The Great Thorpe Railway Disaster 1874- Heroes, Victims, Survivors

This is the third title from Norwich writer and biographer Phyllida Scrivens, who lives less than half a mile from the site of the fatal collision. At Norwich Thorpe Station on 10 September 1874, at Norwich station a momentary misunderstanding between the Stationmaster, Night Inspector and young Telegraph Clerk, resulted in an inevitable head-on collision. The residents of the picturesque riverside village of Thorpe-Next-Norwich were shocked by a deafening peal of thunder', sending them running through the driving rain towards a scene of destruction. Surgeons were summoned from the city, as the dead, dying and injured were taken to a near-by inn and boatyard. For many months local and national newspapers followed the story, publishing details of subsequent deaths, manslaughter trial and outcomes of unprecedented compensation claims. This book explores this tragedy.