George William Fisher (1912 - 1957)

Born 29 Dec 1912 in 2 Elm Rd Folkestone

Ancestors

Died 26 Aug 1957 at age 44 in Balcombe tunnel, Sussex

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Biography

George Fisher was born in Kent, England.

George was born in 1913. He was the son of Arthur Fisher. George tragically committed suicide by throwing himself off a train in 1957.

As platelayer

George worked for British Railways.

George had worked for British Railways since around 1938, including during the war for the Railway Home Guard.^[1] George was living at 7 Manor Rd in Hampden Park when he was 45.^[2] He apparenfly frequently experienced claustrophobia; he would not sleep without having the windows open. An incident weeks before his death saw him struggling with a '"choking" sensation' on a train, forcing his colleagues to open the window to relieve his suffering.^[3]

Death

In the early morning on the day he died, he asked his wife Ena to call the police beacuse he was 'going off his head' but his mood lifted and he went to work 'brighter' . He got on the 07:44 train to Brighton at Three Bridges but George had not slept for several nights prior.^[3] He later told his workmate that he felt unwell, and went home, despite the workmate's recommendation to "work it off on the job."^[2] When the train entered the tunnel, a witness felt a rush of air, a loud bang, and a man disappear through the doorway. The door was shown to have been 'banged with great force'. The opposite train going to London passed through the tunnel two minutes later,^[3] which ran over George.^[4] His left arm and both his feet were torn off, and every rib was broken. His body was found in a recess and described as 'mutilated'.^[3]

George's name and picture covered the front page of the Eastbourne Gazette the following day,^[1] and the jury's verdit of an inquest held on 29 August^[4] was that 'the balance of his mind was disturbed'.^[3]

Many people, from friends and schools to Barclay's Bank, and railwaymen from 'almost every department in the district' attended his funeral.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Tragic tunnel death stops rail traffic", Eastbourne Gazette, no. 5127 (Wednesday, August 28, 1957).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "Haywards Heath—two suicides on the railway", West Sussex Gazette & South of England Advertiser (September 5, 1957) p. 3.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} "Railway worker's death was suicide—Jury", Eastbourne Herald Chronicle (Saturday, August 31, 1957).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Death certificate for George William Fisher (age 45), registered 2 September 1957 in district Cuckfield, vol. 5h, p. 191, no. 86.
5. ↑ "A wreath comes from B.R.", Eastbourne Herald Chronicle, (Saturday, September 7, 1957) p. 4.