Bridgetown tragedy to be remembered

SUNDAY March 14, 1954 was showing signs of being a lovely day with an expected temperature of about 32C.

The children living around the junction of Forrest Street and Gifford Road had spent Saturday afternoon preparing for what was going to be a great fun day.

They had moved a felled tree across the creek between Edward Road and Gifford Road to form a bridge, and they were all looking forward to a day of excitement as they paddled in the creek and ran across the newly set bridge playing pirates or sailors.

Unbeknown to the children, when the tree came down a power line was hit by the branches, causing the line to fall to the ground touching an old wire fence which was laying on the ground entangled and hidden by reeds and grasses.

Part of the old fence was resting in the water of the muddy creek, where the children were aiming to play their games.

The boys making their way down to the creek to start playing were Graeme Weighell, 7, Kenneth Weighell, 12, Jon Houston, 8, Adrian Lockley, 13, Clifford Lockley, 3 and Allan Lockley, 5, together with their two pet dogs who followed the children everywhere.

The boys ran down to the water’s edge eager to start playing.

However when they entered the water, it felt like hundreds of needles were digging into their legs. Their legs cramping with the pain, the boys screamed and tried to run out of the water.

The two dogs, thinking it was time to join in, rushed into the water to be with the children. It was a fatal mistake, for as the water lapped over their bodies, the charge in the water killed them instantly.

This caused the children to panic more. They ran screaming through the long grass and the reeds toward the closest road which would get them home, but as they ran their wet feet and legs were tangled up with the old wire fence hidden in the vegetation, shocking them violently, and causing three of the boys to drop to the ground where the electricity continued to shock them on their legs, arms, bodies and faces.

Not knowing what had happened, Clifford and Allan Lockley froze where they were, screaming and terrified at what was happening, but frightened to move.

The screaming had made Jack Houston and his wife Vivienne run the 100 metres from their house to see what was wrong with the children. Mr Houston, 35, an employee of the State Electricity Commission, immediately assessed the situation.

He ran down to the creek edge and tried to dislodge his son and the other two boys from the electrified fence.

He received violent shocks each time he tried, but he kept trying and, as his wife arrived to help, Mr Houston succumbed to the shocks and fell to the ground. Mrs Houston tried to help the boys, but also received shocks to her arms and legs.

The noise from the creek bed had also frightened Helen Billington, 9, as she was walking to her friend’s house in Forrest Street. She turned and ran down to where the boys had been playing.

“I saw three boys lying still on the ground with Mr Houston trying to move them,” she said.

“He was shouting at me to go away and get help. I was frightened and confused with all the yelling and the smell of burning, so I turned away and started to crawl through the fence, but then I had this terrible pain as the electricity shocked me.”

Helen was caught on the fence with the electricity burning her face, arms, chest and legs, but then her young brother was there, dragging her away from the fence by her skirt.

Peter Billington, 7, had followed his sister down to the creek.

When she started to go through the fence, Peter was standing close to the three boys who were laying so still. He grabbed hold of one of them to try and move them, but an electric shock made him let go.

He tried again and again but the pain of the shock forced him away. Then, realising his sister was caught on the fencing, Peter rushed to her and, getting hold of her skirt, managed to pull her to safety.

Helen said the next thing she knew was Peter crying and saying to her ‘Let’s go home please.’

The two of them got back up to the road and started running home, but Helen, who was bleeding from the nose and had burns on her hands, chest, knees and toes, had to stop many times because of the pain. Peter was badly burnt behind one knee.

Dick Franks was working in his orchard with a trainee when he heard the screaming and shouting.

Then he saw a little girl and boy come up from the creek, holding hands and sobbing uncontrollably. Mr Franks dropped what he was doing and ran to where the children had come from.

“I was thinking one of the children playing there had fallen down a well,” he said.

“But when I got down to the creek bed, I saw three young boys lying side by side, face down on the wire. Jack Houston who had obviously been trying to save the boys was lying a little way away and not moving. His wife Vivienne was standing near him apparently deep in shock.

“I saw one of the boys moving a little, so I broke a branch off one of the trees and knocked him off the wire, but I got a bad shock as I did it.”

Jack Lockley, an ambulance officer and the father of Adrian, was one of the first on the scene, and was very active in attempting to revive the boys with resuscitation. He worked hard for hours trying to help Adrian, his son.

By this time the word had got around the town, and about 200 people had arrived with blankets and pillows to try and help. Maria De Vlieger, known as Meika, arrived and immediately took over resuscitation on Jon Houston.

She kept this up for several hours even though she was told it was too late, he was dead, when suddenly Jon was showing signs of life.

Doctors Williams and Gordon were there helping the shocked children and their parents. Nurses from the Bridgetown Hospital administered oxygen to the injured. The voluntary Fire Brigade arrived and used their ladders to set up a rocking resuscitator.

With the resuscitation Kenneth Weighell had shown signs of life. He couldn’t breathe on his own and without the right equipment in Bridgetown Hospital he would stand little chance of survival.

Several SEC service men who were helping offered to get an Iron Lung from Bunbury and bring it to Bridgetown. When this was agreed to, an unnamed SEC Engineer from Bunbury picked up an Iron Lung machine from Bunbury hospital with his utility truck and got it to Bridgetown in 49 minutes.

A deep sadness settled over the crowd of helpers as two of the victims died in spite of the desperate efforts made to save them. Bereaved relatives were comforted by local church ministers and sorrowful townspeople.

Jack Houston died in a valiant attempt to save the boys. Graeme Weighell and Adrian Lockley died in spite of all the efforts to help them. Kenneth Weighell recovered for a while, but died later in hospital.

Vivienne Houston was treated for burns, then allowed to return home. Mrs Houston was later given a medal and a letter from the Queen for her husband’s bravery.

Clifford and Alan Lockley were treated in hospital for burns and then allowed home.

Helen and Peter Billington were both treated for burns at home. Peter was later awarded a medal at a ceremony in Pemberton, for bravery in rescuing his sister and attempting to save some of the boys.

Dick Franks was treated for burns. He also received a medal for bravery for his selfless actions in trying to rescue the boys.

Jon Houston spent three months in Bridgetown Hospital on Roe Street, where he had extensive skin grafts by Dr Williams. He learnt to walk properly again through the strength of Matron Veitch.

The loss of Graeme, Adrian, Kenneth and Mr Houston had a profound effect on many people.

Adrian’s brother John was at boarding school in Bunbury when he was told of his brother’s death by the Rev. Saggars.

“He told me Adrian was dead, killed while he was playing by the creek. Cliff was in hospital but Allan was not hurt,” John Lockley said.

“He gave me his condolences then excused himself because he was due at a meeting. He left me near the Prep Room and went off to his church. I was stunned,” John said.

“I just made my way to the dormitory and collapsed onto my bed until our kindly old Matron came and rescued me. I don’t think anyone really understands what a shock this experience is until they go through it themselves.”

Jack Lockley had been pushing the St John Ambulance to get a resuscitator for the ambulance for months. It was agreed to get one shortly after this tragedy.

John Jones, a long serving member of the St John Ambulance, was nine years old in 1954 and he recalls writing in his diary.

“The awful news soon filtered around town that a group of children were playing in the creek just north of Forrest Street when the power line fell onto the fence and into the creek. The children in the creek would have felt tingling all around them, and would have tried to make their way home through the fence, but as they tried they were caught on the electrified wires,” he wrote.

“It was a sad day for all the families involved, all the people who knew the young father and the boys, and the children who went to school with them, will never forget that awful tragic day, 60 years ago.”

Relatives and friends of the families will be holding a short Memorial Service to commemorate this tragic event.

Anyone who would like to attend will be welcome.

The group will meet at the Bridgetown Cidery Carpark at 10am on Friday March 14, then move to the site of the tragedy for a short memorial.

The family will then be leaving for the Bridgetown Cemetery at about 10.45am to lay wreathes on the graves of Adrian Lockley, Kenneth and Graeme Weighell.