Albert George Powell Marsh being awarded with the Daily Herald’s Order of Industrial Heroism certificate

Photograph, black and white, showing Mr Albert George Powell Marsh being awarded with the Daily Herald’s Order of Industrial Heroism certificate, with the future Prime Minister Mr. James Gallaghan MP and Mr. George Thomas MP, speaker of the House of Commons present.

Fireman Albert George Powell Marsh was awarded the British Empire Medal in recognition for his services to the trapped and injured passengers of the train that derailed at Milton on November 20th 1955. The accident report shows that it was caused by driver error, as the train approached a crossover on an embankment at excessive speed. It was exacerbated by poor visibility of the signal caused by the Britannia being left-hand drive on a Western Region line, with the view further curtailed by the handrail and smoke deflector.