Tramcar overturned on Exe Bridge, March 1917, Exeter

Photograph showing a tramcar overturned on Exe Bridge,  March 1917, Exeter

On the morning of the 7th of March 1917, the 09.00 tram from Heavitree to Dunsford Hill ran out of control on Fore Street Hill and finally crashed on Exe Bridge. There were five passengers on board at the time of the disaster and 54-year-old Mary Findlay died at the scene. Pictures of the accident were widely distributed at the time, and images such as this one has been reproduced in many books and guidebooks since that time. It is even claimed that Henry Wykes, a photographer with a studio overlooking the site, was selling postcards carrying photographs of the crash within an hour of the accident happening. 

The cause of the accident was never really established. Wartime restrictions meant that the tramway was running under very adverse circumstances as regards to manpower and the maintenance of track and tramcars, which could have been contributory factors. The inquest into Mary Findlay's death raised a number of questions about about the cause of crash, but none were satisfactorily answered. In the end, a verdict of accidental death was returned by the coroner.

Further information on the history Exeter tramways can be found in R.C. Sambourne's book, 'Exeter: a history of public transport', published by Glasney Press of Falmouth in 1976 and in J. B. Perkin's book, 'Exeter and Taunton tramways', published by Middleton Press of Midhurst in 1994. Copies of both books are held in the Devon Heritage Centre and in the Devon and Exeter Institution.

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