Tag: Accidents

Herbert Henry Hole – killed in the GWR Works

So, where did responsibility lie for the death of Herbert Hole? Described as ‘a fully qualified man and a good man’ it seems unlikely it was due to his incompetence. Investigations later that day revealed a previously unseen flaw in the hydraulic press, which had been working constantly for 19½ years. Today we bemoan the curse of ‘health and safety regulations.’ I dare say Mrs Hole and her family would tell us how fortunate we are to have such laws in place.

Fatality in the GWR Works

The circumstances attending the sad death of Herbert Henry Hole, aged 53 years, of 20, Curtis Street, Swindon, a fitter in the GWR Works, who was killed by an accident, were inquired into before M A.L. Forrester, Coroner for North Wilts, on Friday afternoon in last week at the Mechanics Institution, Swindon.

Mr O.A. Shinner, H.M. Inspector of Factories, of Bristol, was in attendance.

Arthur Herbert Hole, a fitter, who said he left home only two days ago and went to Grimsby to work, identified deceased as his father, 53 years of age, who had been in the employ of the GWR Co. a number of years, and was engaged in the stamping shop.

Dr W. Boxer Mayne said he was called to the Hospital about 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday. He found deceased suffering from a deep and extensive wound in the neighbourhood of the rectum. There was also the evidence of the fracture of the pelvis. He died in a few minutes from shock following the injuries.

Alfred Edward Mayor, of 28, Oriel Street, Swindon, hydraulic forgeman in the factory, said he and deceased were working on two hydraulic presses in the Stamping Shop. On Wednesday afternoon one of the presses was out of work, and deceased came there to put a guage on the dies of the press which was out of work. Whilst he was doing this witness was working the other press. About 3.50 p.m. witness heard a banging noise, and on looking round he saw deceased lying on the floor. Witness went to pick deceased up, but found his left foot was pinned down by a piece of iron (the crosshead of the machine). With assistance, witness raised the iron, and got deceased up and found he was seriously injured. Witness had left the machine ready for Hole to do the work. He was down on the block, and witness told him it was all right. He told deceased not to touch the lever, or the press would go up. Deceased could work the guage without touching the lever.

By Mr Skinner: The machine was not doing any work at the time of the accident. Deceased was doing some work to the guage.

Thomas Axford, of 161, Victoria Road, Swindon, GWR foreman, said he was in charge of the shop where deceased was working. Witness was 15 yards away from the scene of the accident at the time, and heard the noise. On turning round he saw deceased on the ground. Witness fetched an ambulance and also telephoned for a doctor, who quickly arrived. The same day, about 6 p.m. witness examined the machine and found an unseen flaw in the tie-rod coupling the top piston of the cylinder to the bottom one. The effect or result of the accident was that the tie-rod broke. Deceased was evidently knocked down. Someone must have touched the lever for the tie-rod to break. Deceased was standing near the lever, and in witness’s opinion the lever must have been touched or the tie-rod would not have broken. After the accident the lever showed that the machine was on the down stroke ready to press. This showed that the machine had moved on the up-stroke about an inch and then come down. The water was not shut off on the main during meal hours or for repairs. Every machine had a separate valve. Deceased was a fully qualified man and a good man.

By Mr Shinner: There was no particular pressure put on to cause the accident. There must have been pressure, and an improper pressure put on accidentally. The machine had been working constantly for 19½ years.

The jury, of whom Mr Waldon was foreman returned a verdict of “Accidental death,” and passed a vote of condolence with the widow and family of deceased in their great bereavement.

The Faringdon Advertiser, Saturday July 14, 1917.

Capture

Photograph published courtesy of Local Studies, Swindon Central Library.

Was this the type of machine at which Herbert Hole was fatally injured?

Herbert’s funeral took place on July 9, 1917. He is buried in Radnor Street Cemetery in plot D1624 with his wife Priscilla and son A.P. Hole.

Rivet boy killed in horrific accident

Working in the GWR factory was a dangerous affair. Serious injuries were commonplace and even fatal accidents occurred such as the one that highlighted poor safety practise in the works in 1896.

Fifteen-year-old Matthew William Fox Burton had been working as a rivet boy for just seven weeks when he was involved in an horrific accident early one Tuesday morning. Matthew – known as William – was the second son of Matthew and Mahalah Maud Burton. He was baptised at St. Mark’s Church on August 9, 1880 when his father’s occupation was given as Engine Fitter. And like just about every other boy living in New Swindon at that time, William followed his father into a job in the railway works.

His duties as a rivet boy included cleaning out the rivet forge when on that morning an hydraulic pressure riveter weighing 35 cwt, suspended by chains from an overhead crane capsized.

published courtesy of Local Studies, Swindon Central Library.

Men working nearby carried William to the Medical Fund Hospital.

“But it is feared that he has sustained very serious internal injuries and that he will not recover,” reported the Advertiser.

William died in the hospital five days later; the cause of death was shock following the injuries he had sustained.

An inquest attended by Works Manager G.J. Churchward held at the Cricketer’s Arms on Monday March 2, 1896 heard how the accident in V1 (Boiler) Shop happened just after the men returned to work at 9 a.m.

Mr R.L. Dyer, the foreman of the shop, suggested that a very slight leak in the valves could have caused the machine to drop to the ground when the water was turned off while the men were at breakfast. The subsequent slackness in the chain may have caused it to slip from one of the two hooks that supported it.

The coroner adjourned the proceedings in order to inform the Inspector of Factories.

When the inquest reconvened on Wednesday afternoon the jury heard how as the machine was lifted off the boy it slipped again, landing on him for a second time.

Dr Simms, the assistant to GWR medical officer Dr Swinhoe, said the boy had a fracture of the upper jaw and left arm and extensive bruising of the chest and back.

The jury asked to examine the machine and the inquest was adjourned for a second time, much to the consternation of Mr Churchward.

When asked when the machine had last been officially inspected, Churchward replied that Mr Dyer and himself “would see it each time they passed it.” It became apparent that inspections were done on an ad hoc basis. Mr Maitland, the Inspector of Factories, said there was no definite period for examination or visits to factories.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death but recommended greater precautions should be taken to prevent accidents with machines of this kind.

William’s funeral service was held on March 5 at St Mark’s, the church where he had been baptised. He was buried in grave plot C771, an unmarked public grave, with four other unrelated people.

My thanks to Debra and Peter Melsom who first brought this story to my attention. The story of Matthew Burton was originally published in the Swindon Advertiser on April 1, 2011.