Train Accident : Liverpool October 1913

[rutht22000]

One of my great grandmother's cousins - Alice Annie Owen - was allegedly killed in a train accident in 1913.

The probate calendar gives her dying on 15 October 1913 at St James' Station, Liverpool (the disused overground station near St James' Church that was closed in 1916/1917, not the underground James Street).

I would have thought that if it was an accident (or for that a suicide) that there would be newspaper reports or an Inquest. 

Before I get her death certificate, does anyone know any methods of verifying this otherwise?

Quite ironically her late father Sir Charles Scotter was Chairman and Managing Director of the London & South Western Railway  and her son Harold Scotter Owen was an assistant to the manager of the Great Central Railway at the time.

Thanks
Ruth

[mosiefish]

Hi Ruth,

There is an article about the train crash in The Times dated Friday 17th October, 1913 but it does not give any names of the dead.  Just 6 killed and 22 injured.  Apparently the Midland Express hit the rear of the Manchester Express whilst it was at a standstill at St. James station.

Regards,
Mo 

[rutht22000]

Hi Mo

Brilliant! Thank you ...

[Gardener]

It was also reported in New Zealand (and faster!)

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=PBH19131016.2.32

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19131017.2.92

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19131018.2.28

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=PBH19131224.2.74

You can search yourself at http://news.google.co.uk/archivesearch
I put in James station Liverpool and the used the timeline to find the year and month.
Surprising what turns up on there!

[rutht22000]

Hi Gardener

Thanks for that !  it makes its way all the way to New Zealand....!   

[ainslie]

That station was in a deep cutting and was closed soon after the accident, but remains of it are still visible from trains approaching Liverpool Central from the south end of the city.  Spooky!
A

[jangeo]

If you log onto  THE RAILWAYS ARCHIVE, there is a section for accidents, put in the years 1913 & 1914 then were it says location scroll down to St James Liverpool, you will find the accident report carried out after the accident. It does not list names of injured but gives a full account of what happened.

Hope this helps

Geoff W

[rutht22000]

Thank you everybody and I'll try the website Geoff mentioned to get some more information.

Spoke to my mum (local history buff!) about it that I'd found what happened with Alice's accident and she said she was sure she had an aerial photograph of the cutting and sure enough, she had had a clear out, but scarily (of all things) kept the aerial photograph of the station.   

I've driven over the James Street junction many a time but  never realised that there was a station underneath it.  There's still platforms there and a (new-ish) metal staircase coming down to it amongst the undergrowth.

Now the trek to find out where she is buried...