The memory of England international and World Championship medalist Bernard Crouch has been enshrined on a plaque marking the railway disaster that tragically ended his and twelve other lives.
The plaque was unveiled at Barnes train station last week, 70 years after the disaster, on the night of December 2, 1955.
Members of Bernard’s family attended the ceremony, which was organized by South Western Railway following a campaign by Barnes & Mortlake History Society to honor the victims.
Local MP Sarah Olney was also there, while Table Tennis England was represented by president Jill Parker MBE and her husband and TTE director Don.
Railway chaplain Christopher Henley led a service, with the unveiling of the plaque carried out by Bernard’s nephew David Crouch and niece Kathy Streater, who remember Bernard from when they were children.
A minute’s silence was held at 11.28am, reflecting the time of the crash at 11.28pm.
Bernard was a Senior International who was part of the England team that won bronze in the Swaythling Cup at the 1950 World Championships in Budapest and gained his first international cap at the Championships, against Brazil. His teammates included Richard Bergmann, Johnny Leach, Aubrey Simons and Harry Venner – some of the iconic names of English table tennis.
Bernard also played at the 1948 and 1954 World Championships. Like many other top players of that era, he was also an excellent tennis player and made several appearances at Wimbledon.
His cousin David, who also spoke at the unveiling ceremony, said: “We were fortunate that we had a very good record of his achievements, which Kathy and I have looked at over the years. And we can get a very, very good idea of what he has done sportingly.”
“Table tennis was obviously a fantastic love of his. He was obviously extremely good, playing in Staines for the club and at provincial level, and for England, especially at the world championships in Hungary where they actually won the bronze medal.
“He was also involved in a lot of coaching and he was coming home from coaching in London just after 11am when the accident happened, so he was playing table tennis.
“We are very proud of his achievements and what he has done on a sporting level.”
His niece Kathy added: “His influence has spread through the whole family because his father and his brother were all very fond of table tennis and when we were children we had a table tennis table at home and all the grandchildren played tennis, played table tennis.
“I don’t think there are often times when people in the family are playing table tennis that we don’t think about Uncle Bernard. He’s a bit of an icon in the family.”
Bernard’s great-nephew Rob said: “It’s just fantastic to actually have something physical to mark the event and the people who were there, so it’s great what South Western Railway has done today to commemorate it – it means so much to the families and people involved.”
Click here to read more about Bernard in our Friday Photos series by Diane Webb.
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