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Accident Returns: Extract for Accident at Quintinshill on 22 May 1915

Document Summary

The report into the collision between three trains and subsequent fire at Quintinshill, near Gretna, which killed 227 people and stands as the worst accident in British railway history.

This document was published on 17th September 1915 by Board of Trade.

It was written by Lieut. Col. E. Druitt.

This item is linked to the Accident at Quintinshill on 22nd May 1915

The original document format was Bound Volume, and comprised 28 pages.

This document was kindly sourced from Dr John Gough and is in our Accident reports collection. It was added to the Archive on 13th July 2005.

Copyright Information

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"CALEDONIAN:
May 22nd.- Double collision between passenger trains at Quintinshill, by which 224 passengers and three servants were killed, and 242 passengers and four servants injured.
This collision was found to be due to neglect of rules on the part of two signalmen at the Quintinshill signalbox...

This disastrous collision was thus due to want of discipline on the part of the signalmen, first by changing duty at an unauthorised hour, which caused Tinsley to be preoccupied in writing up the Train Register Book, and so diverted his attention from his proper work; secondly by Meakin handing over the duty in a very lax manner; and, thirdly, by both signalmen neglecting to carry out various rules specially framed for preventing accidents due to forgetfulness on the part of signalmen."