Quintinshill

This afternoon we went to Rosebank Cemetery in Edinburgh to visit the memorial to those who died in Britain’s worst ever rail disaster 108 years ago today. The crash -indeed crashes involving a troop train, the London Express and a local train - happened at Quintinshill near Gretna.

It is of significance in the family as my wife’s grandfather and one of his brothers were on the troop train and were injured but survived. They were due to embark from Liverpool for Galipoli. They were part of 2 companies of the 1/7th Royal Scots "Leith's Own". Just over 60 were left uninjured out of over 500 on the trains: over 200 died.