Governor General proclaims National Day of Remembrance for victims, survivors of Kendal crash

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen has proclaimed the first day of September each year as the National Day of Remembrance of the victims and survivors of the Kendal Rail Disaster.

Sir Patrick made the proclamation at the request of the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange.

The Kendal Rail Disaster, often referred to as the Kendal crash, took place on the night of Sunday, September 1, 1957 when more than 170 Jamaicans died when their Kingston-bound train ran off the rail at Kendal in Manchester. More than 700 of the 1,600 passengers were maimed or disfigured in what was the worst disaster in the history of the local railway.

Minister Grange said the National Day of Remembrance is an opportunity for the nation to “remember those Jamaicans who lost their lives, those who survived but still bear the marks on their bodies and souls… and those who lost members of their family suddenly on that ill-fated night.”

The minister said it's also a moment to “recall and salute the bravery, sacrifice and commitment of people in nearby communities, volunteers and professional responders from near and far who demonstrated the humane solidarity of the Jamaican people… [by providing] comfort, solace and compassion.”

Many of the victims and survivors of the Kendal Rail Disaster were members of the St Anne's Roman Catholic Church. They had travelled by train for a pilgrimage to Montego Bay and were returning to Kingston when disaster struck.

There were remembrance services on Sunday in Kingston and Manchester.

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