DAWN RAIL HORROR
TWENTY-ONE sheep lying on the railway line near Havenhouse Station were killed when a four-coach diesel train ploughed into them just before dawn on Monday.

The train, which could have been travelling at up to 50 mph on that stretch of line, was the 5.40 from Boston to Skegness. It was empty except for the driver and guard. Mr Jim Harvey and Mr Reg Longford, both of Boston, and three British Rail staff travelling to work at Skegness Station.
One, a cleaner, called it “an alarming experience.” She said the train was rocking about and they were afraid it was going to go over.
The accident happened at 6.12, and according to the signalman who reported it, all the sheep were killed outright.
A British Rail spokesman said the train was only slightly damaged and continued on schedule. It was the first train out of Skegness at 06.25. There was no blockage of the line and no danger of derailment.
“The line is well fenced,” he said. “There are other ways of getting on to the line beside through the fences. We shall have to enquire as to exactly how they got on the line so that it doesn’t happen again.”
The sheep belonged to Mr James Epton, of Northolme Hall, Wainfleet.
He said the 21 sheep were part of a unit of 40 ewes and one ram. When they had been left in a field near the railway about half-a-mile away the previous afternoon, everything had been secure,”I’m not quite certain where they got on to the line,” he said. “There’s no question of any negligence on the part of the railway. Obviously access hadn’t been gained at that point.
They must have got on to the track and huddled against the crossing gates on the Skegness side of the station.
“It took us an hour or three-quarters of an hour to clear the line. It really vas a most extraordinary sight half a ton of jointed lamb. They were literally in pieces, chopped to bits.”

Mr Epton, who has 400 sheep, said he has never had a whole flock stray before. The total value of those killed was £264.

1973 Skegness news story

Boy `left for ten minutes’ fell to death A 10-YEAR-OLD ****** [Down’s Syndrome] boy, on holiday at Skegness in a boarding house, was “left for no more than 10 minutes, asleep in bed with the room door locked, and inside that time he was lying on the concrete floor below as good as dead,” said Boston’s Coroner, Mr H. G. Frost, at a Boston inquest on Thursday. The inquiry heard how young Peter Wilson, of Walsall, was seem to fall about 20 feet from a sloping roof beneath his window at 7 Algitha Road, (pictured below) Skegness, in August.

Medical evidence showed that his death, a few hours later in Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital, was due to multiple injuries of the skull. The boy’s father, sales clerk, Mr John Henry Wilson, of Lister Close, Walsall, said he and his wife and their two sons — Robin (16) was the other — were holidaying at Skegness with friends. After spending most of the day on the beach they returned to the boarding house and then most of the party went to the nearby Lyndhurst Club, leaving Peter to be put to bed by his mother and grandmother in Room Eight on the top floor. Later, just after the mother and grandmother had joined them, Robin ran in to say Peter had fallen from the bedroom window, The bedroom door was locked because in the past Peter had got up at night and walked from his room. Mrs Lilian Wilson, said her son, who had been enjoying himself in the sea, needed attention every moment of every day. She and her mother-in-law put him to bed at 9 pm and stayed with him until he was asleep, when at 9.50 they went to the club. The window was left open and there was a small chair under it, but Peter was not normality able to climb. Mr John Edward Cressey, a shop assistant, of 4 Lawn Avenue, Skegness, said he saw the boy sliding feet first down the sloping roof below the casement bedroom window. He landed on the concrete forecourt below. The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure. The Coroner commented: “No one could possibly point the finger of blame at anyone,”

1972 local news story. I have edited out an appellation which is socially unacceptable nowadays, and inserted in its place the term ‘Down’s Syndrome’.

SEVERE STORMS IN 1893
THE SHANNON DISASTER as reported in the Skegness Herald

The most deplorable disaster that has occurred at this or probably any other seaside resort happened at Skegness at noon on Saturday last. It was a fine morning, but the heat appeared to be somewhat oppressive.

At 10.30 a train from London brought to Skegness the employees of the North London Railway Company. They were full of glee, and as they passed along the Lumley Road on their way to the beach were singing the latest songs and playing toy instruments. They had arranged to dine at the Pavilion, Pleasure Gardens, at about one o’clock.

At 12 noon a great change came over the scene. Just prior to this time about 28 of the party had gone for a sail in the Shannon.

At midday a terrible storm of wind and rain swept over the town with great fury. The Shannon, though ably manned by two experienced boatmen, was wrecked by the storm, and 28 persons, besides the two boatmen, lost their lives.

When the news of the disaster reached the pavilion, where their comrades were dining, the feelings of grief may be better imagined than described. An elderly man, almost frantic, had lost two sons and a son-in-law that morning, and these had left 13 young children unprovided for. To add to the grief of the poor fellow, his wife died on Sunday, the day after he got home again.
The Shannon was certified to carry 6o passengers, but only 31 were aboard at this time. The boat belonged to the Grunnill family and was in charge of Edward Grunnill, 44 years of age, and Edwin Grunnill, 49. [Links lead to the men’s gravestones in St Clement’s Church Skegness]. Both men were members of the Skegness lifeboat crew, and experienced boatmen.

Help was rendered by Jabez Grunnill with his boat, the Dart. Both boatmen were drowned, in addition to 28 of the passengers.

At the inquest, Charles Henshaw, one of the three survivors, said : “I was on board at the time of the disaster, and do not consider the boat was overloaded. There was plenty of room for more passengers, and I don’t consider the boatmen were to blame in any way. They were both at their post.’ Only 20 of the bodies were recovered.”

The local Appeal Committee met the London Committee, which had been formed for the purpose of helping the survivors, about September 24th, to consider the allocation of the money subscribed for the widows and orphans of those lost. Altogether this amounted to £6201, and £600 of this was given to the families of the two boatmen.

ANOTHER SEVERE GALE.—Another severe gale took place on November 18th and 19th, 1893. It necessitated the launching of the Skegness lifeboat, which rescued the crew of the cod smack Frank, of Grimsby, who unfortunately had to abandon their vessel. The gale caused considerable damage to property in the Lumley Road. The following poetry appeared in the “Skegness Herald” of November 24th, 1893. It is by the late Miss Frances Theadora Maddison, formerly of Partney, who resided at Skegness for many years. She was a member of the well-known Lincolnshire family of that name, and was highly esteemed in the town and district. She did not claim to be a poet, but her sonnets, which appeared in the “Herald” from time to time, were highly appreciated by those who read them :—

THE GALE
0, hungry sea! lash’d by the waves to foam, Thy waves are seeking prey, and soon the cries of drowning men in agony arise!
Soon hushed, alas! and while the seamen roam, The anxious watcher’s tears and bitter sighs By strong winds are mocked ! they raging come Around the coast, around each fisher’s home, While neath the waters, dead and loved ones lie,
O the Saviour breathe the words, ‘Be still!’ I may
And on bruised hearts pour balm, with tender power,
With trembling now each contrite spirit fill,
For none but He can save in midnight hour,
When on mid-ocean tossed by storm and spray,
The helpless vessels roll, and long for day.

“F. T. M.”

(1861 census Frances Theadora Maddison)

Died In His Car!
SKEGNESS GREENGROCER WHO RECENTLY RE-MARRIED

TRAGIC INCIDENT IN LUMLEY ROAD

There was a tragic happening in Lumley Road about 11 a.m. 3rd May 1949, when Mr. Alfred Drury, aged 55 years, a greengrocer of 9 Westfield Drive, Skegness, was taken suddenly ill as he was getting into his car outside the School of Cookery, and died even as help arrived.
He was observed to start the vehicle up, and was about to drive off in the centre of the road when the car stopped suddenly. The “revving” up of the engine caused attention to be centred on the vehicle, and a number of people rushed up only to find Mr. Drury slumped over the wheel.
Dr. Brownlie was called, but Mr. Drury expired as the police were removing him to the ambulance.
The Skegness Coroner, Mr. W. C. Howard, has been informed, but as death was from natural causes, no inquest will be necessary.
A sad feature of the occurrence is that deceased, who was a widower, was married for the second time only a fortnight previously, his bride being Mrs. May Medley, daughter of a former Skegness lifeboatman and a niece of the late Coun Samuel Moody, J.P., a former Chairman of the Skegness Council.
The utmost sympathy was extended to the widow in this tragic occurrence.

1985

Nightmare on the beach
A WARNING sign has been erected at Jackson’s Corner, Winthorpe, after grandmother and three of her grandchildren sank deep into mud on the beach.
And on Monday the grandmother, 50-year-old Mrs Marina Bargh, of Eckington Road, Staveley, near Chesterfield, broke down and wept as she spoke of her frightening ordeal, in which she thought she was going to die.
Mrs Bargh said one of the children, four-year-old Jody, sank up to his neck in the squelching mud.
“We were all in our wellingtons and decided to walk along the water’s edge holding hands and splashing,” she said.
“We walked back from the beach and had gone about 25 yards when we stepped into a shallow pool.
“The next thing I knew I was up to my waist. Sand and slime were sucking at my legs and pulling me under.

Screaming

“We were still holding hands and I was screaming for help. Michelle was on the edge of the pool up to her knees in mud. I told her to pull Nathan and she took hold of both his wrists.
“Then I heard Jody screaming. I turned round and the sand was up to his armpits. “The slurping and gulping noise of the sand was terrible. The more we struggled the more we were sucked down.
“I thought we were going to go under and suffocate.”
Mrs Bargh, who has a bad heart, continued: “I kept screaming but no-one came. There was a family nearby on the beach but they didn’t seem to notice. I was so tired and nearly ready to give up. I rested for a moment but saw Jody being sucked down. Only his head was above the sand. I held his chin up and had to pull his hair to keep his head out of the muddy sand.
“I thought if he was going to go I would go with him. I really thought that was it.
“Then as I was struggling I touched some hard sand with one of my feet. I leant backwards and heaved. Michelle was still pulling and we somehow managed to pull ourselves free,” she said.

Danger
Mrs Bargh said they were covered in mud. Most of their clothes were ruined and their wellingtons were pulled of in the sand. “It was not like sand softened by the rain. It was more like quicksand and it was black and smelt,” she said.
Mrs Bargh, who came to Skegness for three day’s rest, said an investigation must be carried out before a life was lost.
Warning signs should be erected pointing out the danger, she said. “No-one should have to go through what we did.
“People think they are safe on the beach. It’s a child’s natural reaction to splash in a puddle,” she said.
Mrs Bargh cut short her stay in Skegness to return home.
Before she left she was visited by the Mayor of Skegness, Coun Mrs Nell Fagan. The Mayor was full of praise for the grandmother. “She deserves a medal,” she told The Standard on Tuesday.

Beware
A sign erected on the beach yesterday (Thursday) by East Lindsey District Council, warns bathers to beware of sinking mud.
Any suggestion that Mrs Bargh was exaggerating the incident was soon removed by coastguard Mr Bernard O’Reilly who was one of the first on the scene.
He said on Wednesday: “If Mrs Bargh had not been there the little one would have gone under.”
There was quite a lot of mud on the beach, particularly in the summer months, he said, and the recent rain and heavy seas had made matters worse. “One minute it can be clean, the next it’s muddy,” he said.

Below: A sign warning of quicksand on the beach was erected by East Lindsey District Council but was replaced with another when complaints were voiced that it would put people off the beach.

Source: Skegness Standard 9th August 1985