The Princess Alice disaster

The collision of the Princess Alice pleasure steamer with the Tyne collier, Bywell Castle, in the Thames in September 1878 resulted in Britain's worst-ever inland waterway accident.

Almost 650 Princess Alice passengers and crew died. Whole families were wiped out; many children were left orphans; parents childless.

The nation wept. Joan Lock describes vividly the lead up to the accident, the disaster itself and its aftermath.

She then delves into the quarrels that the tragedy devolved into, as each side blamed the other during the extended inquiries to discover just how the accident happened and why so many people drowned.

In the process, the author makes a startling discovery...