MEN KILLED AT EDENDALE

Southland Times, Issue 24004, 20 December 1939, Page 5

MEN KILLED AT EDENDALE

Inquest Into Deaths Of Soldiers FALL UNDER CARRIAGE OF TROOP TRAIN That deaths were due to multiple injuries received in a fall under a train was the verdict returned by the Coroner (Mr R. C. Abernethy) in the inquest yesterday into the deaths of Private George Joseph Sheedy, aged 30 years, and Lance-Corporal James Thomas Nelson, aged 26 years, who were killed when attempting to board the special troop train at Edendale on December 14.

Mr T. V. Mahoney appeared for the relations of Sheedy, Mr G. J. Reed for the guard and train crew, Mr H. J. Macalister for the Railways Department, and Major H. C. Mackenzie on behalf of the Defence Department. Peter Bloxham, guard on the train, said that the train arrived at Edendale at 9.29 p.m. and he gave the right-away signal at 9.31. The train was then 40 minutes late. At all stations where stops were made a large number of soldiers left the train and some difficulty was experienced in getting them to rejoin before starting the train. At Edendale the same thing happened. The stationmaster went to the front of the train and worked back, while he went to the van and worked forward, warning the passengers to board the train. Having got the right-away signal from the stationmaster he blew his whistle and gave the green light to the engine driver. There were 10 cars on the train and he was about the middle. As the train started he remained on the platform looking along the train to see that all was safe. About a car length to the rear of the witness, he saw a man named Young slip as he tried to board the train. He at once turned and gave the red light to the driver and the train was stopped in about 50 yards, or a little more. He was about to go to Young’s assistance when some one called, “there are two more back here.” Going towards the rear of the train he found that two more men had apparently fallen underneath a. carriage. He did not see anything of these two men falling, his attention being taken up first by seeing Young fall, and then by signalling the driver to stop. These two men were right underneath the car and their bodies had to be removed before the train could be set back to release Young, who had caught hold of a stay and was dragged between the car and the station platform. At every station where the train stopped a number of men left the train and considerable difficulty was experienced in getting them to rejoin the train, in spite of repeated warnings by the military authorities, the station staffs and himself.

To Mr Mahoney: The train travelled 50 yards from the time it started until it stopped. He thought that the train started at a reasonable speed and there was no attempt on the part of the train crew to make up lost time. To Mr Reed: According to the instructional schedule the train was to stop at Edendale merely to allow passengers to alight.

Second Lieutenant Vernon Clive Poole said that Captain M. C. Rice was leaving the train at Edendale and several of the men got off’the train to say farewell to him. There were several of the men on the platform when the guard blew his whistle for the train to start. He ordered the men to get on to the train. He himself got on board and the train began to move away fairly fast. When he had walked a few paces in the carriage he heard shouts that Nelson was under the last carriage. Before he could reach the emergency brake the train was pulling up, and he got off and found Nelson was beyond aid! A few yards ahead of Nelson he discovered the body of George Sheedy under the carriage. He had also fallen under the train and had been killed instantly. He did not see how the accident happened. To Mr Macalister: When the guard blew his whistle he was at the rear of a group of men around Captain Rice. He hurried the men on to the train and himself boarded the train when it was going so fast that he would not have liked to board it any later. He did not hear the bell sounded.

Sergeant Rowland George Hunter said that he was standing on the platform of the second to last carriage when he saw Nelson make a dash for the platform on which he was standing. He was about to board the train when he tripped over a kit bag. He fell forward on his face, rolled between the platform and the carriage and was dragged under the train.

To Mr Mahoney: He had not left the train and had a clear view of Nelson as he went to board the train. Several of the men were rushing towards the carriage platform on which he was standing and one dodged the object that he took to be a kit bag. He was doing his best to grab Nelson when he tripped over the bag. Captain M. C. Rice said there wert about 70 troops on special leave travelling on the train. He left the train at Edendale and several of the troops got off to say farewell to him. The train was moving away when some of the men, including Nelson and Sheedy, endeavoured to get on board. He did not see what happened, but heard screams and the train was brought to a standstill. He then ascertained that Nelson and Sheedy had fallen between the platform and the carriages. To Mr Mahoney: He had had extensive experience of troop trains and he thought that under the circumstances the speed at which the train left was unreasonable. He thought that the* speed was too great because the train was a special leave train. The crew appeared to show more hurry in leaving Edendale than at stations further up the line. To Mr Reed: It was quite possible that there were 190 men on board at Dunedin. In fairness to the guard he would say that there had been some trouble in getting the men on board in time at some of the stopping places. To Mr Macalister: There was always a certain amount of difficulty with men coming away on leave, but it was not his experience that military police were, posted on the trains. Apart from the members of the special force who left the train at Edendale, there was no real necessity for the other troops to leave. Immediately the men clustered around him, he warned them to get back on to the train. He did not hear the bell sounded and he did not hear the guard warn the men to return to the train, although he certainly heard Corporal Young and Second Lieutenant Poole. He did not make any mention in his routine report to the area officer at Invercargill about the train leaving at an unreasonable speed. It did not occur to him at the time that there was anything dangerous about the speed of the train, but he thought the men might have been given more time on the platform.

Magnus John Spence, station clerk at Edendale, said that when all was ready for the train to depart he rang the bell, went to the engine, then walk-

ed back and gave the right-away signal to the guard. The train had begun to move away when he noticed a man being dragged along the platform by a carriage. He immediately gave the driver a red light and the train stopped. The man was wedged between the station platform and a battery box on the side of a carriage. He could see that he was wedged hard and he went to find the guard with the view of shifting the train about 12 inches to remove the man. When he found the guard he ascertained that two more men had fallen under the train and it was about 10 minutes before these two men were removed. They were both dead. The passengers were warned to join the train before the ringing of the station bell. About one to one r.nd a-half minutes would elapse between the ringing of the bell and the giving of the rightaway signal to the guard. Four bags of grass seed and one bag of rabbit skins were unloaded from the Wyndham train van and placed on the platform. To Mr Mahoney: He saw some troops on the platform before giving the rightaway signal, but he did not know whether they were passengers. The grass seed and rabbit skins were unloaded on to the platform about 10 or 12 minutes before the troop train arrived. Anyone moving away suddenly might have encountered the bags, which were about opposite the middle of the train. 'he train travelled about two carriage lengths before it was pulled up. • Andrew Smith Beck, of Edendale, said he was on the railway station platform at Edendale on the night of December 14, 1939, when a troop train was at the station. He heard the engine whistle and the train began to move away. About 20 soldiers rushed to get on the rear end of the second-to-last carriage. There were some bags of grass seed lying on-the platform and most of the soldiers either jumped over them or got round them. One of the soldiers tripped and fell, then he rolled between the platform and the carriage, under the wheels. On turning round, he saw another soldier lying half down between the platform and the carriage and he also disappeared under the carTiage. To Mr Mahoney: He saw only one man trip over the sacks, which were lying near the edge of the platform. It was not the function of the Coroner to apportion blame, if there was any blame attachable to any person or party, said Mr Abernethy. It was not the Coroner’a task to find that, say, the Railways Department or the Defence Department was responsible for the tragedy, and but for the fact that the troops were on final leave he would not have allowed some of the questions to be asked. He extended sympathy to the relations of the two soldiers. At least they had the satisfaction of knowing that the men had been prepared to offer themselves for their country.