A permanent memorial will be unveiled next week at Wilmcote station near Stratford-upon-Avon to honour four men who tragically lost their lives in a railway accident 104 years ago.
The incident, which took place on 24 March 1922, claimed the lives of Edward Sherwood (43), George Booker (43), Lewis Washburn (40) and William Bonehill (27). On Tuesday 24 March 2026, they will be commemorated at the station by family members, members of the local community, and representatives from the current rail industry.
As part of the 'Railway Work, Life & Death' project, Dr Mike Esbester , Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth, has been investigating the accident near Wilmcote Station, in collaboration with the National Railway Museum and the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick.
The men were killed by a steam engine while working on the tracks near Wilmcote station. It was revealed during the investigation that, just a week before the accident, they had spoken of the Stapleton Road accident that claimed six lives under similar circumstances six months prior.
Railways were extremely hazardous workplaces a century ago, with around 30,000 injuries and 500 deaths in 1913 alone, highlighting the scale of such incidents. Research projects like Railway Work, Life & Death are therefore important in uncovering who these people were, what their roles on the railways involved, the circumstances surrounding their deaths, and how they were part of their families and communities.
104 years on, it is important to honour the Wilmcote men with their legacies being commemorated with four memorial plaques - one for each man - placed on refurbished period benches at the picturesque station.
Dr Esbester, from the University of Portsmouth's School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature , said: "Because of its scale, the Wilmcote accident stood out more than the everyday accidents on the railways, even though those smaller incidents, over time, actually killed and injured far more people.
"This community-led memorial ensures the men lost in the 1922 tragedy are properly marked, reflecting the deep and lasting impact the accident had and has on the local community."
Bringing together families, the community and the current railway industry, the memorial will ensure the men are remembered while shedding light on the untold stories of everyday workers.
Dr Esbester added: "Including the families of the four men was extremely important - not only to ensure their memory is honoured, but also because memorials of this kind are rare, highlighting the significance of understanding the human impact such events have on ordinary lives."
Denise Collis, the great niece of William Bonehill, said: "Apart from his military service from 1914, he remained a local lad. His life was tragically cut short in 1922 when this accident occurred. I am honoured to be able to attend again today for this Memorial Service so that his name is being remembered again."
This is particularly significant in light of the recent incident at Radlett in Hertfordshire, where a track worker was killed. Incidents like this, alongside the Wilmcote memorial and the Railway Work, Life & Death project, highlight how important track worker safety remains, even more than a century after the tragedy.
