A South Tyneside rail disaster which claimed the lives of 19 people will be the subject of next week’s Wednesday Heritage Club.
On 17 December, 1915, a goods train, a tank engine and a passenger train came into collision on the rail route at St. Bede’s Junction, on what is now the section between Jarrow and Bede Metro Stations.
John Caffery, the grandson of one of the injured survivors, will give a presentation about the accident, using photographs, film and audio from the time.
He will also speak about his successful campaign to have a memorial stone erected in Harton Cemetery to honour those who were previously unidentified.
The story of the accident is the basis of a community drama written by Diane Gray and Lorna Windham, which was broadcast by Hive Radio at Bede’s World in December 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the incident.
Come along to the Library Theatre in South Shields on 8 June at 2pm and hear about the disaster and the play written to commemorate it.
Tickets for the presentation, which are £1 are available from the Reference Department at the Central Library, South Shields or telephone 0191 424 7864 to reserve a ticket or for more information.