SARUM U3A

One of the great advantages of belonging to a U3A is the opportunity to meet like-minded people and make new friends. What can be equally rewarding is meeting people from other U3As and sharing experiences with them. Here in Salisbury we are fortunate to have three U3As - Sarum, Spire and Salisbury - and, following the success of last year's joint Hog Roast, an event is proposed to take place in the autumn at which the three U3As will get together to share a meal and display the products of their activity groups.

At the April Coffee Morning Speaker’s Secretary Pat Read introduced George Fleming, Historical Director of History at Large, an Arts project based in Salisbury, who told the riveting story of the Great Salisbury Train Disaster of 1906. Rivalry between two railway companies, the Great Western (GW) and the London & South Western (L&SW), led to each striving for the honour of having the fastest boat train service from the south coast to London. Plymouth was the starting point for races between the companies' special Ocean Expresses. The GW mail train took a route via Bristol, whereas the L&SW passenger train went via Salisbury. Drivers had to maintain some very exacting schedules and their enthusiasm to keep to them led to a certain amount of risk taking. On this day, the race came to an abrupt and tragic end as the L&SW's train derailed at high speed at Salisbury station with the loss of 28 lives.