University of Oxford
Browse

A Fateful Return Home: C J Samson

Download (4.6 kB)
online resource
posted on 2024-06-05, 18:14 authored by Their Finest Hour Project Team

Charles James Samson was my grandfather. The following extract is taken from the Islington and Holloway and St Pancras Gazette, 23 May 1941:

"Popular Railwayman's return home costs him his life

Impressive funeral scenes

Mr C J Samson, a well known St Pancras railwayman, who had many friends in the Malden Road Kentish Town district, used to say that his house, No.1, would always stand. Bombs fell very near, but Mr Samson's prophetic words proved true.

The tragedy is that Mr Samson was not in the house at the time. He was visiting his daughter and her husband, Mr & Mrs Baker, who lived a few doors away, when a bomb demolished their house and that of a neighbour.

Mr and Mrs Baker had moved into the house only that week. All three were killed.

Mr Samson was held in great affection by his neighbours, friends and railwaymen colleagues - he was chief shunter at Cricklewood and had served 43 years with the LMS company.

An indication of his popularity was provided when the funeral took place at Finchley cemetery on Monday.

Crowds lined the streets as the three hearses, covered with flowers - there were about eighty wreaths, including tributes from LMS colleagues, from the workers of a large factory where Mrs Baker was employed and from neighbours- passed by the scene of the tragedy.

Women came to the gates of their damaged homes to show their silent sympathy with the bereaved relatives. Demolition workers engaged on the site paused and bared their heads in reverent silence.

On the way to the bombed site the cortege had halted outside a nearby factory where 300 of Mrs Baker's colleagues lined the footway to pay their last respects. It was an impressive spectacle .

Through the various streets of the borough where Mr Samson was particularly well known because of his railway associations and family connections, the cortege passed on its way to Finchley amid scenes of mourning everywhere.

At the Gypsy Queen public house, a favourite resort of St Pancras railwaymen, Mr Samson was particularly well known and customers and the licensee sent beautiful floral tributes.

Mrs Samson has been in hospital for the past eight or nine months and Mr Samson was not living at his own home. Circumstances of duty made it imperative for him to be in the district on that fateful Saturday night. He came there only to be able to reach his work on the Sunday morning.

His house, no. 1, still stands by itself at the the side of a large clearing where a row of similar houses once stood."

History

Person the story/items relate to

Charles James Samson

Person who shared the story/items

Jim Samson

Relationship between the subject of the story and its contributor

He was my grandfather.

Type of submission

Shared online via the Their Finest Hour project website.

Record ID

92278