1938 Craighead viaduct taken around the time of this incident

On Monday 2nd September 1935, a 23 year old woman was crossing the Craighead viaduct, when she lost her footing and fell the full 100 feet down into the river Clyde below. Under the railway viaduct was a passageway for pedestrians.

The body of a young woman was recovered on 2rd September 1935 from the River Clyde at Blantyre Railway Viaduct. She was then identified in the early hours of the 3rd September morning by members of her family as being that of Mary Dalziell (23), 28 High Blantyre Road. She was a factory worker for a Motherwell firm. The girl fell from 100-foot high railway viaduct. Prior to her family getting in contact, the police asked the press to assist them in tracing the identity of the woman. The description was:— l8-20 years of age, ‘ 5 feet in height, reddish fair hair, freckles on face, fresh complexion, grey eyes; wearing black coat with clear metal buttons, blue overall with khaki collar and cuffs, gun-metal coloured stockings, blue and white spotted scarf, black suede gloves, bangle on each wrist.There were two 3d pieces in her purse.

Two miners were crossing the bridge on their way to Bothwell Castle Colliery at about 6 o’clock in the morning when their attention was attracted by a woman’s scream, and at the same time they heard a splash in the water. Other men coming from their work met on the bridge the same time, and the Blantyre police were notified, and were quickly on the scene. A telephone message was sent to Cambuslang Police Office, where a boat was kept, and it arrived in large police van. A number of young men who had also arrived at the bridge assisted the police to take the boat down the steep bank to the river. Two constables and two local swimmers James McKenzie and Edward Flynn, with grappling irons, dragged the river round about the spot where the young woman was supposed to have fallen into the water, and half an hour afterwards the body was recovered.

RIP Mary Dalziel.