Irene Beryl Bashford

Irene Beryl Bashford was found decapitated on the railway line at Sherrin's Alley Crossing, Whitstable, Kent on 7 March 1950.

She had been seen earlier on in the evening at a shop in Whitstable, about 5.50pm on 7 March 1950, where she bought a newspaper.

Her body was found on the railway line at the crossing the following morning at about 8.30pm.

However, it was heard that when she was last seen buying the newspaper earlier in the evening that she had been seen with a man and that it was not known who that man was.

At the inquest, the coroner said, 'I am unhappy about this case, although on the surface it appears that it may be one of suicide. I therefore propose to adjourn it, before reaching a verdict, in order to see if any further evidence is forthcoming to show in whose company this girl was after buying her newspaper'. He noted that he was also baffled by the evidence of the engine driver who said that he had seen something flash in front of his engine just as he passed Sherrin's Crossing but was unable to say what it was noting that it would not have been Irene Bashford as the medical evidence had stated that she had been lying down on the track when she was hit by the train.

The inquest was adjourned on Friday 17 March 1950 in order that further enquiries be made, and the man identified. However, although the man was not traced hen the inquest resumed on Friday 31 March 1950 and no further evidence was found, the coroner returned a verdict of suicide.

It was heard that she had previously suffered from bouts of depression and had previously threatened to commit suicide although there was no evidence to show that she had ever threatened to take her own life and had left no notes.

She was described as a happy girl but had a complex about her disfigurement, having suffered from a dislocation of the jaw, and it was heard that she had just been given notice to quit her job as a part-time waitress at a cafe in Harbour Street.

It was heard that she liked to buy the newspaper so that she could make the occasional small bet on the horses.

The pathologist report stated that her injuries were consistent with her having been run over by a train while lying face downwards on the track. He said that she didn't appear to have any other injuries other than what he would have expected after having been hit by a train.

A locomotive driver employed by the Railway Executive said that on 6 March 1950 that he had driven the 5.22pm train from Ramsgate to Victoria and had stopped at Whitstable and had then passed Sherrin's Crossing at about 6.11pm. He noted that there was a slight left-hand bend there and a 'Whistle' notice board.

He said that before reaching the crossing he sounded the whistle and that at that time the train would have been travelling at between 35mph and 40mph. He said that it was twilight and that the train's headlamps were on. He said, 'I saw nobody at the crossing, but I thought I saw something flash cross the beam of the engine light close to the left-hand buffer a fraction of a second afterwards. I did not know what it was, but I dived across the footplate to have a look. I saw nothing and when I got to Faversham, I examined the front of the engine but could not find anything then either'.

He added that if what he had seen had been Irene Bashford then he would have expected her to have been hit by the engine rather than having been run over.

When the coroner summed up he said that he was inclined to think that she had been run over in one of three ways:

1. She deliberately cast herself in front of the train with the intention of destroying her life.
2. She fell in front of the train accidently.
3. There was possibly the hand of a third party involved.

The coroner the stated that he was prepared to rule out the third possibility straight away as there was no evidence to show that anyone else was present. He said that he then ruled out the second possibility that she had fallen in front of the train accidently as her handbag had been found standing upon the grass verge and that if she had been dashing in front of the train or had been caught unawares then she would have had the handbag with her.

He then concluded by stating, 'Therefore I am left with the last alternative that she cast herself in front of it as it came along by or by lying in the track waiting for it to come'.

Its not clear where Sherrins Alley Crossing was, and its possible that it was on the line from Whitstable to Canterbury which closed in 1952 and has since been removed.