Description
Object description
British civilian worked as station lad with North Eastern Railway at Otteringham Railway Station in GB, 11/1916-11/1918
Content description
REEL 1 Background in North Dalton and Hutton Cranswick, GB, 1901-1916: family; father's employment as shepherd; daily life and living conditions; memories of railway; education; memories of drilling in school playground; employment on father's farm; recreational activities; reaction to outbreak of First World War, 4/8/1914; local recruitment into armed forces; German Zeppelin raid and air raid alarm, 5/3/1915-6/3/1915; employment on dairy farm. Recollections of period as station lad with North Eastern Railway (NER) at Otteringham Railway Station in GB, 11/1916-11/1918: reason for joining North Eastern Railway (NER); medical examination; employment as station lad at Otteringham Railway Station, 11/1916.
REEL 2 Continues: description of daily duties including cleaning of station, fire maintenance, cleaning lamps and maintenance of signal lights; labouring duties; organisation of station staff and duties; memories of station master; communications and use of codes; ticketing procedures and booking office; signals and points; routing of trains along single line; description of signal box; frequency and type of trains; duties loading trains in goods yard.
REEL 3 Continues: local army camps and soldiers' use of station; question of best kept station; daily routine and activities; opinion of accommodation; trade union activity; attitude to job as station lad; question of enlistment in armed forces; memories of Armistice Day, 11/11/1918; pay. Aspects of employment with North Eastern Railway (NER), London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and British Railways (BR) in GB, 1919-1966: employment as porter, shunter and ticket collector, 1919-1939; employment as shunter and station foreman during Second World War, 1939-1945; attitude to employment of women on railways; post-war life and employment as passenger guard on railways, 1946-1966; reflections on changes in railways.