Tragedy at Lakeside – grave tales

As far as can be ascertained, no one actually witnessed the accident which resulted in George Lyall Luscombe, aged 19yrs, losing his life by being run over by a wood train on the Lakeside line, near the 52-mile siding, at 5.30 a.m. on Thursday. It is known that the deceased attended the sports in Kalgoorlie on Wednesday afternoon and rode his bicycle to the Lakeside station that night. There he strapped his machine to a water tank, climbed into a truck containing horse feed, and completed his journey to the 52-mile siding where he was employed. Luscombe was last seen alive at the White Hope siding, where he assisted the guard to do some shunting.

Approaching the 52-mile siding the guard stopped the train because a truck had become derailed. The train crew investigated and found the body of a man entangled in the undercarriage of the truck, which was the fourth truck back from the one the deceased had been occupying. The body, which was cut to pieces, was identified as that of George Luscombe. It is assumed that the deceased climbed onto the water truck to untie his cycle with, the intention of jumping off at his camp, and in some manner fell under the moving train. This assumption is borne by the fact that the bicycle was found to be partly unfastened.

Grave of George Lyall LUSCOMBE – Kalgoorlie Cemetery 1922 – Photo T. F. Mackay

Grave of George Lyall LUSCOMBE – Kalgoorlie Cemetery 2017 photo – Norm Sharp

Western Argus 16 May 1922: THE LATE G. L. LUSCOMBE – The funeral of the late Mr. George Lyall Luscombe took place on Saturday last, the remains being interred in the Presbyterian section of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. A large number of relatives and friends were at the graveside. Four pallbearers -Messrs G. Long, A. Leach, O. Terry, and W. McQuoid the deceased workmates on the Lakeside woodline, accompanied the hearse and bore the silver-mounted oaken casket to the graveside. where the Rev. A. Ballinger conducted the burial service. Many beautiful wreaths were received.

Western Argus 9 May 1922

Biography: George Lyall LUSCOMBE was born in Perth Western Australia in 1902. He was the son of George Alfred LUSCOMBE and Ida Jane Mary ARBUCKLE. At the time of his death, he was living with his parents at 12 Collins Street, Kalgoorlie. He had two living siblings at the time, Jack Gordon LUSCOMBE born 1908, and Elsie Gregson Luscombe born 1920.