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The Oryu-dong Rail Disaster – 17 September 1952
A forgotten Korean War tragedy — and a remarkable multinational rescue of courage and compassion.
Explosion on the Seoul–Inchon Line
In the early hours of 17 September 1952, a packed passenger train travelling the Seoul–Inchon (Gyeongin) line suffered a catastrophic explosion near the Anyangcheon Bridge, close to Oryu-dong in south-west Seoul. The blast — likely from the engine’s boiler or firebox — tore through the train, hurling three carriages from the tracks. One coach slammed into the bridge span; another was left dangling over the river below. Within minutes, NAAFI and RASC/EFI personnel rushed from a nearby warehouse to assist, joined by Italian Red Cross doctors and American military medics. Together, they mounted a dramatic rescue effort to save hundreds of Korean civilians, many of them schoolchildren, trapped in the wreckage.
Casualties and Chaos
Initial reports placed the toll at 15 dead and around 200 injured — many of them schoolchildren and Korean commuters bound for Seoul. Contemporary British press echoed these figures, while later Korean and Italian unit records revised the count to 12 fatalities and 161 treated. The wreckage lay strewn across the Anyangcheon Bridge, with eyewitnesses describing shattered coaches, rising smoke, and cries for help echoing from the riverbank.
“When we heard the explosion we ran out of the warehouse to pull the Koreans out of the train. Some of us actually caught people as they were tumbling from the smashed carriages towards the stream.”
— Lance-Corporal William Hoyle, RASC/EFI (1952 press interview)
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| Submerged railway carriages in the aftermath of the accident NAAFI News - Winter 1952-53 |
International Rescue Effort
- Italian Red Cross Field Hospital No. 68 (Yeongdeungpo) dispatched ambulances and doctors. Ten emergency amputations were performed at the scene, and around 200 casualties were taken to the Italian hospital.
- British NAAFI and RASC/EFI personnel from a nearby warehouse rushed to assist, pulling passengers from the wreckage and giving first aid. Their bravery was later commended by the General Officer Commanding British Commonwealth Forces in Korea. Among those recognised was Mr Charles William Schofield of Halifax, a NAAFI worker whose heroism made the British press in December 1952.
- US servicemen from the 121st Evacuation Hospital joined the rescue; twelve were slightly injured.
Press Coverage
Across Britain, the Oryu-dong rail disaster dominated regional front pages on 17 September 1952, its grim details echoed from Liverpool to Derby, Nottingham to Torquay. Headlines were stark and urgent: “TRAIN BLOWS UP: 15 KILLED”, “Many Child Victims – 200 Injured”, “British Soldiers Aid 200 Injured”. The explosion between Inchon and Yongdongpo was universally described as catastrophic — a firebox blast that hurled three packed carriages from the tracks, one left dangling over a bridge span, another cracked open above a polluted stream.
Reporters drew heavily on wire services, with Reuters and Associated Press dispatches supplying the backbone of many accounts. Italian Red Cross doctors were credited with performing emergency amputations at the scene, while RASC/EFI personnel were praised for their swift and selfless response. Lance-Corporal William Hoyle of Manchester was quoted in multiple papers: “We ran out of the warehouse to pull the Koreans out of the train. Some of us actually caught people as they were tumbling from the smashed carriages towards a stream.”
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| Derby Evening Telegraph 17th September 1952 |
The Liverpool Echo and Derby Evening Telegraph both highlighted the multinational rescue effort, noting that twenty-five ambulances rushed to the scene and that twelve American servicemen were among the injured. The Herald Express and Nottingham Evening Post added further human detail, describing the chaos and courage as soldiers and medics worked side by side to extract victims from twisted wreckage.
In tone and structure, the coverage was consistent: a blend of factual reporting and quiet admiration for the UN-aligned personnel who responded without hesitation. The presence of RASC/EFI men — often overlooked in wartime narratives — was not just noted but foregrounded, their actions framed as emblematic of service beyond supply, in solidarity with Italian and American counterparts.
Map Inset
Location: Oryu-dong / Guro-dong, south-west Seoul — the Anyangcheon Bridge on the Gyeongin Line (Seoul ↔ Incheon). Today the spot lies just east of Oryu-dong Station. (Site inferred from 1952 reports)
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| Likely location of NAAFI Warehouse Oryudong and scene of railway disaster of 17th Sep 1952. AMS Sheet 6526 II (1951) |
The NAAFI and EFI Connection
This investigation into the Oryu-dong rail disaster began with a single paragraph in NAAFI News, Winter 1952–53, describing the gallantry awards presented to RASC/EFI personnel who rushed to the scene. The article confirms that a detachment of British servicemen working in the nearby NAAFI warehouse at Oryu-dong were among the first responders.
“Gallantry Awards for EFI” — NAAFI News, Winter 1952–53. The first published recognition of the RASC/EFI rescue team’s bravery at Oryu-dong, 17 September 1952. NAAFI News Winter 1952-53.
According to the NAAFI News, a party of RASC/EFI men working nearby “rushed to help the victims, five of them plunging into the deep, polluted water to rescue drowning women and children,” while others established an emergency first-aid post. Twenty Koreans were reported killed and around two hundred injured. The Corporation awarded commendations to:
- SQMS K. W. Scaife
- Cpl J. S. Mackenzie
- L/Cpl C. W. Schofield
- Pte D. J. Conroy
- Pte I. C. McCarthy
- Pte C. Murray
- Pte S. Pither
- Pte F. E. Willis
Letters of commendation were also sent to twenty-three other RASC/EFI personnel who took part in the rescue. This brief mention opened a window onto a broader, often overlooked chapter of NAAFI and RASC/EFI humanitarian service during the Korean War — a thread already visible in the Roadhouse articles, and now again in this extraordinary event.
Why the RASC/EFI Were at Oryu-dong
The presence of the RASC/EFI men at Oryu-dong was not accidental. The site served as the forward NAAFI warehouse for the British Commonwealth Forces in Korea, strategically located between Seoul and Inchon. It formed a crucial supply link between the main NAAFI warehouse at Pusan and the British Commonwealth base at Kure, Japan.
Oryu-dong’s position was ideal for logistics: it could receive supplies by sea through Inchon port as well as by rail and road, although the latter were frequently in bad condition due to poor construction and weather conditions.
From Oryu-dong, supplies were forwarded north to the NAAFI Bulk Issue Store (BIS) at Tokchon, situated at the railhead. From this hub the BIS supplied canteens, roadhouses, and front-line troops via mobile EFI vans, maintaining the vital morale and welfare services that supported Commonwealth forces across Korea.
When the train exploded on 17 September 1952, the warehouse’s proximity to the line meant that many RASC/EFI and NAAFI personnel were already on duty nearby—placing them among the very first to reach the wreckage and render aid.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing effort to document the overlooked humanitarian contributions of NAAFI, RASC/EFI and NCS personnel during the Korean War. If you have further leads, memories, or archival material, please get in touch via email: thenaafimanager@btinternet.com.
Sources
- Derby Evening Telegraph, 17 Sep 1952 – “Train Blows Up: 15 Killed – British Soldiers Aid 200 Injured”
- Halifax Courier, Dec 1952 – “A Halifax Naafi Worker Commended in Korea”
- NAAFI News Winter 1952-53
- Yeongdeungpo-gu Press Release (2025) – Italian Hospital 68 humanitarian service summary
- Italian Red Cross Bulletin (RISM 85, 1953) – Hospital 68 emergency deployment
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