1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216 
Burned alive
13th October 1978, Page 99
13th October 1978
Page 99
Page 99, 13th October 1978
— Burned alive
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
At the time when Gentleman Jim Yorath and his colleagues were setting the GWR alight I was an editorial trainee on CM. The first reporting assignment I remember was an inquest at Reading on a number of people who were burned to death in a Reo Speed Wagon coach.
They were on their way home from Chelsea football ground when the propeller shaft broke. It shattered the petrol tank and caused sparks that immediately turned the vehicle into an inferno. There were occasional seats down the centre gangway and many passengers had no chance of escape.
This incident, as much as any other, was, I believe, responsible, for the drastic tightening of the law on the construction and use of coaches and buses in 1930.
Tags
Locations:
Reading