In the first of a series, Nostalgia looks at some of the disasters that took place around Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

Even as they bought tickets passengers could take out insurance against accidents, but most often it was railway employees who were hurt.

The first recorded accident happened on New Year’s Day January 1856, when a coal train from Rugby ran into the back of a passenger train leaving Birdingbury. The engine and two trucks of the goods train were thrown off the line and the fireman of the goods train was injured.

But the first deaths took place in a derailment in what is now Sydenham on February 26, 1859.

The Courier, which appeared that day, printed a supplement, and a pencil drawing of the crash was made by Leamington man William Dawkes.

In keeping with reporting of the time, the Courier’s description was vivid. It read: “Upon our Reporter reaching the spot the condition of the carriages was a perfect puzzle - the damaged ones lying bout jammed together in the greatest confusion.

“Underneath one carriage lay a human being (John Pilkington) dead - the weight of the carriage, pressing upon his chest, having driven the blood to the head, the appearance of which - a blueish black - was truly awful.

“Ricketts, the engine driver, immediately above him lay dead, with his tongue protruding, and one of his hands cut off.

“Kite, the stoker, was found partially embedded, and having been dug out, was carried some distance towards Mr Stanley’s farm house, whence he was propped up with pillows in a cart, and conveyed to the Warneford Hospital, but he was dead before he arrived there, his body being frightfully smashed and broken.”

William Kite, a groom to a Leamington surgeon, identified his brother at an inquest at which engineers and passengers gave evidence. The cause of the accident was found to be a broken spring, which caused the engine to ride on its axle box and caused the train to leave the rails on a curve.

The crash also broke telegraph wires running alongside the estate, but the damage was repaired within days and passengers were taken to their destination.

The grave of one of Leamington’s first rail crash victims is still present in Leamington cemetery - but has fallen over.

Henry Kyte was one of three people killed in the derailment at Radford Brook on the Rugby and Leamington line on February 26, 1859.

The young stoker was killed along with engine driver George Ricketts and another railway employee John Pilkington, who was off-duty. A fourth railwayman, William Clayton, was the sole survivor.

Kite’s gravestone has broken off and is now lying face down.