24th December 1927
A motorist is killed on a Jersey level crossing
The bell was sounding, warning oncoming traffic that the barrier was being lowered at the Grève d’Azette station level crossing, but Francis Lecocq thought he could probably squeeze through in time. He was wrong. The barrier came down on the roof of his car and held it firmly in place.
The train was already too close for the driver to stop, and although Lecocq and both of his daughters managed to get out of the car before the inevitable collision, The Times of 28 December 1927 reports that, on that fateful Christmas Eve, “the train crashed into the car, cutting it completely in half, and carrying it some 50 yards up the line”.
It also killed Lecocq.
FREE Jersey history newsletter
Don't miss our weekly update on Jersey's fascinating history. We promise never to sell your data to anyone else, and there's a super-easy unsubscribe link on the bottom of each email so you can leave whenever you want.
Other events that occured in December
Operation Hardtack targets the Channel Islands
- Needing to find out what was happening in the .Channel Islands during the Occupation, the British government launched Operation Hardtack.
- Read more…
Seigneur proves to be a real-life Scrooge
- Lord Godfray was accused of being a real-life Scrooge at Christmas 1857 when he demanded payment from a local widow.
- Read more…
Jersey is granted its own flag
- Although it had flown a red saltire for some time, it wasn't until the 1980s that Jersey finally, officially, got its own flag.
- Read more…
A motorist is killed on a Jersey level crossing
- When a car got stuck on a Jersey level crossing, it was sliced in half by an oncoming train, which also killed the driver.
- Read more…
