Bere Ferrers in Devon, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
Accident at Bere Ferrers Station
Photographed by Ray Gurganus, April 9, 2025
1. Accident at Bere Ferrers Station Marker
This memorial rose garden is in remembrance of the ten soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force of the 28th Reinforcements who had boarded a troop train for Sling Camp on Salisburg Plain after disembarking from the troopships Umarua and Norman in Plymouth Sound on 24th September 1917.
Some men had been designated to collect refreshments at their first scheduled stop, Exeter, and not knowing the country, when an unscheduled signaling stop was made here, alighted on to the tracks and were struck by the express from Waterloo to Plymouth.
Memorial provided by Royal British Legion local and Devon branches and Tamar Belle Heritage.
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is September 24, 1917.
Location. 50° 27.07′ N, 4° 10.883′ W. Memorial is in Bere Ferrers, England, in Devon. It can be reached from Drummond Way. On the platform at Bere Ferrers Station. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 5 Drummond Way, Bere Ferrers, England PL20 7LT, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in South West England. Globally,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bere Ferrers War Memorial (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Calstock Roman Fort (approx. 6 kilometers away); Richard Dunning 1761-1851 (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Lower Lodge and Navy Memorials (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Stoke Damerel Parish Church (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); Those that Fell -- DHS in World War One (approx. 8.6 kilometers away); The Name "Briton Side" (approx. 9.6 kilometers away); Twinning of Plymouth and Donostia-San Sebastian (approx. 9.6 kilometers away).
Also see . . . Bere Ferrers rail accident (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
The London Waterloo to Plymouth express train had left Exeter on time at 14:12 and had made its previous stop at Tavistock. As it approached Bere Ferrers the driver noticed the stationary train and gave a prolonged blast on his whistle,(Submitted on May 30, 2025.)but there is a sharp turn on the approach to the station and the driver was unable to see the soldiers on the track ahead until it was too late.Photographed by Ray Gurganus, April 9, 20252. Marker and Memorial
The express was travelling at 40 mph (65 km/h) and nine soldiers were killed instantly before the express managed to come to a halt a quarter of a mile (400 m) beyond the station. A tenth died later in Tavistock Hospital. One of the survivors said "We never thought of expresses travelling at 40 miles per hour. They don't travel at that rate in New Zealand. It was a wonder more of us were not killed." The inquest revealed that the men instinctively exited the train from the same side they had entered, placing them on the railway's other track. They would also have been unaware that in Britain all stations had high platforms, unlike New Zealand and many other parts of the world where it was normal to climb down carriage steps at stations.
Photographed by Ray Gurganus, April 9, 2025
3. Illustration of Bere Ferrers Station
Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 224 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
