Dickens never the same after train derailment – son

The son of Victorian writer Charles Dickens reportedly said his father was changed forever after he was involved in a train crash in Kent.

According to Shane Waterman, of Rochester History Guided Tours, Charles Dickens Jr once said his father was "never the same man" after a train he was traveling in derailed near Staplehurst.

Ten people died and 40 were injured in the incident on 9 June 1865, but the famed novelist and his mistress, Ellen Ternan, were uninjured.

The locomotive crashed when it reached a section of track that railway workers were replacing, Mr Waterman said.

According to local guide Mr Waterman, workers were replacing rails and timbers on a viaduct near Staplehurst Station when South Eastern Railway's Folkestone to London boat train arrived.

Foreman Henry Benge had mistakenly read the following day's timetable and believed there would not be a passing train for hours when he ordered the work to begin, Mr Waterman said.

"All was fine until about 23 minutes later. The first warning they got that all is not right are two sharp blasts on a train whistle," he said.

The train arrived and derailed seconds later.

Mr Waterman said Dickens, who was 53 at the time, was reading through his manuscript of Our Mutual Friend when he experienced a series of sudden bumps.

"He was really lucky because the carriage and the one behind it immediately following [his carriage] completely derailed and crashed down into the bed of the river," he added.

As Dickens' compartment was locked as part of safety procedures at the time, he had to climb to safety out the carriage window, Mr Waterman said.

He then began helping others on board by fetching water in his top hat, according to Mr Waterman.

The tour guide added that there were unconfirmed reports that one passenger died in Dickens' arms "as he was trying to give her brandy to help her".

Mr Benge subsequently admitted responsibility for the crash, Mr Waterman said.

The tour guide said an inquiry agreed that the foreman was at fault and he was later convicted of manslaughter, but a judge gave him the most lenient sentence available.

He served six months hard labour and never worked on the railways again. He died in Maidstone County Lunatic Asylum in 1905, according to Mr Waterman.

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