Shirley Graham-Paul (centre), a survivor of the Kendal train crash, which occurred on September 1, 1957, present her train ticket to David Stimpson (right), curator at the Museums of History and Ethnography, a division of the Institute of Jamaica, to mark the 50th anniversary year of the country?s most deadly railway accident. Vivian Crawford, the institute?s executive director witnesses the presentation. - Contributed

September 1, 1957 was for most a normal day with routine activities. However, for the many bereaved families who suffered loss in that fatal Kendal train crash, the consequences of the event is indelibly imprinted on their memories.

Presented the ticket

Two weeks ago Shirley Graham-Paul, a survivor of this ill-fated train crash, presented to Mr. David Stimpson, curator at the Museums of History and Ethnography, a division of the Institute of Jamaica, the ticket she used to board the train on that fateful night.

Mrs. Graham-Paul in reflecting on the events of that horrific incident, recalled that she was on her way back from a church trip to Montego Bay. At approximately 11:10 p.m. while among a group of friends on the platform of the train; they saw sparks of fire coming from the train wheels. Seconds later the train derailed, resulting in the loss of approximately 200 lives. She recalled the horrifying ordeal of walking over dead bodies, some of whom only minutes before, were interacting as newly acquainted church friends and other individuals encountered on the journey.

One incident that stood out most for her was that of a young girl whom she had met in the rest room on the train. In sharing a vignette of her memory stated, ?One of the sad feelings for me was that I had shared a shower room with a very nice girl and she had left her earring on the sheet. I decided to take them, with the intention of returning them to her when we arrived in Kingston.While we were being guided to safety, one of the persons I had to walk over was this girl. You can imagine that my emotions just went numb.?

As the year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of this tragedy, the Institute of Jamaica through its Museum as Memory Programme will schedule educational events as a retrospective.

Information on history

Founded in 1879 by Sir Anthony Musgrave, the Institute of Jamaica is Jamaica?s premier cultural institution and is an important point of contact for information on Jamaica?s history and culture. Its functions include establishing and maintaining museums and galleries for the collection, preservation of artefacts and art treasures for public display. The Museums Division functions as the national agent for the collection, preservation, conservation and documentation of Jamaica?s material culture. This donation will now form part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Collections. Collection of artefacts is an ongoing process at the IOJ, and donations like these are always gratefully received and recorded.