Tragic accident involving two sisters

[big g]

I am helping my sister-in-law with her Scottish and Irish ancestry; she remembers family stories about how two of her father's sisters were killed in a tragic accident on their way home from school.
In 1911 the family were living Armadale, Lanarkshire; Patrick and Mary Welsh and five young children.

We don't have a date or first names for the births and deaths of these two sisters unfortunately. I would be grateful if someone could point me in the right direction for a newspaper report of the accident, and any other information please.

My researching  has been south of the border, Wales, England, Isle of Man, so I have no idea where to start in Scotland.

[carlineric]

I do not think there is an Armadale in Lanarkshire, there is an Armadale in West Lothian (Linlithgowshire). The West Lothian Courier which is the local newspaper is available on The British Newspaper Archive and FindMyPast.

Have checked the West Lothian Family History Society's Burial CDs. There were two sisters buried in Glasgow Road Cemetery, Bathgate, West Lothian in 1918 who died of an accident. Catherine age 8 died on 16 November 1918 and Margaret age 12 on 19 November 1918. At that time they were living at 28 Durhamtown, if you look for Birniehill Crescent on a modern map that will give you the location of Durhamtown. Patrick died in 1939 and Mary nee Bradley died in 1945 they were living at 14 Whiteside which is just down the road towards Bathgate. I have had a look on Billion Grave but cannot see a headstone photograph for them.


Thread moved to West Lothian.

[Crumblie]

The Scotlands People site is down at the moment but it would be worth searching on there when it comes up because there cannot be too many children with the surname Welsh who died in 1911.

[josey]

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ is the pay-for-credits site which has bmd records & census images. You would be able to find the childrens' birth certificates and maybe baptisms. This will give you names that you can possibly cross reference against deaths of 2 siblings together. 

familysearch.org [free] have Scottish records for baptisms but I do not knw how recent they are indexed to.

The Scotlands People site is down at the moment but it would be worth searching on there when it comes up because there cannot be too many children with the surname Welsh who died in 1911.

I don't think OP said the accident was in 1911, but that the family had been found in the 1911 census.

[dowdstree]

Yes, Armadale is in West Lothian and is this the family you are looking for in the 1911 Census. Taken from the index on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk  Ref 662/2 1/7

Patrick Welsh      aged 32
Mary                  aged 30
Edward              aged  11
Mary                  aged 9
Maggie               aged 5
James                aged 3
Catherine           aged  0

There is a marriage for Patrick Welsh to Mary Bradley in Bathgate 1901  Ref 662/1 25

Can you can confirm that this is the correct family please and when scotlandspeople is up and running again we may be able to help you further.

Dorrie

[carlineric]

Further to my earlier reply

There are reports in both the West Lothian Courier and Linlithgowshire Gazette for 22 November 1918. I do not have a subscription but from the limited precis Catherine had been killed instantly by a thrashing mill pulled by an engine.

[josey]

Catherine 8 died instantly as stated above, Margaret 12 died later in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

West Lothian Courier 22 Nov 1918
'In our issue last week we reported that as a result of an accident last Thursday near Durhamtown Catherine Welsh [8] daughter of Patrick Welsh surfaceman had been killed instantly and her sister Margaret [12] had been so seriously injured that she had to be removed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.  We regret to state that Margaret died in the Royal Infirmary on Saturday in the afternoon about 4 o'clock. A threshing mill which had been working at Mr Dalling's Farm near Boghead  was being conveyed  to Mr Marshall's farm at Standhill. While en route and at a point near Durhamtown it appears that in some way the 2 sisters got between the mill and the van.  The first report suggests that the girls were sitting on the pole which connects the mill to the van but this has now been discounted. Whatever the cause, Catherine was run over by the van and instantly killed and Margaret fatally injured.
Deep sympathy is felt with the parents in their tragic bereavement. '

[GR2]

Linlithgowshire Gazette Friday 22-11-1918

Two Children Fatally Injured

On Thursday forenoon, at Dur-
hamtown, near Bathgate, a sad ac-
cident happened to two sisters - Margaret Welsh
(12) and Catherine Welsh (8] - daughters of Pat-
rick Welsh, furnaceman, residing at No. 30 Dur-
hantown. A travelling thrashing-mill, drawn
by an engine, was passing through the village,
and a number of children had been amusing
themselves by swinging on the iron bar which
connects the two vehicles. How the accident
happened is not certain, but it is presumed that
Catherine had fallen in front of one of the
wheels, and in her efforts to save her, Margaret
was also caught by the wheel. The younger
child was killed outright, and her sister received
shocking injuries. Dr Kirk was in immediate
attendance, and had the injured girl conveyed
to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where she suc-
cumbed to her injuries/

[dowdstree]

Again from the index on SP (online again for the moment)  there is a death for Catherine Welsh aged 8 Ref 662/1 120. In Scotland a report of the accident would be sent to the Procurator Fiscal and an RCE (Register of Corrected Entries) attached to the death certificate this would give you the extra information on Catherine's death. So tragic.

Dorrie