Railway disaster remembered after being lost in time

Eleven people - including a 10-year-old girl - lost their lives in the disaster

On the morning of 1 September 1905, a train left London Liverpool Street, bound for Cromer. As it approached Witham railway station, disaster struck.

Most of its 14 carriages left the tracks, sliding up the platform on their sides, even overturning completely.

Eleven people - including a 10-year-old girl - lost their lives in the crash, with more than 70 injured.

But further catastrophe was just moments away as another train approached at speed, heading for the wreckage.

The quick reactions of a signalman and his colleagues prevented even greater loss of life.

More than a century later, their brave actions - and the lives lost on that day - will be commemorated for the first time.

'Quick reactions'

The 09:27 service de-railed as it reached Witham station around an hour into its journey, causing a scene of devastation.

One carriage hit the platform and slid on its side into a wooden hut - a second carriage caught fire when gas tanks underneath ruptured.

A third overturned completely - the weight of its heavy iron framework and wheels crushing the upper timber section, killing nine passengers inside.

A tenth passenger in another carriage was also killed, along with a porter. Some of the victims could only be partially identified by letters which they had in their pockets. Others remained unidentified.

Sixty-six passengers were also injured in the crash, along with five members of staff.

But the danger was not over.

One of the carriages slid along the platform on its side into a wooden hut

One of the carriages overturned, with the weight of the iron framework crushing the wooden upper structure

An oncoming train from Cromer to London was approaching Witham at speed, oblivious to what had happened.

Signalman Ben Sainty - along with his colleagues Fred Parrish and Thomas Bannister - leapt into action.

Ben quickly changed the signals from Clear to Danger, which the train driver thankfully saw in enough time to stop a few hundred yards away from the station.

Its passengers - including the Norwich City football team and their manager - disembarked and helped the survivors.

An inquiry initially said the cause of the crash was due to plate layers removing a piece of track and not replacing it in time.

Local historian John Palombi told the BBC that the train driver said afterwards that he could see men working on the tracks until getting out of the way at the very last second.

"Those plate layers were later discharged as nothing was proven that they had done anything wrong," he said.

"If it wasn't for the really rapid and quick reactions… from those signalmen, it would have been a much worse disaster," Mr Palombi added.

Mark Roberts said he was "humbled" by his great-great grandfather's actions

Ben Sainty, pictured in the Witham East signal box

The actions of Ben Sainty - who had previously worked as an oyster dredger and a ship's cook before becoming a signalman - have not been lost on his great-great grandson.

"It makes me feel really humble in the sense that somebody who I'm related to did such a heroic thing," said Mark Roberts, from Wickham Bishops.

"I guess just automatic pilot kicked in and he was able to instinctively make those changes [to the signals]. I'm really proud of what he was able to do."

'Heroism'

Despite it being one of the biggest losses of life on the railways in the east of England, there has been little official recognition locally, other than a small residential street being named after Ben Sainty.

But on the 120th anniversary of the disaster, an information board will be unveiled in Witham, allowing people to learn more about the brave actions of Ben and his colleagues.

"Witham Town Council are proud to commemorate the heroism of three local railway workers whose quick thinking undoubtedly saved the lives of those travelling on the London-bound Cromer Express 120 years ago," said the Mayor of Witham, Councillor Paul Heath.

"We hope that, by installing an information board close to where the incident took place, the names of Benjamin Sainty, Fred Parish and Thomas Bannister and what they did, will be remembered by Witham residents long into the future."

Ben's great-great grandson has welcomed the news, saying it was "a shame" that previous attempts to reflect the events of 1905 had failed, despite best intentions.

"I think he would have been, 'what's all the fuss about? I was just doing my job'," Mr Roberts told the BBC.

"His actions turned him into a hero and he was written into Witham history. I'm just pleased that everything's being remembered now with with a small memorial."