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Workers killed at work (builders)

Categories: Property, Tragedy

Group

The thousands of building workers who have lost their lives at work.

Researching one of these terrible events reminded us that we have found other memorials to people who died in 'accidents' at work. We don't like the word 'accident', since it suggests that nothing could have been done to prevent the death and that is seldom true. We've put together a list of these memorials to deaths at work (many but not all, building workers). To keep it manageable we have excluded: those serving in the emergency services, those killed in terrorist attacks or by war-time bombs, and those killed in rail crashes or on the road.

1853 - ten workmen killed at the Sydenham Crystal Palace construction site.

1877 - six crew members killed during the voyage bringing Cleopatra's Needle to London.

1895 - four men killed at the sewage pumping works, East Ham (Postman's Park).

1899 - one man killed in a boiler explosion at a Battersea sugar refinery (Postman's Park).

1899 - one stewardess drowned (Postman's Park).

1901 - three workmen poisoned by gas at a Stratford distillery ((Postman's Park).

1912 - about 900 crew members lost on the Titanic.

1917 - 73 people were killed in the Silvertown explosion, at a factory producing TNT for the war.

1969 - one demolition worker killed in the Dudgeon's Wharf explosion.

1975 - two engineers killed trying to rescue a third who also died, at Watneys' Mortlake Brewery.

1979 - four men involved in the design of Burgess Park killed in an air crash near Biggin Hill (not certain this was work-related).

1990 - three men killed by the gases in a sewer in Commercial Road.

2000 - three men killed in a construction crane at Canary Wharf.

The death toll at each of the events recorded on plaques in Postman's Park may be higher, but the plaques do not mention deaths of any except those attempting rescue.

In 2006 the statue to the thousands of building workers who have lost their lives at work was erected.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Workers killed at work (builders)

Commemorated ati

Ainsworth & Sharp

We could find nothing about this incident, until we asked Richmond Council's ...

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Burgess, Clark and Whittard

In memory of Martin Burgess, Peter Clark and Michael Whittard, who died on 21...

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Burgess Park designers - 1979 air crash

Geoffrey Mills was the pilot - see his page for more details. Our information...

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Cleopatra's needle - crew members lost

{A list of 6 names, oddly not in alphabetical sequence - see Subjects commemo...

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Crystal Palace workmen's grave

Twelve workmen were killed, but we are unable to find out where the other two...

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Show all 13

Other Subjects

Queensberry House 1797

Queensberry House 1797

Built in the 1740s by the 3rd Earl of Cholmondeley. 1780 it was bought and enlarged by the 4th Duke of Queensberry. Demolished 1830. At source this image is captioned "Print of the Seat of the Duk...

Building, Property

1 memorial
Hiccinson & Co.

Hiccinson & Co.

Building contractors based in Hendon in 1926.

Group, Property

1 memorial
38 Brunswick Square

38 Brunswick Square

This 4-storey Georgian house was built by Charles Mayor under the supervision of James Burton in 1804. The only other notable former resident was John Thomas (1818-32), Governor of the Foundling Ho...

Building, Property

1 memorial
West Square

West Square

West Square celebrated its centenary in September 1991. We can do no better than repeat the excellent text that the West Square Residents Association has provided on a notice board at the gate: "T...

Place, Property

1 memorial
Estates Governors of Alleyn's College at Dulwich

Estates Governors of Alleyn's College at Dulwich

The management of the College sounds complicated. For 1882 Wikipedia has "Two Boards of Governors came into being. Both Dulwich College and Alleyn's School were to be managed by the college Governo...

Group, Politics & Administration, Property

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Olof Palme

Olof Palme

N15, Tottenham Green East

Presumably Tottenham has, or had, some special connection with Palme or Sweden but we can't find it. When we published this Stephen Bras...

1 subject commemorated
Normansfield Asylum

Normansfield Asylum

See Lost Hospitals of London for an excellent history of this hospital. Briefly: The White House, a mansion with 5 acres of grounds, was built in 1866.  Dr Langdon Down and his wife Mary bought it ...

Group, Children, Medicine

1 memorial