THE Review's story of the tragic night the tankers Wastdale and Arkendale collided with the Severn Bridge has thrown up yet more previously undisclosed information including the sad tale of its youngest victim.

Malcolm Hart, a lad of 17, had gone to sea against the wishes of his parents, his cousin Monica Harris of Pope's Hill told us.

He had come from the Hart family which had long farmed in the Rodley area, growing up in Broadoak, though by the time of the tragedy his mother and father had moved to the Tredworth area of Gloucester where they ran a shop.

"He wanted to join the Navy, but his parents were set against it. So he ran off and signed on for merchant shipping instead."

She did not know which of the tankers he was on in the collision but is seeing one of his sisters, who now lives in America, quite soon, and would ask if they knew.

"The family did not like to talk about it much, it was so upsetting," she said.

Another reference to the tragedy comes from Jack Evans of Berkeley, who was born in Severn Row cottages which were at Lydney Dock and was working at Sharpness when the collision happened.

"The trouble is, boats by then had started to rely on the power of their engines to get them out of trouble, unlike before the war when they had to go with the river," said the 88-year-old.

Mr Evans worked on the lighters which would take cargo off big ships at Northwick Buoy off Aust until they were deemed by the pilot to have a small enough draught to navigate on to Sharpness in shallower water.

"Sometimes it was timber, sometimes grain. It was a most dangerous job," he said.

Even with that power the river was dangerous, and there was a story that ships leaving port were advised to hold onto the steam they would normally use for a toot on the hooter on clearing port – the sailor's salute.

"The harbourmaster would say 'tell the captain to wave his handkerchief to the lady on shore instead'," he said.

Meanwhile Mrs Ann Bayliss who lives at Gatcombe and whose family fished the area for years said the captain pulled off the salmon putts had been brought ashore near her house – she was 23 at the time and remembered the night well. She even had one of the Arkendale's lifebuoys hanging in a boat shed.