In the week that war was declared three Signalmen from Darlington lost their lives. They were part of a detail filling sand bags at Barmpton Quarry near Darlington. The back wall of the quarry collapsed burying a number of men. Help was sent for and during the rescue efforts, in which Captain Basil Minor and others dug with their hands, a further collapse occurred. The force of sand was enough to move the detail’s truck sideways and buried more men. The three Signalmen were: Sidney Case 2573318 20 Joseph Hinnigan 2581135 26 George William Treslove 2577888 17
a well camel casualties below what was the outcome of the incident any further info Signalman SIDNEY CASE 2573318, 50th (N) Div. Sigs., Royal Corps of Signals who died age 20 on 05 September 1939 Son of Albert and Laura Case, of Darlington. Remembered with honour DARLINGTON WEST CEMETERY Signalman JOSEPH HINNIGAN 2581135, Royal Corps of Signals who died age 26 on 05 September 1939 Son of James and Charlotte Hinnigan, of Darlington; husband of Euphemia Lillian Hinnigan, of Darlington. Remembered with honour DARLINGTON WEST CEMETERY Signalman GEORGE WILLIAM TRESLOVE 2577888, Royal Corps of Signals who died age 17 on 05 September 1939 Son of John and Eliza Treslove, of Harrowgate Hill, Darlington. Remembered with honour DARLINGTON NORTH CEMETERY
The men had been warned not to dig by the back wall. Uniformed Signals were present at each funeral. No details of any enquiry.
My cousin prompted me towards this thread. My late mother was Euphemia Lilian Hinnigan before she married my Dad in 1944. At the time of this disaster she had two daughters (my half-sisters) and was expecting a third child (my half-brother). I doubt any British woman would have expected to become a war widow three days into the war. My Dad (Signalman 2570838 Ray Bashforth) was also in the Signals at the time (he was mates with Joe and Gerald Hinnigan - I have a photo of all three of them at Territorial Camp). He was back at the barrack room and wanted to go down to help when he heard the news, but was refused by the officer in charge. Mad as hell, he stormed off to the pub! It was a wonder he didn't flatten the officer, as he was a runner-up in the Signals boxing championships. Stranded on the beaches at Dunkirk in 1940 he made a vow that if ever he got out alive he would marry Phemie. He escaped from there but not from the Western Desert in 1942, so it was not until 1944 that he made good on his vow, after escaping from PG 78 Sulmona PoW camp in Italy with his mate, another Signalman, 2329799 'Jock' Finlay Donald Martin. A year later, I was born. Sixty years to the day, almost, after he esacped from Sulmona, I made contact with the Italian family who helped them. Sadly I have not managed to track down any descendants of 'Jock'. Here's to them all, the long and the short and the tall MB
MB welcome to the forum please post any info/photos you have in a separate thread forum members will be most interested regards Clive
Hi mb, sat here with dad - he remembers 'Doctor Bash' (but not why he had the nickname!). He had told me of your Dad's promise - which he heard after the War. Dad drove the rescue truck up to Barmpton and said the got several men out before the quarry-man told them another fall was imminent and they moved back. This fall proved fatal to the three still partrially burried and the force was enough to move the two trucks. He was detailed to attend one of the funerals at North Road Cemetery. He cannot recall your Dad after Dunkirk - but thinks he may have been a batman at some point (possibly?). I cannot see his name on the lists of MIA's attached to 50 Div Sig's War Diary for May/June '42. Do you know if he move from HQ (No 1. Coy). Please accept our best wishes to you and yours. Mel
On the night of 28/29 June 1942 the following members of 'J' Section (151 Bde) were listed as missing: 2570838 Sigmn J Bashforth 2329799 Sigmn F D Martin 2357235 Sigmn J Parker 2583349 Dvr/Ic N Hannah 1820313 Dvr/Ic C Watt
Additional information on this incident from the local newspaper, The Northern Echo; At an inquest held on September 7 1939, the quarry manager, Ronald Abbott, was found to be "deplorably ignorant" of quarry rules. The working procedures were on the wall of a hut at the Quarry, but were smoke- blackened by soot from the fire and illegible. Abbot admitted he had not read these rules. He dropped 20 tons of sand from the cliff face before the Signalmen arrived because time was short. This drop was counter to quarry safety and appears to have affected the stability of the back wall of the quarry, causing it to collapse when the soldiers were filling sandbags later. The inquest jury brought a verdict of accidental death on the three men but added that Abbot had been guilty of negligence, but not criminal negligence.
