The WWII Bletchley train crash during a blackout that killed four
It happened on Friday 13
The crash was the first during the wartime blackout (Image: Getty Images)
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During the Second World War, the first wartime blackout train crash happened in Bletchley.
On Friday October 13 1939 the 7:37pm train from Euston to Inverness had been waiting at Bletchley station where a shunting engine was attaching a van onto the rear.
However, in a tragic accident, this engine was run into by the 7:50pm train from Euston to Stranraer, which was also stopping at Bletchley, which was not part of Milton Keynes at this point, and weighed more than 602 tonnes.
The collision happened at speed, which caused the shunting engine to mount the platform and destroy the refreshment and waiting rooms, resulting in injuries.
Four people were killed in the accident - a member of the RAF, the driver of the shunting engine, a postman and a porter.
Five other passengers and a servant were seriously injured while 27 other passengers and 7 servants received minor injuries.
Five doctors, two Bletchley ambulances, an RAF ambulance and the Company's ambulance were all in attendance, along with a number of volunteers.
There was a lot of destruction as a result of the crash, which included damage to parts of the station roof and some had to be taken down when clearing the wreckage.
Nearly 70 metres of track was also destroyed and had to be replaced.
It took until Sunday morning for all of the debris to be removed from the train tracks.
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A 1939 report into the accident said the weather was particularly bad that night and there were no lights because of the blackout.
It also said that the two drivers of the Stranraer train, Haynes and Copperwheat, had not taken notice of the previous six signal indications which covered a distance of two miles.
Both drivers said that the smoke from the engine, the rain and the easterly wind made it difficult for them to see the signals and Copperwheat added that he thought that Haynes was seeing the one's he missed.
The trains were also meant to be travelling at speeds no greater than 60mph between stations, however, to make up for a delay the Stranraer train was travelling at 70mph.
Haynes stood trial in Buckinghamshire for manslaughter, however, he was found not guilty and discharged.
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