Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Friday 22 September 1922
Station Accident.
Guard Between Platform and His Van.
A graphic story of the manner in which a Great Central Railway guard met with fatal injuries as an excursion train was moving away from the platform at Conisbioro’ station on Monday night, was told at an inquest at Denaby yesterday.
The guard was Fred Dickinson (39), of 3, New Chapel Avenue, Cubley, Penistone, and his widow, Edith Annie Dickinson said he had never had a day’s illness in his life.
George William Ellis, porter, stated that he was on duty at Conisborough Station on Monday night when an excursion train returning from Cleethorpes to Penistone came in.
After the passengers had alighted he shut the carriage doors and gave the right-away signal to the guard, who answered by showing the green light to the driver.
A moment later he heard the guard shout and saw him hanging from the handle of the brakevan, with his body between the platform and the coach. He (witness) sprang on the train and applied the emergency brakes, bringing the train to a standstill after it hat; travelled a further distance of ten or fifteen yards, and the guard was then found lying in the four feet way, with both legs off.
In reply to the .Coroner, witness added that he thought deceased must have slipped, missing the footboard as he was getting into the brake.
Mr. W. Rimmer, Leeds, district secretary of the N.U.R. : Would it be right to tell the Coroner that deceased was not a regular passenger guard?
Witness : I cannot say that.
Mr. Rimmer: He was a goods guard, not used to taking a passenger train at all.
Inspector Shores, Doncaster, representing the district traffic manager of the Great Central Railway, stated that deceased had worked on a passenger train on many occasions, but the widow interjected, ” I could count all passenger trains he had worked on my two hands.” She told the Coroner that though her husband had never expressed any objection to the Company, being goods guard, he disliked having to work a passenger train.
Further evidence was given by the porter to the effect that the train being longer than the platform the guard was beyond the end of the platform, on the level, when he gave the signal for the train to move off.
The Coroner: Was there anything to prevent him from getting into the van before he gave the signal?
Witness: Yes. Conisborough platform goes in a curve, and if he had stopped in his brake the driver would have been unable to have seen the green light.
Porter Complimented.
In returning a verdict of “Accidental death.” the Coroner expressed the opinion that no blame was attributable to anyone. He complimented the porter, not only on the manner in which, taking in the situation, he brought the train to a standstill, but also for his subsequent conduct in setting the first aid outfit and going for the colliery ambulance. In respect of the evidence given to the effect that deceased was a goods guard not fond of passenger work the Coroner observed that on the suggestion whether the railway practice of changing men’s duties in this way was desirable he would express no opinion. He felt that that was a matter for the company concerned and for the men’s union.