100-year anniversary of Peterborough family’s lucky escape after a runaway train ploughed through their home

On August 14, 1922 – 100 years ago – a Peterborough family had a lucky escape when a runaway train smashed through the buffers and into their Crescent Bridge home.

Beryl Bashford, 90, who now lives in Acton, London, told this newspaperthe story of how her mother, Gladys Bashford, moved back into her parents’ Peterborough home after Beryl’s father had died in the First World War.

Beryl’s grandfather was the stationmaster and Gladys was looking after her grandmother at the time, who was recovering from having all of her teeth removed.

“My mother always used to tell us the story,” Beryl said.

"The driver of the train got off the engine and a youngster got on. Once the train started, he couldn’t stop it. It went right through the buffers at the station and through my grandfather’s house.

"The engine went into the basement and at that time my family had no idea that the house had a basement."

Remarkably, Beryl’s family escaped with their lives.

"Grandmother was in bed because she had just had all of her teeth taken out, which, in those days, was a major thing to have done,” she said.

"My mother was sitting by the bed with her. Fortunately for my grandmother, the bed folded up and crashed right the way down to the cellar – saving her life.

"My mother was less fortunate, and was stuck down there for 18 hours before they could clear the rubble to get her out. It left her partially deaf for the rest of her life because the train’s whistle was near her ear.

"My mother was the last one out, but my grandfather, although he was a large man, was able to get out through a window. His mother was not hurt at all because she was in a part of the house that wasn’t touched.”

After their lucky escape, the family temporarily moved into the home of a consultant on the corner of Thorpe Lea Road.

The family later moved into a house of their own on the same road, where they hung pictures from the day of the incident on the walls.