1907 railway death

[Redroger]

Please post what you find out on this thread. Good luck.

[noytd]

To give an update on my search for the circumstances of the death of Charles Jenkins.

Ultimately due to a lack of free time to visit places, I decided to employ a researcher to look around in the railway records in Kew. They searched the following:

RAIL 1053/36: Returns of railway traffic and mileage. Covering dates 1906-1912.
RAIL 1053/96: Accidents: inspecting officers' reports and Parliamentary returns.
MT 6/1658/9: Railway Accidents: notification. 1907.
MT 7/254: Railway Accidents, Index. 1907.
MT 7/255: Railway Accidents, Register. Files 38-13994. 1907.
MT 7/256: Railway Accidents, Register. Files 13995-end. 1907.
MT 30/9: Railway Inspectorate: Indexes to Inspectors' Reports Vol IX . 1904 – 1907.
MT 30/10: Railway Inspectorate: Indexes to Inspectors' Reports Vol IX . 1904 – 1907.
ZPER 7/78: Railway News, 1907 Jan.-June.
ZPER 2/73: The Railway Times, 1907.

Unfortunately, and rather frustratingly, there was no mention whatsoever of Charles Jenkins. So for the time being the circumstances of his death shall remain a mystery. It looks like a union record may be my last hope? The Oddfellows are mention in his obituary. I searched their online index but again found no mention of him. There is no mention of any trade union in the obituary. The obituary itself is fairly fascinating reading, talking about shops closing, curtains being closed on the route etc, even that the longest serving engine driver in Crewe served as a pallbearer.

On a positive note I have managed to find his grave in Crewe which provided some good information - a date of death for his wife and also a previously unknown child (who sadly only lived for 8 weeks).

As his accident is seemingly not mentioned anywhere, would I be right in assuming that his accident wasn't at the time seen as anything major? For example if he had leaned too far out of his engine and lost his balance would it have likely attracted minimal attention from the authorities?

[noytd]

Apologies, I should have said funeral report rather than obituary!

[Redroger]

noytd, You are probably correct in your asumption oif the minimal attention, but even so there should have been an inquest, which would usually attract the attention of the press. It does look as though a TU record might really be the last hope of finding out, but have you tried writing with the details you have to the papers in  Crewe? I have tried this approach with local papers and the response from their readers has always so far been positive.

[Skoosh]

noytd,   have you tried this,   http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventlisting.php      Skoosh.

[Redroger]

I have just tried the Accident archive so far have put in all Warrington locations and the years 1905 -1908 without success. About to spread the net further.

[Redroger]

From a long and detailed look at the link provided by Skoosh, I have reached the conclusion that there was no enquiry into the incident, obviously traincrew at that time were regartded as expendable. If someone was killed, easier to hire a replacement.

[noytd]

Many thanks for that information and for your efforts redroger.

Having found his grave and taken a closer look at his funeral report it's brought up a new mystery. His gravestone is marble and his coffin was made of "polished English oak with brass mountings." I am assuming that these items would have been expensive? My family certainly did not have sums of money at that time, indeed his father who died less than 10 years later has no gravestone. His wife was a shop assistant, so I'm not sure where the money came from.

Previosuly I had failed to throughouly read the wreaths section of the funeral report (mainly as its extremely hard to read). However, one of the wreaths was from the "Associated Society of Enginemen and Firemen (north and South sheds)" and another wreath from "*unable to read* and Benefit Society (sheds)." I am assuming that this indicates that he was indeed a union member?

[Skoosh]

Likely a whip round at work to help with the funeral. A works club which paid sickness leave for so many weeks in those days, would also have helped out in a bereavement.    Skoosh.