Wallace Arnold Oakes GC (23 April 1932 – 12 June 1965), known as Wally Oakes, was an engine driver with

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British ...

who was born in Barbridge, Cheshire and lived at Wheelock Heath,

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath a ...

, Cheshire.

1965 train accident

On 5 June 1965, he was the driver in charge of a relief train when, about seven miles from

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

, the fire suddenly blew back from the

firebox Firebox may refer to: * Firebox (steam engine), the area where the fuel is burned in a steam engine * Firebox (architecture), the part of a fireplace where fuel is combusted *Firebox Records, a Finnish 8101705801record label * Firebox.com, an elect ...

of a

BR Standard Class 7 The BR Standard Class 7, otherwise known as the ''Britannia'' Class, is a class of 4-6-2 ''Pacific'' steam locomotive designed under Robert Riddles for use by British Railways for mixed-traffic duties. 55 were constructed between 1951 and ...

steam locomotive No. 70051 ''Firth Of Forth'', filling the cab with smoke and flames. Fireman Gwilym Roberts managed to climb out of the cab window and extinguish his clothing by rubbing against the plating, but Oakes stayed at the footplate to close the regulator, open the blower and apply the

brake A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Backgroun ...

. Roberts found his mate lying on the embankment next to the train, badly burned, but evidently having remained in the cab until the train stopped. Oakes suffered burns to approximately 80% of his body. The pain was such that he had to be suspended above his hospital bed and given large doses of

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies ('' Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

. A week after the accident, he died from his injuries. Oakes was buried in an unmarked grave in

St Matthew's Church, Haslington St Matthew's Church is in the village of Haslington, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Che ...

, Cheshire. On 1 February 2018, a headstone was dedicated. It had been paid for by a group of railwaymen and donors to an appeal launched by ''Heritage Railway'' magazine.

Awards

For his gallantry in ensuring the safety of his passengers, Oakes was posthumously awarded the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

on 19 October 1965. In February 1966 Oakes was also awarded a bronze Carnegie Hero Medal. On 19 February 1981, Class 86

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or g ...

no. 86260 was named ''Driver Wallace Oakes GC''. A memorial plaque in the offices above Crewe station reads:

IN COMMEMORATION OF DRIVER W A OAKES, AGED 33 YRS, WHO THROUGH DEVOTION TO DUTY RECEIVED FATAL BURNS AT WINSFORD
WHILST WORKING THE 2/5 PM EXPRESS CREWE TO CARLISLE ENGINE No 70051
DATE 5th JUNE 1965 FROM HIS FELLOW WORKMATES CREWE MOTIVE POWER DEPT.

In September 2017, the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...

purchased Oakes's George Cross at auction for £60,000. It is displayed at the museum.

References

External links

GC awards to Railwaymen

''This is Cheshire'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Oakes, Wallace 1932 births 1965 deaths British recipients of the George Cross British Rail people British train drivers People from Sandbach Railway accident deaths in England