The following newspaper clippings were brought to Newton News by the son of the lady mentioned in the articles.
The stories have been typed out in full, further down the page, for those who struggle to read the cuttings.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE ABOVE NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS ARE BELOW:
North Explosion Survivor
Miss Ruby Kendell (24), one of two women survivors of a shop in a Northern ordnance factory, where eight workers lost their lives in an explosion yesterday. Eddie Smith, with whom she was chatting “when everything went black”, was killed.
Survivor Tells of Explosion Terrific Flash the crash
Three minutes before the explosion 24 years old Ruby Kendell was chatting to Eddie Smith about film stars and films at the North-East ordnance factory where eight people were killed yesterday. Ruby is alive to tell the tale but Eddie is one of the victims.
Last night a letter was delivered to the home of Ruby Kendall from the factory reading: “Will you please report at the factory at your usual time tonight. Your presence is required at a court of inquiry to be held early tomorrow morning. You will not be required to work and sleeping accommodations has been arranged.” The letter was delivered whilst an “Evening Chronicle” representative was hearing from this survivor – one of the only two girls surviving- the tragedy of the shop.
“Shortly after 10 minutes past three in the morning I was sitting at a table in the filling shop” said Ruby, “talking to Eddie Smith, a shell filler. I was working in the filling shop, where machine, less than ten yards away, was filling bombs with T.N.T. There were ten people including myself in the building at the time.
“Jamie Bunton shouted “Eddie, the belt has come of the machine.” Eddie left me and went to fix it. That was the last I saw of him. A few seconds later the lights went out and everything went black. All I can recall is a flash and a terrific noise.
“I felt something dropping and a blow on the head and my shoulders. There was debris everywhere.” Ruby’s miraculous escape from death was emphasised by her coat, a heavy tweed, which hanging on a peg in the shop where the explosion took place had been shredded bythe blast.
Aycliffe Girl’s Bravery at R.O.F. Explosion – Wins Coroner’s Praise
A young Aycliffe woman who was in the mortar filling shop at Aycliffe R.O. Factory, where an explosion occurred with fatal results in the early hours of 2nd May , gave evidence at Darlington yesterday at the inquest on the eight victims and was congratulated by the Coroner (Mr. J.E. Brown-Humes) on her bravery. She is Miss Constance Ruby Kendall, aged 24, of 16, Heighington Street, Aycliffe.
The explosion killed seven people, one died in hospital, and 22 others were injured. Miss Kendall was saved by a blast wall, although she got ten small wounds in her back. She attended for work the day after the explosion and was at the official inquiry on the two succeeding days.
It was stated that at the inquiry there was no evidence of carelessness or negligence on the part of anyone. It could not yet be said what was the exact cause of the explosion.
A verdict of “Accidental death, the result of the explosion of an extruder filling machine from some unknown cause,” was returned on all the eight victims who were:
William Clark Hobson, married, aged 51, Grainger – terrace, Leamside, Fence Houses.
Isabella Bailey, married , aged 44, 149, Gilesgate, Durham.
Christopher Seagrave, married, aged 39, 9, Park-terrace, Witton Park.
Edmund William Smith, married, aged 29, 13 Market Place, Pickering.
Elsie Barrett, widow, aged 27, Bildershaw, West Auckland.
Alice Maude Wilson, single, aged 26, 2 Town Wall, Hartlepool.
James Bunton, married, aged 31, Bells Hill, Rainton Gate, Fence Houses
William Mitchell, Single, aged 31, 27 Percy-street, Hetton-le-Hole, who died in hospital shortly after admission
Miraculous Escapes in Explosion
Three minutes before “everything went black” 24 years old Ruby Kendell was chatting to Eddie Smith, “the most popular man in the shop” at a North-East ordnance factory about film stars and films.
Ruby is alive to tell the tale today, but Eddie is one of the eight victims of yesterday’s explosion in the factory which was heard three miles away. Mrs. Isabella Bailey, Mrs. Elsie Barrett (widow), James Bunton (married), William Clark Hobson (married), William Mitchell (single), Christopher Seagrave (married), Edmund Smith(married), and Alice Wilson(single).
Last night a letter was delivered to the home of Ruby Kendall from the factory reading: “Will you please report at the factory at your usual time tonight. Your presence is required at a court of inquiry to be held early tomorrow morning. You will not be required to work and sleeping accommodations has been arranged.”The letter was delivered whilst our reporter was hearing from this survivor – one of the only two girls surviving- the tragedy of the shop.
Experienced Worker
Peace- time cook, Ruby has worked for four years at this factory, and for two years has carried T.N.T. filled shells, at the rate of 16 each shift, for testing purposes, she had seen such shells dropped or rolled over without disaster.
“Shortly after 10 minutes past three in the morning I was sitting at a table in the filling shop” said Ruby, “talking to Eddie Smith, a shell filler. I was working in the filling shop, where the powder is mixed and a machine less than ten yards away, was filling bombs with T.N.T. There were ten people including myself in the building at the time.
“Jamie Bunton shouted “Eddie, the belt has come of the machine.” Eddie left me and went to fix it. That is the last I saw of him. A few seconds after Jimmy had left me the lights went out and everything went black.
“All I can recall is a flash and a terrific noise. I felt something dropping and a blow on the head and my shoulders.
“I shouted ‘Ivy’ to my girl friend as I heard her shouting ‘Ruby’ to me. I saw her dashing for the emergency door and I made a rush for the side door. There was debris everywhere and Ithe place was clouded with smoke.”
“When I got out all I remember is a crowd of people outside.
“I was taken to the nurses, trembling, and I was stone deaf and could hear nothing for three hours.”
Ruby’s mother, Mrs. C. M. Kendall, who heard the explosion, and whose husband also works at the factory said “It rocked me in my bed.”
Ruby’s miraculous escape from death was emphasised when Mrs. Kendall said “Look at that.”
“That,” was Ruby’s coat, a heavy tweed, which, hanging on a peg in the shop where the explosion took place had been shredded bythe blast.
Ruby’s shoulders were studded with burns. Suffering from shock she was under the care of the doctor and remarked: “I cannot sleep a wink for thinking about it. I can still see the shop and my pals who are gone, and hear the explosion.”
Aycliffe R.O.F. Explosion Workers’ Conduct Praised by Coroner at Darlington
The exemplary conduct of the workpeople generally and the bravery of one girl – Miss Constance Ruby Kendal, aged 24, of 16 Heighington – street, Aycliffe, following an explosion at the Aycliffe R.O.F. won high praise from the Coroner (Mr. J. E. Brown-Humes) at the inquest at Darlington today on the eights people killed in the explosion. The accident happened in the early hours of 2 May and seven people were killed outright, one died hospital, and 22 others were injured, one seriously.
The people killed were:
William Clark Hobson, married, aged 51, Grainger – terrace, Leamside, Fence Houses.
Isabella Bailey, married , aged 44, 149, Gilesgate, Durham.
Christopher Seagrave, married, aged 39, 9, Park-terrace, Witton Park.
Edmund William Smith, married, aged 29, 13 Market Place, Pickering.
Elsie Barrett, widow, aged 27, Bildershaw, West Auckland.
Alice Maude Wilson, single, aged 26, 2 Town Wall, Hartlepool.
James Bunton, married, aged 31, Bells Hill, Rainton Gate, Fence Houses
William Mitchell, Single, aged 31, 27 Percy-street, Hetton-le-Hole, who died in hospital shortly after admission.
Grave Accident
Mr. C.A. Hinks represented the relatives of Seagrave and Smith, and Mr. J. G. Marsham the R.O.F. The inquest was also attended by Mr. J. T. Dunn, H.M. Inspector of factories, and Supt. H. Hudson.
At the outset the coroner said that it was one of the gravest accidents that had happened during the time he had been coroner for the Darlington ward. The accident, he said, resulted in a shadow being cast over the homes of many people in widely separated parts of the county, and he wished, at once, to express his sympathy with the relatives of the people who had lost their lives in that a dreadful fashion.
The accident was perhaps the more unfortunate because of the fact it had happened at the end of the war in Europe. It would have been more gratifying if could have said at the end of the war, but one might take some comfort from the fact that at this stage of the war it was not likely that there would be many mire such dreadful occurrences.
Exhaustive Government Inquiry
Mr. Brown- Humes said that a very exhaustive government inquiry had been held and he had before him a most comprehensive report which had been drawn up and which would be available to interested parties.
Evidence of identification of William Mitchell was given by Annie Baker, his sister, of Hetton-le-Hole.
Margret Carter , married, assistant forewoman at Aycliffe R.O.F. of Neville’s Cross said that she made a roll call after the explosion and was satisfied that Bunton, Hobson, Bailey, and Wilson were killed in the explosion. No trace could be found of any one of them. A little later she identified the remains of Barrett and had seen Mitchell carried on to a stretcher. She could speak with certainty of the deaths of these six people.
Joesph Raisbeck Webb, Assistant foreman fitter, 18, Millford Terrace, Ferryhill, said that Seagrave and Smith were missing when he made his roll call. He knew they were working in the building where the explosion occurred.
BELT COME OF MACHINE
Constance Ruby Kendal, single, aged 24, of 16 Heighington terrace, Aycliffe, a quality control operative at the factory, said that she was in the building when the explosion occurred. She saw Bailey and Wilson working on an extruder filling machine.
She heard someone say that the belt had come off the machine and Smith went down to see to it. Witness detailed the various people who were near the machine, and said that Mitchell was near her when the explosion occurred.
The Coroner: You seem to be fortunate to be here? How where you saved?
Witness replied that she had ten small wounds in her back but she was now quite better.
The Coroner: You are to be congratulated on your most miraculous escape. You were in the middle of it.
Supt. Huitson: She was saved by a blast wall.
William Haithwaite, safety officer at the factory said that the explosion occurred in the mortar filling shop. Answering the Coroner, he said that Miss Kendall was lucky and very brave.
Two- Day Inquiry
An Inquiry which lasted two days was held at the factory ad was conducted by Lt-Col. R. A. Thomas, Chief inspector of explosives, Home office. He produced a copy of his report, and said that a great amount of scientific evidence was given and investigations were being continued in certain directions. They could not yet say what was the exact cause of the accident.
“There was no evidence of carelessness or negligence on the part of anyone” said Mr. Haitwaite. All the evidence tended to show that all general safety precautions had been properly carried out.
The Coroner: I think it is only fair that I should read the concluding paragraph of the report. It says:-
The morale of all concerned, from the assistant superintendent, who was in charge, downwards, was a very high order, and will be referred to more particularly later. It should be said that some 600 people were about in various shops when this regrettable accident happened, and they behaved in exemplary fashion. Moreover, the succeeding shift, which came in at 7am was present and willing to start operations.
Conduct Beyond Praise
The Coroner: I am told that the conduct of the ambulance drivers and everybody else was beyond praise. – Witness: Yes.
Replying to the Coroner, Mr. Haithwaite said that Miss Kendal came to work the next day and was at the inquiry on the succeeding two days.
The Coroner: So far as anything can be bright in this dreadful accident it is the conduct of everybody concerned.
Mr. Hinks said that he would like to be assured that relatives would be able to get information when the later report was issued. Mr. Brown-Humes said he thought there would be no objection and an assurance was given by Mr. Marsham that a copy of the second report would be sent to the Coroner.
The Verdict
A verdict of “Accidental death the result of the explosion of an extruder filling machine from some unknown cause” was returned in all cases.
Mr. Marsham and Supt. Huitson joined with the Coroner in his expression of sympathy with the relatives. The Superintendent congratulated Miss Kendal on her escape and her courage.
