HMS Truculent
The submarine HMS Truculent sinks after a collision. 64 die.
Llandow
80 people die as a Tudor V aircraft crashes on approach to Llandow, Glamorganshire.
Knockshinnoch Castle
116 miners trapped undeground after a landslide at Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in Ayrshire.
HMS Affray
The submarine HMS Affray sinks. All 75 crew members are killed.
Easington Colliery
An explosion at Easington Colliery in County Durham kills 83.
Snowdonia crash
A Douglas DC-3 on a flight from London to Dublin crashes. 20 passengers and three crew are killed.
Lynmouth flood
Flooding in Lynmouth in Devon kills 34.
Farnborough Airshow crash
A DH-110 breaks up in med-air over the crowd at Farnborough Airshow, Hampshire, killing 31.
Harrow and Wealdstone
An express train crashes into the back of a stationary local train, then the wreckage is struck by another express train. 112 die, 340 are injured in what remains Britain's worst peacetime rail disaster.
Great Smog
A heavy, smoky fog decends on London for almost a week. 4,000 die from lung complaints.
MV Princess Victoria
The ferry MV Princess Victoria sinks in the Irish Sea, killing 133 including Northern Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister.
North Sea flood
A storm surge in the North Sea inundates the east coast of Britain and the west coast of Europe. Hundreds are killed.
Fraserburgh lifeboat
The Fraserburgh lifeboat capsizes on a rescue mission, killing six.
Arbroath lifeboat
The Arbroath lifeboat capsizes, killing six.
Channel collision
An Italian steamer collides with a French motor vessel, sinking rapidly. 20 Italian sailors are killed.
BOAC Flight 781
A de Havilland Comet jet on a flight from Singapore to London suffers metal fatigue in midair and crashes into the Mediterranean, killing all 35 aboard.
South African Airways Flight 201
A de Havilland Comet jet on a flight from Rome to Cairo suffers metal fatigue in midair and crashes into the Mediterranean, killing all 21 aboard.
Prestwick air disaster
A BOAC Boeing 377 from London to Prestwick crashes on landing, killing 28.
Sutton Coldfield
An express train takes a curve at too high a speed and derails, killing 17.
HMS Sidon
Submarine HMS Sidon sinks at Portland Harbour, Dorset, after a torpedo explodes. 13 are killed.
RAF crash
A Meteor fighter jet crashes on take-off from RAF West Malling, Kent, killing both crew and two civilians on the ground.
RNAS crashes
A Sea Hawk fighter jet from RNAS Lossiemouth crashes in the North Sea. Later the same day, another Sea Hawk fighter jet from RNAS Lossiemouth also crashes in the North Sea. One pilot is killed.
Milton rail crash
An excursion train passes over points too fast and derails at Milton, then in Berkshire. 11 are killed.
Barnes rail crash
A signalling error allows a Waterloo to Chertsey train to collide with a freight service, leading to a fire. 13 are killed.
Lionel Crabb
A diver working for MI6, Lionel 'Buster' Crabb, disappears while spying on a visiting Soviet cruiser at Portsmouth, Hampshire. It is still not known what happened to him.
Fog crashes
A series of car crashes in northern England in thick fog kill six.
East Midlands earthquake
A 5.3 ML earthquake centred on Derby causes damage but no fatalities.
Barnburgh Main Colliery
An explosion at Barnburgh Main Colliery, West Riding of Yorkshire, kills six.
Asian flu
A vaccine against 'Asian flu', which reached the UK in late June, is released and a mass-immunisation campaign begins.
Windscale
A fire in the graphite core of a nuclear reactor in Windscale, Cumberland, spreads radioactive contamination across the county.
Solent air crash
A flying boat operated by Aquila Airways crashes on the Isle of Wight, killing 45.
Lewisham rail crash
In heavy fog, a Charing Cross to Hayes train was hit from behind by a Cannon Street to Ramsgate service, destroying a rail bridge. A further train was halted in time to not fall into the resulting void. 90 were killed.
Manchester United disaster
An aeroplane carrying the Manchester United team crashes on take-off at Munich, West Germany. 21 are killed, including players Roger Byrne, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Geoff Bent, David Pegg and Billy Whelan.
Manchester United disaster
Manchester United player Duncan Edwards dies of his injuries from the Munich plane crash.
Manchester United disaster
The death of the co-pilot of the crashed aircraft carrying the Manchester United team brings the final death toll to 23.
BOAC Britannia crash
A BOAC Bristol Britannia 312 crashes on approach to Hurn Airport, Dorset, killing 9.
Auchengeich disaster
An underground fire at Auchengeich Colliery, Lanarkshire, kills 47.
Southend Pier
A fire severs Southend Pier. 500 people are rescued by boats.
George Robb disaster
A trawler, George Robb, runs aground at Duncansby Head, Caithness, killing 12.
Broughty Ferry lifeboat
The Broughty Ferry lifeboat capsizes, killing 8.
Oxford Street bus crash
A bus hits a queue of passengers on Oxford Street, London, killing 8.
About the author
Dr Russ J Graham is Transdiffusion's curator
