An Interview with Marion Jamieson

Marion Jamieson spoke to Rita Cornell, a North Lanark Historical Society volunteer about her experiences on the night of the Almonte Train Wreck. The interview took place on September 23, 2013 at the North Lanark Regional Museum as part of the 2013 ‘Video Tour’ project. This project was developed by the North Lanark Historical Society to document the history of Mississippi Mills.

Marion Jamieson and Rita Cornell, two older women, sitting next to each other at a table.

Rita: “Now, what did you expect to see when you got there?”

Marion: “We really didn’t have any idea. Well you know you’d have an idea because they said well, there were dead bodies lying beside the track. We could see the troop train slammed into the back of the passenger train, the local, and there were bodies just like…The trains were wooden then and they just (waves her hands in front of her) burst open and there were people scattered all, all over, it was horrendous, it really was.”

Rita: “Did you get to attend to some of them?”

Marion: “(nods) Oh yes.”

Rita: “What was the most severe injury that you…”

Marion: “Well the worst one was, as I say, the young chap, I think his name was Markham, he had internal injuries and I was…They gave morphine at that time because we’re waiting for the hospital train to come that would take the patients and bring them to the Civic. Almonte Hospital was overwhelmed. I remember the young man because he would be about the same age as my husband, who at that time was overseas, but he had internal injuries. He died. I was holding him, so to help him take the morphine and a lot of them were nauseated after the morphine and they threw up, and so I was holding him and he just, he died, he died while I was holding him. I had never seen anyone die before.”

Rita: “So, it was very traumatic for you.”

Marion: “Very traumatic. Very, very traumatic. And especially I think because of his age and his rank in the army and everything. You know, it made you think well that could have been my husband. So it was, it was a very stressful experience I have to say. One you never forget.”