Roll of Honor
John F. McGovern
Incident
Railroad Policeman John McGovern was struck and killed by a train near his guard shack on the northern end of the Neponset Drawbridge in Boston, Massachusetts.
A search was initiated shortly after 9:30 pm after he failed to make his regular half-hour check-in to the signal tower. A railroad crew located his body near the guard shack.
Railroads regularly assigned officers to guard bridges during WWII to prevent sabotage of critical infrastructure.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-67BF8F84- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew John. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Railroad Policeman McGovern served with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the New Haven community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Railroad Policeman McGovern.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Railroad Policeman John F. McGovern is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In CT, 73 of 169 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 43.2% of this state's fallen. That is 43.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Police Department, 5 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John F. McGovern's cause is highlighted.
How John F. McGovern Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John F. McGovern is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
