New plaque recalls forgotten disaster
IN October 1904, five lives were lost in a train crash on the outskirts of Llanelli.
Carriages were overturned and the incident quite literally shook Loughor and Bynea.
The morning of October 3 was a morning like any other for travellers on the new Milford Haven to London Paddington train.But the train was left shattered and derailed as it neared Loughor around lunchtime. Through some unexplained mishap, the entire train came crashing off the rails.
The two front engines fell off the embankment and the banker engine smashed due to the impact, killing the driver instantly. The engine’s fireman and three passengers also died in the crash. A further 94 passengers were gravely injured.
Two months after the crash, a formal accident investigation still could not find a firm conclusion as to why the train had derailed.
‘No firm conclusion’ is written underneath the primary cause of the accident, but the investigation found that ‘secondary causes’ included poor rolling stock stability, an inadequate speed limit and excessive speed.
More than a century later, no commemoration services have been held and those who lived through that day have gone. The tragedy has been all but forgotten and no firm answers were ever given to the families of the five people who lost their lives.
However, the Bynea and Llwynhendy Historical Society has now unveiled a plaque on a bridge above the railway line to mark the tragedy.
The society sprang into action after reading an article looking back at the rail crash that appeared in the local press around Christmas 2020.
Secretary of the society Anne Llewelyn said: “After reading the article, and when we were able to meet after the pandemic lockdown, as a society we decided to look into the disaster. We wanted to place something to remember those that lost their lives because there hasn’t been anything since it happened. The disaster had long been forgotten and there was no plaque to commemorate it.
“With the help of Llanelli Rural Council, who gave us a cheque for £1,142.94, and the Llanelli Heritage Society, our society was able to place a blue plaque on the coastal bridge in Bynea, looking down on where the disaster took place.
“The plaque was unveiled 118 years to the day of the disaster by chairman of Llanelli Rural Council, Cllr Giles Morgan, and it was great to see so many people there.”
Newspaper reports in the days following the disaster contain accounts from nearby residents describing the piercing sound of the crash and the cries of those who were injured.
Every doctor in the vicinity was called into action and nearby hospitals were told to prepare to be inundated.
The sounds of dozens of sirens rushing to the scene were the public’s first indication that disaster had struck.
Passengers recalled that the moment of impact when carriages overturned shocked them all, but the gruesome scenes that came afterwards were the visions that stayed in their minds.
One passenger was branded a hero for walking down the line and helping people out of windows, most of them having to be smashed first; he then tore up his shirt to use as bandages to treat the injured.