by Rebecca Hannant
A plaque to commemorate the 1927 Hull rail disaster, in which several people from Withernsea were killed, will be unveiled in the city next week.
On Friday, February 14, a ceremony will take place at Hull Paragon station to unveil a memorial to the disaster that took place 98 years ago just outside the station, costing the lives of 12 passengers, most of whom were from Withernsea.
The crash occurred on Valentine’s Day 1927 when a train from Withernsea was entering Paragon station, many of the carriages full of schoolchildren heading into the city.
At the same time, a Scarborough-bound train had just left the station, but unbeknown to both drivers, a mistake by the signalmen in the nearby control box meant both trains were now on the same line heading towards each other.
The collision was only 10 miles per hour, but the momentum of the solid mass of the locomotive suddenly stopping caused the wooden first carriage of the Withernsea train to telescope into the back of it, causing most of the deaths and injuries. Eleven of the dead were from Withernsea.
Remnants of the disaster can still be found in the region, including at Withernsea’s St Nicholas Church. A gravestone in the churchyard marks Tommy Potts, the son of Tom Potts. Tommy, who was 12, died six days after the disaster on February 20, 1927.
Writer and historian Richard M Jones is behind the plaque project, having secured funds through donations to remember the victims of the crash and tell their stories.
Richard, who has previously written about other local disasters, said the project was something he was keen to do after he wrote about it in his 2021 book Britain’s Lost Tragedies Uncovered.
He said: “After speaking to several interested people, the idea was put forward to write a book dedicated solely to this incident while putting up a new memorial that would list all the victims and pay tribute to the emergency services and rescue workers.
“Over the years, there have already been two other memorials by the trackside behind Hull Royal Infirmary, the site of the disaster.
“The first one was stolen, and the second one had to be removed to make way for the building of the helicopter pad. Since then, there has been no way to remember the rail crash victims, and it was very much in danger of being a forgotten aspect of Hull history.”
Now, thanks to TransPennine Express, permission has been given to have a new purpose-built memorial plaque placed on the wall inside the station near the Philip Larkin statue.
The ceremony begins at 9am, with the unveiling being carried out by a relative of one of the victims of that tragic day at 9.10am, the exact time of the crash.
In attendance will be many people representing Withernsea and Hull, the families and survivors, and even the school where they lost one child and had one teacher injured.
Richard added: “98 years on, this part of Hull history will finally be remembered permanently.”
Richard’s book on the Hull disaster will be published later this year, but there is still time for people to get in touch with further information on the victims. Richard can be contacted at [email protected].