Keadby Canal Draw Bridge

[geofrancis]

Hi Again
I experieced another incident whilst working on the canal draw bridge. MacAlpines were building
the power station at the time nearby, they had a crane on the canal side for offloading sand and gravel from barges.
I was working nearby and heard shouting from near the crane, I went over where several men were
tossing a length of rope to the crane driver who had fell off the crane into the canal, they said he had been under twice, his heavy clothes and boots were weighing him down, I saw him dissapear so i slipped off my shoes and jumped in, I went under and managed to grab his hair, I pulled him up and with the help of others got him on the bank where luckily there was a St Johns Ambulance man in the crowd, who survived him.
I met the guy a few days later, he gave me a 10 Shilling note for saving his life ( he was Irish)
I never heard anything from MacAlpines, I did receive a Royal Humane Parchment, presented to me by the Mayor of Doncaster.
I also received a letter from the Chief Inspector of the S & T dept in London on a scrappy peice of paper which was an insult. Still that was the Railways in them days
I left in 1960 and my whole life changed for the better
Frank Thomas