Historians have uncovered the story of a devastating assault in Sussex which resulted within the first loss of life of a practice driver in WW2.
A plaque was unveiled at Bishopstone station on Thursday, July 3 to commemorate Southern practice driver Charles Henry Pattenden, who was killed on July 3, 1940 in his line of responsibility when a German Luftwaffe airplane opened fireplace on the 17:37 practice from Seaford.
Pattenden’s surviving kinfolk, together with grandchildren and great-grandchildren have been there to disclose the plaque, put in by the Mates of Bishopstone Station (FOBS), precisely 85 years on from the tragic day at an occasion within the restored station constructing.
FOBS director Graham Moore got down to discover out extra about this assault in January this yr, placing out an enchantment for info on-line, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Ivor Pattenden, grandson of driver Charles, confirmed up at one of many Mates’ occasions within the restored neighborhood house on the station.
Barbara Mine, chair of Mates of Bishopstone Station stated, “We have been actually amazed to see Ivor flip as much as one in all our Meet Up Mondays on the station, and he actually helped us piece collectively this 85-year-old puzzle.
“I’m so happy with the work that’s gone into this by our neighborhood group, particularly by our researcher Graham Moore.”
Graham’s unimaginable analysis has uncovered essentially the most detailed timeline of occasions which led to the primary assault on a passenger practice in wartime Britain, which killed Charles Pattenden aged 59.
A booklet was produced by Graham and FOBS members to showcase his findings.
An excerpt of The 5 Thirty-Seven
Maybe the crew of the 5:37pm practice heard the sooner 5:30pm raid close by in Seaford.
Charles Pattenden would have pushed from the driving compartment of the main carriage place. Frank Cox, the fireman, would have remained on the footplate of the locomotive, on the rear, attending to the hearth and checking the varied gauges positioned on the footplate.
The guard, Edward Batchelor, would have little doubt been briefly conversing with passengers as they boarded. Later, newspaper reviews confer with there being only a small variety of passengers.
The recognized passengers have been:
- · Mrs Might Terril of Lawes Avenue, Newhaven and her kids
- Celia, aged 4
- Ronald, aged 1
- · Mrs P Steward of Brighton Highway, Newhaven and her buddy
- · Mrs Matthews of Paddock Highway, Lewes
At 5:37pm, the steam practice departed from Seaford Station on its option to Horsted Keynes, the D1 tank engine, No. 2244 pushing the carriages from the rear.
It stopped on the still-new Bishopstone Station after which set off once more. It was completely on time because it handed by Bishopstone Seashore Halt, which was nonetheless in use as a summer season station between sixth April 1939 and 1st Jan 1942, however it’s not clear if the 5:37pm practice stopped there on the fateful day.
Because the practice drove previous the halt for the uncovered Tide Mills stretch of the road, the enemy plane ruthlessly opened fireplace on it with machine weapons.
Because the practice drew stage with the Halt, it was about this time {that a} single German Dornier bomber was seen quick approaching the coast from France.
Because the practice drove previous the halt for the uncovered Tide Mills stretch of the road, the enemy plane ruthlessly opened fireplace on it with machine weapons.
The passengers took cowl by crouching on the carriage ground. Bullets simply penetrated the practice’s carriages. The plane then delivered its load of six bombs, which exploded within the Oyster Ponds space, not removed from the halt.
The practice had, by this time, come to an abrupt halt though it’s not clear whether or not Mr Pattenden, or Mr Cox, stopped the practice.
Though neither practice nor carriages have been immediately hit by the bombs, they felt the drive and suffered blast injury with most, if not all, of the glass being shattered and the picket body and panels splintering.
Splinters struck Driver Charles Pattenden inflicting a critical harm, and he died a short while later. The guard, Edward Batchelor, obtained a critical again harm from flying shrapnel or splinters. The fireman, Frank Cox, was unhurt.
Charles Pattenden was laid to relaxation at The Borough Cemetery in Tonbridge Wells, the place he was from.
One-year-old Ron Terrill later grew as much as develop into a railway engineman in Newhaven. He’s nonetheless alive.
Ivor Pattenden, grandson of Charles Pattenden, stated, “It was an ideal success and some tears have been shed. I’d wish to thank the Mates of Bishopstone Station for his or her unimaginable analysis, and this has helped fill some gaps in our household historical past.”
The plaque was unveiled within the station’s art-deco reserving corridor, which has been restored together with the unique station bogs and former parcel workplace, to develop into a focus for the neighborhood.
Rob Whitehead, neighborhood engagement supervisor at Southern, which manages Bishopstone station, stated, “I’m actually happy with the heritage and historical past which varieties a part of the material of all of our stations – particularly this yr, as we mark the 200thanniversary of the railway.
“I’m equally as proud to assist organisations just like the Mates of Bishopstone Station which assist foster this historical past so it may be appreciated for generations to come back.”
