REPOSTED By Request March 2025 October 17, 2020 This piece originally appeared in the Newsletter of the Historical Special Interest Group of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, October 2020 Fig 1: Lewisham showing the wreckage and the collapsed bridge – source unknown The current (at the time of writing) debate about appointments to the US Supreme Court made me think of the Lewisham train crash (1957). It took me a while to work out why I had made the connection but hopefully the reason will become clear to those who have the patience to read this short article through to the end. Those of us who were lucky to study under Eric Dykes at the old Civil Emergency Management Centre at the University of Hertfordshire might recall the case study that featured Mr Chadwick of Lewisham. It was his unfortunate involvement in the Lewisham rail crash of December 1957 that was used to illustrate the inevitable consequences of civil emergenci...
The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Committee have been collecting evidence on the response to the Covid 19 pandemic and on the Coronavirus Act 2020. The deadline for written submissions is 27th July and I would urge people with knowledge of this subject to provide the committee with a response. Details can be found at: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/310/responding-to-covid19-and-the-coronavirus-act-2020/ I would draw your attention to the fact that the terms of reference of this inquiry have been updated to include the prospect of a public inquiry. IT IS THEREFORE IMPORTANT that submissions are made by those with knowledge of this subject. I have submitted a short note giving (for what very little it is worth) my views on this subject. See copy below. I am submitting a supplementary note on the Public Inquiry issue. Response to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into the Response...
The London Underground has an amazing safety record. This is one of only a handful of serious accidents in its history. It took place on a branch of the Northern Line that is now part of the Network Rail line from Drayton Park. The accident was a huge shock to the people of London. The rescue operation was lengthy and difficult. For reasons which are still not clear, the driver failed to stop and crashed into the end of the tunnel at platform nine. The larger than usual tunnel bore allowed the carriages to jack knife. I was at school and remember that a documentary about the Bethnal Green Tube Shelter disaster was due to be shown on the television in the same week. It was cancelled. The responders from the London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, City of London, Metropolitan and British Transport Police did an incredible job alongside staff from local hospitals and London Transport. This part of Moorgate Station is dirty ...
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