"ONLY DID HIS JOB."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 281, 28 November 1938, Page 17

"ONLY DID HIS JOB."

SIGNALMAN HERO. SAVED RAILWAY SMASH. (Special—By Air MaJl.) LONDON. October 22. Signalman Robert Kelso, who by leaving his box at Heme Hill, S.E., waving a red flag, averted a serious crash between two trains packed with Saturday afternoon rush-hour crowds, is a hero to every one—except his wife. "There's nothing to it," she said. "Bob simply did his duty." And this was Signalman Kelso's way of doing his "duty." On Saturday afternoon he was on duty when he saw the 2.2 electric train from Hoi born to Orpington pulling out of Heme Hill station. He knew that the 2.4 Victoria-Rams-gate express was due—on the same line. He put all his signals at danger, grasped a. red flag and ran down the line towards the express train. The driver saw him, and put on his brakes. As the train was pulling up, the engine struck the rear of the • electric train. There were 600 people in the two trains. Ten were slightly injured. While breakdown vans arrived —they were kept busy for five hours —Signalman Kelso went back to his box to carry on with his job until ten o'clock. He was on duty again the next day from ti a.m. to 2 p.m., and again from 10 p.m. It was his one-in-four Sunday i "on." He did not go home to his flat in Mayflower Road, Stockwell, S.W., for dinner. i "He must have taken fright with so many people about," his wife explained. ! Their elder daughter, aged fifteen, i agreed, and added: "Don't put daddy's name in the paper."