IT is 60 years and a day since a young Cricklade man reacted to a tragedy by preventing a disaster.

On Wednesday, August 21, 1957, we wrote: “Passengers on an express train to Paddington yesterday were unaware that the driver, a Swindon man, had dropped dead on the footplate and that their lives were in the hands of a 19-year-old relief fireman from Cricklade.

“The hero of this drama of the footplate was Mr Ronald Giles, of Bath Road, Cricklade, who took over duty on the train at the last minute.

“He had been over the line to London only once before, when he was fireman on a banana train on a night run.

“Full of returning holidaymakers, the train left Taunton at 1.20pm yesterday.”

When the train arrived at Swindon, the driver was replaced by a Swindon colleague, WJ Hurley, a much-loved and respected man according to friends and neighbours. His regular fireman was unavailable, so Mr Giles was assigned the trip to London.

Mr Hurley collapsed without warning and died as the train neared Slough.

Mr Giles told us: “As we approached Slough, I moved over to put on the right injector and then returned to my place.

“It was then that Driver Hurley slumped down. He never spoke so I stopped the train.

“Another driver was travelling on the train and he worked it forward to London. When we arrived at Paddington, loco men patted me on the back and said I had done well.

“I was relieved of further duty and came back to Swindon as a passenger.”

According to Mr Giles, the driver had seemed perfectly happy and normal when he boarded. In spite of going through an experience which would have shaken many an older person, let alone one not yet out of his teens, the young man soon returned to his normal routine.

We said: “With the exception of the one previous night run to London, Mr Giles had, until yesterday, been engaged only on local work around Swindon.

“He was due to report for duty this afternoon and expected to be back on goods trains again.”

Mr Hurley, whose body was returned to Swindon from Slough, had 42 years’ service with the GWR, the last 21 as a driver.