Harvey Robinson reflects on the events of the tragic train crash. - Photo by Robert Lalah

Harvey Robinson is a chatty old guy with a loud laugh and a firm handshake. He's quick to pull you into a conversation, whether you like it or not, and is sure to have you laughing in minutes, with one of his witty one-liners. He's known for his jokes throughout his community, and tells them to anyone who pops in to see him at his home in Mandeville, Manchester. But there's one story that Harvey tells that isn't so funny. It's a true story. One that has haunted him for more than 50 years and which still causes him to break into a cold sweat whenever he talks about it.

It's the story of the day he spent driving a truck loaded with the bodies and body parts of the victims of the infamous 1957 Kendal train crash. It is the worst train crash in Jamaica's history and was one of the worst in the world at that time. Hundreds died when the train bound for Kingston from Montego Bay derailed in the sleepy Manchester town called Kendal.

There are many persons across Jamaica who witnessed the carnage of that train crash, but not many are willing to talk about it, even today. Harvey, on the other hand, thinks talking about the event is one way to achieve healing. That's why, when I sat down with him inside his comfortable home recently, he opened up without hesitation.

Harvey is 86-years-old now, and blind. He walks with a cane and has a little trouble hearing. His mind and memory, however, are as sharp as ever.

"I may not be able to run a marathon anymore, but I certainly can hold a conversation," he joked.

Harvey sat back in his chair and closed his eyes as his mind slowly drifted back to that day, 50 years ago.

"It was September, 1957. It was a Monday morning about 8 o' clock. I was working at the Jamaica Telephone Company at the timeas a driver. I used to do a bit of engineering work as well. I woke up and got dressed and turned up for work as usual. When I got there, my supervisor, a man called Smith, called me into his office. He said, "Mr. Robinson, did you hear about the train crash in Kendal?" I told him that I had. The crash had happened only the night before, so it was all everyone was talking about. Anyway, Mr. Smith said that he had a job for me to do."

Harvey said that his boss told him to get one of the company trucks and meet him at the front gate.

"I did as he said and pulled the truck around, wondering what he was going to tell me to do with it. Anyway, when I got to the front of the office, Mr. Smith came out with a roll of tape in his hand. He tore four pieces of it and put them on the headlights in the shape of two small crosses," Harvey said.

Trying to prepare

"He looked me in the eyes and said that I was to go to the scene of the crash and provide the authorities with whatever assistance they needed. He said that they would perhaps require help transporting the dead to the hospital so that family members could come and identify them," Harvey rubbed his forehead.

"My heart sank. I couldn't believe what he was telling me to do. I was wondering if I was hearing correctly. I had never been involved in anything like this before. Anyway, I didn't want to seem scared, so I told Mr. Smith that I would do it and I drove off in the direction of Kendal," said Harvey.

"All the way there, I was sweating. I tried to prepare myself for what I was about to come across. But you see, as a telephone company driver, I had no experience with this kind of situation," he said.

"When I got near to the area, I spotted the crowd. There were so many thousands of people gathered there and there were police and firemen all around. It was quite a scene. One of the policemen spotted the truck I was driving and waved me in. I slowly drove down a track that was just cut. I think it was the bauxite company that did it to help create access to the crash site. Anyway, I went down the road until I could see the top of the train cars. The train was a mess. There were parts of it all over and most of it was on its side," Harvey took a deep breath and paused for a moment.

Moment of silence

"It was then that I spotted the bodies. There were dozens of them. They were all over the ground and there were body parts thrown about like stones. It was like when you stir up a biting ants nest and then spray them and you see them lying there. That was how it looked at the crash site, there were just so many dead people. I nearly fainted at first and wondered what I had got myself into. I could feel my knees shaking. I remember jumping out of the truck and just looking around in silence for about five minutes until someone nudged me and said they needed help loading the bodies into the truck," Harvey paused again.

"I tried to pull myself together and walked to the back of the truck. There were some men already back there loading the truck with bodies. I remember it now. They told me to grab on to the leg of a woman who they were lifting. It was my first such experience. Her hand hit my face as I was lifting her. I could still smell her perfume. She was an older woman with fair complexion. After we got her into the truck, someone handed me a man's arm that was on the ground in front of me and told me to throw it into the truck as well," Harvey grimaced.

"I trembled when I took it from him and then my eyes started to water. I just then realised how horrible the crash really was," he said.

Harvey said tha close to a hundred bodies were loaded into his truck.

"I was to take the bodies and all the body parts to the hospital grounds. All the way I was driving, people were running beside the truck. Jamaicans had never seen anything like that before, so it was one really big event," said he.

A disturbing sound

"I remember the sound of the bodies shaking every time I hit a bump in the road. I tried my best to drive slowly because that sound really bothered me. When I pulled up to the hospital gate, a policeman directed me to the front of the hospital, which is now the back. There was a large fig tree there at the time. He told me that I was to unload the bodies in the shade of the tree. I was still shaken. We slowly started taking the bodies back out of the truck and putting them beside each other on the ground. It was so that people could come and identify their family members. There were so many dead people, it was really horrible. A large crowd had also gathered there and it was like a frenzy," said Harvey.

"Before I knew it, someone handed me a list and told me that I was to stand at the gate and receive people who came in search of their relatives. So there I was, caught in this thing without any preparation. There were so many men and women breaking down and bawling when they saw their dead relatives. I was there hugging them and trying my best to provide whatever comfort I could. I prayed with them and told them it was going to be ok," Harvey stopped talking here and shook his head. He had had enough for one day, so I decided not to push for any more information. "I really don't like to talk about it still, but one day it will all be alright. They all went to a better place," said he, with a slight smile.

robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com