A reader has written in to remind us of the Hither Green rail disaster almost exactly fifty years ago on November 5 1967. The accident claimed the lives of 49 passengers, about half of whom came from the Rye area, including several ex-pupils of the then Grammar School. Among the survivors were Molly Hullis who also attended the school, (future wife of Bee Gee Robin Gibb who was with her on the train), and also Mrs Pat Brady, who lived at 1 West Street.
On that day in 1967, a busy Sunday evening train service from Hastings to London, Charing Cross, derailed between Hither Green and Grove Park railway stations. Of the twelve coaches, many full of standing passengers, eleven were derailed and four turned onto their sides, resulting in 49 fatalities and 78 people injured.
The derailment was found to be due to a broken rail. The Ministry of Transport report criticised the maintenance of the line, especially following a recent increase of the maximum speed of trains over the route. Following the accident the maintenance of the line was improved and plans accelerated for replacing jointed track by continuous welded rail.
Photo: library image
Most people probably don’t know that there will be a Memorial Service at St. Mildred’s Church, Lee, SE London this coming Sunday, 5 November, which is the day of the anniversary of this disaster. I certainly didn’t know. Mayor John Breeds will be there as will the Deputy Mayor of Hastings. The Service will start at 3pm.
I am disappointed not to be able to attend but I hope as many as possible from the area will find a way of going.
There is a commemorative plaque in the ticket hall of Hither Green Station. In the absence of any formal memorial, I organised it’s installation on behalf of my family and in memory of my sister Dianne, Ricky Spencer, and two sisters Gay and Judith Breeds, who were four of the 49 victims. I shall be placing a wreath next to the plaque tomorrow, something I’ve done for the last 14 years, however for the first time, it will be part of of a community ceremony due to start at 12.30 and precedes the church service John Cooper mentions.
Some years ago the wonderful Rye Old Scholars Association organised the ‘Hither Green Award’ in memory of the above four Old Scholars, to be given to a current pupil of Rye College who ‘achieved against all odds’. I’ve had the immense pleasure in presenting this over the years on behalf of all three families.
Their names must never be forgotten.
Kevin Williams
Kevin, I remember your sister Dianne and also Ricky very clearly and I also knew Gay and Judith, albeit less well. I think of each of them every 5 November and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. It seems like it all happened yesterday.
Went to guestling school with gay , she was seven and I was eight .laterly we both went to rye secondary modern . we were part of a group of friends who gathered at the playing fields in guestling . Judith was a star stoolball player regularly getting three figure scores . Warwick and I were part of the cricket and football teams , gay was a wizard on the hockey pitch . gay and I became close during the summer of 67 , meeting whenever we could either in guestling or the flat they rented in Westbourne grove , the last time I saw her was mid October she waved me good buy on platform 1 Paddington I joined hms Hermes and sailed for a six month deployment .we agreed to write to each other and made plans for my return . her letters stopped after a while and fathers letter sent early November explained what had happened . I was obviously devistated but father stressed that “life goes on “ and he was right . the lasting memory is of gay and her great science of fun and adventure, and the fortitude shown by her parents Mary and Lardy to deal with such a tragedy- rip