by Rebecca Hannant
A new book documenting the 1927 Withernsea–Hull railway disaster is set to be released next month.
After years of research, local historian and author Richard Jones has announced the publication of his latest title, Paragon ’27: The Hull Rail Disaster, which retells the story of the tragedy.
On February 14, 1927, two trains collided head-on just outside Hull Paragon station, resulting in the deaths of 12 passengers and injuring dozens more.
The crash happened on Valentine’s Day when a Withernsea–Hull train, carrying many schoolchildren, was entering the station. At the same time, a Scarborough-bound service had just departed. A mistake by signalmen in a nearby control box put both trains on the same line.
Although the collision took place at only 10 miles per hour, the stopping momentum caused the wooden first carriage of the Withernsea train to telescope, leading to most of the deaths and injuries. Eleven of the victims were from Withernsea.
Reminders of the disaster can still be seen locally, including a gravestone at St Nicholas Church, Withernsea, marking 12-year-old Tommy Potts, who died six days later on February 20, 1927.
Despite being remembered as one of the area’s most significant rail accidents, many personal stories, photographs and memories remained largely untold for decades.
Richard, who previously wrote about the Lockington and Burton Agnes disasters in Britain’s Lost Tragedies Uncovered, was encouraged by a friend to cover the Hull crash and took on the challenge as a long-term research project.
Richard said: “The research for this book started in late 2020 while I was working on Britain’s Lost Tragedies Uncovered. That book covered many disasters, but only in brief chapters. I wanted to write a book with fresh information that hadn’t been published before – stories, photographs and personal accounts.
“After finishing that book, a train driver friend suggested I do a book on the Hull disaster, as I had already covered Burton Agnes and Lockington and put memorials up for both. When I learned the original memorial had been removed for helipad construction and not replaced, I decided to take on a new memorial and book campaign.”
The material gathered also supported Richard’s successful fundraising for a new memorial plaque at Hull Paragon Station.
On February 14, 2025 – the 98th anniversary of the crash – the plaque was unveiled at 9.10am, the exact time of the collision, by Richard Kitching, grandson of victim Percival Kitching and son of survivor Ken Kitching, whose life was saved by a last-minute decision to travel in a different carriage.
Richard’s research combined contemporary news reports, family testimony and photographs to produce a 120-page book that documents the disaster and honours those affected.
He added: “I could not have completed this book without the families who shared their memories and photographs. A special thanks goes to my wife at Juliette Jones Editorial Services, whose guidance helped shape this book into what it is today.”
Paragon ’27: The Hull Rail Disaster will be released on November 3. Anyone wishing to buy a copy can contact Richard at [email protected].