Photographer learns fate of man buried in rubble 55 years later

By Ed Cullinane via SWNS

A photographer who shot a picture of a man's hand reaching out from a collapsed building 55 years ago has been reunited with the survivor - after the victim recognized his sweater.

Geoff Ellis, 81, was sent to cover the disaster at a building site in Bath, England when he was working for a newspaper in 1966.

He captured this particularly striking image of a man's hand reaching out from the rubble.

Geoff left the scene to make his deadline for the next edition as fire crews raced to save the survivor. He never learned the man's name, or if he had survived the trauma.

But 55 years later a local man found an old newspaper from the day and began posting images online.

The victim Albert Timbrell, 76, recognized the sweater he had been wearing on that fateful day.

Albert made contact with Geoff online and said: 'I'm the hand'' - and the two have now met.

"Someone posted that they had found old newspaper clippings in their now-deceased father's attic, saying it looked like there had been a horrible accident all these years ago and asking if anyone knew about it," Geoff said.

"After about three or four hours this comment suddenly comes up saying 'I'm the hand.'

''And it was Albert, the guy who had been buried, who had spotted it.

"I met up with Albert, and he's a lovely guy. Extremely articulate and happy to talk. He couldn't get over it, he was tickled pink.''

Albert had never seen the image before, but instantly recognized his favorite sweater and his own hand sticking out of the rubble on the building site where he had been working as a laborer.

Recalling the moment he said: "We heard somebody shout, 'it's falling' and that was it, we were down.

"There was no chance to run anywhere, it just collapsed immediately. I was just in shock, but I realized my hand was in free air."

Albert was buried in the building collapse during renovations that weakened the building's structural integrity.

It was 90 minutes before he was eventually pulled free from the debris.

He was seriously injured and subsequently fell ill, but recognized himself instantly from his favorite sweater.

He said: "I don't think it ever goes out your mind, but certain things bring it back fresh in the front of your mind, and the photo did exactly that."

"I just found it really interesting. This follow-up is about 55 years late I know, but it's nice to see a happy result to this thing.''