Princess Alice Memorial - Stone Walk, Creekmouth, London, UK
N 51° 30.959 E 000° 05.896
31U E 298672 N 5711198
This memorial is on a low bank on the west side of the Barking Barrier where the River Roding joins the River Thames. Standing at the memorial there is a view across the River Thames to where the disaster took place in 1878.
Waymark Code: WMJ18Q
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/08/2013
Views: 2
The memorial, that is a flat piece of slate, is inscribed:
Princess Alice Memorial
In memory of all those who lost their lives
in the tragic sinking of the
Princess Alice paddle steamer
off Creekmouth, on 3rd September 1878
Also, with grateful remembrance of the residents of
Creekmouth Village, who helped in the rescue attempts
Approximately 700 people lost their lives in the disaster
May they all rest in peace
The memorial was placed by the Creekmouth Preservation Society and was funded
by the National Lottery.
The BBC website
tells us:
To this day the disaster at Gallions Reach holds the
dubious honour of having the largest number of fatalities of any incident in
peacetime Britain, especially as countless other survivors may have died
years later from ingesting the pollution in the river. At the time of the
accident many people were hostile towards Captain Harrison, but after the
inquests he regained his professional reputation although he never went to
sea again. The Bywell Castle was given to another captain and continued to
work as a collier until 1883, when on the way back from the Mediterranean
she vanished in the Bay of Biscay and is still listed as missing.
The Creekmouth website further
tells us:
The Princess Alice Disaster
The Princess Alice was a paddle steamer that sailed, daily, between Swan
Pier, near London Bridge, to Gravesend and Sheerness.
On 3rd September 1878 the paddle steamer left Swan Pier with hundreds of
passengers aboard, having purchased their tickets for 2/-. Children
travelled free so it was never known exactly how many were on board but it
was a beautiful, late summers day and Londoners were making the most of the
good weather for a last trip before the autumn weather set in. Captain
William Grinstead was on the bridge.
The passengers were in high spirits as the steamer made its way along the
River Thames, stopping a North Woolwich Pier before sailing on to
Rosherville Gardens, near Gravesend, where many of the passengers would
disembark to picnic and wander round the beautiful gardens.
On its return journey it arrived at Rosherville Gardens at about 6pm. So
many passengers were trying to crowd on to the boat that others took the
decision to get off and wait for a later boat to take them back to London.
At approximately 7.40pm it passed Creeksmouth, travelling upstream against
the tide. It was hugging the south shore as it rounded Tripcock Point. At
the same time the 890 ton coal collier, The Bywell Castle, was leaving dry
dock to head downstream and onwards to Newcastle. Collision was inevitable
and The Bywell Castle, much bigger and heavier than the Princess Alice,
sliced the paddle steamer clean in half.
Men, women and children jumped, or were thrown, into the filthy, swirling
waters of the Thames. They were further hindered by their heavy, Victorian
clothes. Hundreds were trapped inside the boat and were later found crowded
around the exits.
Across the darkening river, in the little village of Creeksmouth, the
children were enjoying a 'treat day'. As the screams and cries for help
travelled across the river the women took the children into the cottages
whilst the menfolk rushed up to the riverbank to discover what was causing
such a commotion.
On realising that a terrible tragedy had occured they launched rowing boats
and quickly made their way to the collision site. Others waded into the
river to help pull survivors and bodies ashore. About 30 or more passengers,
dead and alive,were brought ashore. The survivors were taken into the
cottages, given warm, dry clothes and food. The bodies were laid out in the
little schoolroom were just a short time earlier the children had been
enjoying their tea.
Over the following days the survivors were collected by relatives and
friends. The Coroner came to perform inquest on the poor souls who had
drowned & then they were removed to their families. During the inquest into
the tragedy, blame was laid firmly at the feet of Captain Grinstead. The
Coroner received testimonies from many survivors who stated that, but for
the bravery of the people from Creekouth, they would not have survived that
night. The Coroner added his praise to that of the survivors.
Most of the bodies were taken to Woolwich on the south side of the river,
following the collision. Many of them were buried in Woolwich Cemetery and
their is as huge memorial cross there, paid for by public subscriptions, in
memory pf all those who lost their lives.
The exact number of casualties was never ascertained but it is reckoned that
between 650 - 700 passengers lost their lives in the tragedy.
There was no memorial to the drowned souls on the north side of the river
so, in 2009 the members of the Creekmouth Preservation Society raised funds
through the local community and The Lottery-Awards for All scheme, to
commission a Welsh slate memorial plaque. It now sits on an incline at The
Creekmouth Open space - the site of Creekmoth Village - overlooking the spot
in the river where the tragedy took place.
The local cubs and scouts helped the Creekmouth group plant 700 spring bulbs
in memory of all those who died that terrible night.
Relevent website: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours: Access seems to be available 24/7 but there is no lighting for night time visits and the area, an industrial eastate, is probably not an area to go to in the dark
Entrance fees (if any): Free.
Parking coordinates: N 51° 31.063 W 000° 05.921
Sponsor(s): Creekmouth Preservation Society and the National Lottery
Date dedicated: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions: Please submit at least one photo taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). Photos of yourself are preferred, but GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background. Old vacation photos are also allowed. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit. Please list anything that has changed since the waymark was created.
When taking photos at the memorials in this category, please keep in mind the nature of the location and do not post "goofy" or disrespectful pictures.
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|