Train disaster mystery

[Veronica76]

A bit of a strange one but any info on a train cardsh disaster which happened 1930/40s, 2 children's bodies were recovered but never identified or claimed only read small article about it, but there was speculation that they were really spy/dwarves ?

Survivors statemenst said there were 2 children on board with luggage/school uniform etc so was it foul play etc but why did no one come forward to claim their bodies ?

[sdreid]

Hi Veronica,

Where was this? The train mysteries I know of for 1939-40 were the Carlin, Nevada intentional derailment in 1939 that could have been an act of NAZI sabotage and the Train of Death in 1940 that some think was connected to the Cleveland Torso Slayer (oddly one of the victims had NAZI carved in his chest). The former resulted in 24 deaths and the latter three who were likely from Youngstown, Ohio although the boxcars with bodies were discovered in Mckees Rocks, Pennsylvania. blah blah blah

[Graham]

Hi Veronica,

I think the crash you refer to is the Charfield Disaster of 1929, when the Leeds to Bristol night-train crashed at Charfield near Bristol. There were many fatalities, including two children, a boy and a girl, who were never identified and around whom rumours grew (as they do...) over the years.
The children were buried locally, and there was a tradition that each anniversary of the crash a woman was seen laying flowers on the graves; this went on until the 1950's apparently. A good Googling should uncover further information.

Cheers,

Graham

[sdreid]

Thanks for that information Graham. I wonder who would be spying on Britain in 1929.

The case reminds me of our Great Hartford Circus Fire in 1944 that some also thought was an act of NAZI sabotage. In that case, there were likewise two children who were not identified at the time. Decades later around the year 2000, the mystery was finally solved. It was learned that their mother didn't claim the remains because she was so distraught that she suffered an amnesia like mental breakdown.

[Graham]

Hi Stan,

Thanks for that information Graham. I wonder who would be spying on Britain in 1929.

The bloody French, that's who.....

Cheers,

Graham