was hurled from the hut, and from it issued a long and vivid flame, which shot over the men and set their clothes on fire'; 'Hibbert dashed from the building enveloped in flames, and Mr Slater, the stationmaster, pluckily ran to his aid and threw his mackintosh around him. Mr Slater himself narrowly escaped being burnt to death.”

Dr Esbester said: “Remembering is important and helps us to understand the human impacts events like these have on ordinary people’s lives. It enables us to see these people not as a statistic but as individuals. Uncovering the untold stories of these everyday workers helps us relate to our ancestors.

“Today, working on the railways is much safer but there continues to be accidents and improvements are always looked for. Accidents are not something that’s gone away, despite the progress made by the industry over the last 100 years.”

Joe Rowberry, Head of Safety, Health and Environment for Network Rail’s East Midlands route, said: “This was a tragic example of the dangers of the railway in 1920s England and the risks that were a part of everyday life for the people working on it.

“Nowadays, the safety of colleagues and passengers is Network Rail’s top priority and the railway is a much safer place than in the past. Marking this centenary is an opportunity to remember the incidents of the past while continuing to strive for further safety improvements in the future.”

Dr Esbester added: “A highlight of the research was meeting Dorothy Buckby, the daughter of George Buckby. Just four at the time of the accident, she remembers seeing her father come home and his subsequent medical care from the local doctor. For me, it’s great that we are able to tell her father’s story and remember him and the other men thanks to the project’s research.

“It’s been brilliant working with Network Rail, they have been great and made all of this possible.”