#chatham bus disaster

[georgefairbrother]

In the early evening of December 4th, 1951, 52 Royal Marine cadets, aged between nine and 13, were being marched the short distance from their own barracks to the Chatham Naval Barracks, via Dock Road, to watch a boxing match. They were marching three abreast, actually on the roadway owing to the narrowness of the footpath which abutted a high wall, and with the traffic. They had no torches or safety lighting, other than what was provided by the overhead streetlamps. The cadets were under the supervision of a regular Royal Marines Officer, Lieutenant Clarence Carter.

Just before six pm, in conditions of poor visibility worsened by fog and defective streetlighting, a double decker bus operated by the Chatham and District Traction Company hit the marching column from behind. Twenty four cadets were killed and a further 18 were injured, at that point the highest loss of life in a road traffic accident in the UK.

The bus was being driven by an experienced and highly regarded driver, 57 year old John Samson, who had worked for the company for 40 years and was about to be officially commended for his safety record, long service and good conduct. He stated that he did not see the cadets ahead of him prior to the collision. He was driving using sidelights only, despite the poor visibility, which was common practice at the time. Estimations of the speed of the bus by witnesses varied between 20 and 40 mph. There was no mention of any passengers aboard, it appears that the bus was returning to depot.

There was some thinking at the time that using sidelights only under street lighting reduced dangerous glare for other traffic. It was also to save power, as batteries under load could drain even when mobile.

Accounts of the accident and immediate aftermath are, not surprisingly, horrific. The conductor, Dorothy Dunster, initially thought the bus had run over a pile of ‘loose rocks’. The dead and injured were, according to witnesses, 'spread out from one side of the road to the other'. Several cadets were trapped beneath the bus and died before they could be rescued. Lieutenant Carter, who had attempted to marshal the cadets toward the side of the road upon hearing the bus approaching, was struck and injured, although it would appear not seriously. A number of cadets died in the arms of three Royal Navy sailors who had rushed to the scene having heard the cries and screams of the injured cadets.

Mr Samson was present for the Coroner’s inquest which was held at the Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham, during which parents had to sign off on the identification of their deceased sons, but he collapsed after the final identification was complete. The Coroner recorded verdicts of Accident Death, however Samson was charged with dangerous driving, fined 20 pounds at the Old Bailey, and was disqualified from driving for three years.

There was considerable sympathy for Mr Samson at the time and for many years afterwards. The jury, upon finding him guilty, urged the judge to show as much leniency as possible. The judge noted that no amount of punishment could be worse than Samson's own utter devastation at what had happened.

A number of injured cadets, recovering in hospital, organised a whip-round to buy Samson some chocolates to cheer him up. He continued to live locally, never spoke publicly, and was shielded by friends and neighbours whenever media interest in the crash rekindled from time to time.

According to the website of Historic Medway;

"...A huge amount of money was collected by public appeals after the crash. Some was spent on memorials for the boys who died, and some was spent on the boys who were disabled. The mayors, who were looking after the money, could not agree what to do with the rest and, after a court case, it was decreed that as it could not be returned to the donors (a lot of it was collected on the streets) it had to be kept in an account. It wasn't until the 1990s that some of the money was spent restoring the cadets' graves..."

Sources include: Websites of Kent Online and Historic Medway, archived Time Magazine, The Chatham Bus Disaster (YouTube) by Raven's Eye