Balaclava Memorial Cross Site

Historical Significance

On July 30, 1943, the Balaclava Memorial Cross, erected in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident which occurred at Oxford Siding, Balaclava, was unveiled and dedicated in the St. Luke’s Anglican churchyard. The cross was unveiled by Mrs. Stella Earle, Member of the St. Elizabeth Parochial Board, while the entire memorial was consecrated and dedicated by the Anglican Bishop of Jamaica, His Lordship Bishop William Hardie (The Gleaner, 1943).

On the north end of the base of the Balaclava Memorial Cross is the following inscription: “To the glory of God and in memory of those who lost their lives in the railway accident on the 30th July 1938 at Oxford.” On the east and west ends of the base, plaques were mounted which contained a list of names of the 35 persons who perished. However, the ground reposed the remains of eleven of the accident victims. Only one of the graves has a headstone, that of Cecil J. Browne, son of Mr. & Mrs. A.M.S. Browne of St. Andrew (See Figure 12). Mr. A.M.S. Browne was the contractor in charge of the erection of the memorial cross, and his son is interred in the memorial plot in the St. Luke’s Anglican churchyard (Ibid).

Relatives and friends of the 35 victims of the 1938 train crash attended the unveiling and dedication ceremony of the Balaclava Memorial Cross. Most of them had travelled through the courtesy of the Jamaica Government Railway from Kingston, Spanish Town, Old Harbour and other places in the country (Ibid).

Five years earlier, on July 30, 1938, a train heading from Kingston to Montego Bay ran off the tracks at Oxford siding, just outside Balaclava, piling five coaches with over 300 passengers on top of one another (The Gleaner, 2005). It was a deadly and tragic derailment; 35 persons were killed and 117 injured (Colonial Reports, 1939). Up to this time, the Railway had enjoyed a proud record of being free of fatal accidents for approximately 90 years. The Balaclava train crash is the second worst rail disaster in Jamaica’s history. The 1957 Kendal Train Crash in Manchester is the worst. Approximately 200 passengers died in that tragedy (RJR News online, 2014).

Inherent Features

A Greek Cross atop a rectangular base, outfitted with engraved cast iron plaques, was a deliberate design used to raise the profile of the space, as it makes a statement to the area as a memorial.