Welwyn Garden City

[52D]

Speaking of infrastructure being marked LNER, on our facebook site there is a picture of a guard flagging the last train away from Seahouses in 1951 in full LNER uniform.

[Mr Bunt]

Speaking of infrastructure being marked LNER, on our facebook site there is a picture of a guard flagging the last train away from Seahouses in 1951 in full LNER uniform.

I seem to remember in the film "This is York", released by British Transport Films in 1953, there's a scene showing a ticket collector at work wearing an LNER cap, so the delay in issuing new uniforms must have been a rather lengthy one.

[Mickey]

Here's a true little tale from WGC. Sometime around the summer of 1973 before they built or just before they started to build the WGC flyover when the railway at the 'top end of the yard' (south end) of WGC station was still on the level but on a slightly falling gradient towards Hatfield a goods train possibly either 8B07 or 7B66 after knocking off the back end of it's train in all likely hood hit a parcels van that was standing on the same road in the up yard as well. Anyway whatever happened exactly has been lost in the mists of time but the end result was that this parcels van apparently rolled out of the top end of WGC up yard in early morning day light then ran onto the old Hertford branch and rolled on passing under the 20th Mile bridge and onwards towards the Sand hole bridge before coming off the road and (i think?) fouling the up slow line where upon the 05:00 up passenger train clipped it!. Anyway it isn't much of a story except that what i remember about it was apparently one of the platform staff at WGC who shall be nameless (after 37 years) when asked if he knew anything about the run away vehicle (because on nights at WGC back in the 1970s the platform staff doubled up as the yard shunter) said yes he did because after knocking off the rear end of either 8B07 or 7B66 said that he saw the parcels van roll away out the yard?. When pressed to be asked why he didn't think to take any other action when he saw this happen didn't answer?.

[Mickey]

hyperion, you may know of this fella and come to think of it so mite hq1hitchin?. There use to be a fella show up at WGC in the early 1970s (very likly also in the 1960s as well) that use to have something to do with the First Aid classes and i believe his first name was Charlie?. Anyway this 'Charlie' always seemed to be looking out for old 'Chalky' White one of the Signalmen at WGC (the senior Signalman infact) anyway whenever this Charlie showed up looking for Chalky and 'pedler' Palmer was in the box 'pedles' would always refer to him (in a stupid but funny amusing voice) as "Old teapot Charlie". Do you know who i am referring to?.

[StevieG]

hyperion, you may know of this fella and come to think of it so mite hq1hitchin?. There use to be a fella show up at WGC in the early 1970s (very likly also in the 1960s as well) that use to have something to do with the First Aid classes and i believe his first name was Charlie?. Anyway this 'Charlie' always seemed to be looking out for old 'Chalky' White one of the Signalmen at WGC (the senior Signalman infact) anyway whenever this Charlie showed up looking for Chalky and 'pedler' Palmer was in the box 'pedles' would always refer to him (in a stupid but funny amusing voice) as "Old pisspot Charlie". Do you know who i am referring to?.

Can only be Charlie ('Teapot', as I came to know him referred to) Redgers ; Former(? ; or then still / part-time?) District Inspector (maybe hq1 can elaborate on his status), probably in his '70s around 1969: Certainly active in the cause of the First Aid movement. Turned up unannounced once or twice, here and there, like when I was around of an evening 'assisting' a signalman somewhere, Cemetery being one example : My presence seemed to matter to him not one iota - perhaps he thought I was a proper 'learner'.

[Mickey]

That sounds like the same fella Stevie he was an old fella and to be fair to 'pedler' Palmer he did also refer to him as 'tea pot' Charlie but for another reason old 'pedler' Palmer called him by the other name as well.

[hq1hitchin]

That sounds like the same fella Stevie he was an old fella and to be fair to 'pedler' Palmer he did also refer to him as 'tea pot' Charlie but for another reason old 'pedler' Palmer called him by the other name as well.

Charles Redgers BEM, bless him. Was Divisional wagons inspector at the time of his retirement and always sported a buttonhole - a rose was his favourite. Very keen first aider and continued instructing in that well after his retirement, which must have been before 1974. A lovely man who had been a relief signalman in the war and was awarded the British Empire Medal for his efforts one night during the blitz. Something to do with a train at New Barnet. The 'teapot' nickname was aquired through his love of tea, I think. He was also said to be very religious and was never heard to swear, an attribute none too common amongst railway operators....

[Mickey]

Thats the same fella hq1hitchin. It's funny how everyone meets 1000s of people going through life even in passing and 38 yrs later you findout a bit more about someone that you once met a couple of times.

[hyperion]

Oh Blimey ! You can't take your eyes off the ball for a mom here can you ! Here I am called away on domestics for a while and Micky and StevieG resurrect - as you say Stevie - 'dear old' Teapot Charlie Redgers. Funnily enough I was going to mention him in one of our recent reminiscences but he slipped the old memory. He was one of what I find I call the 'dear men', Master Daniels at Brookmans Park, Chiefy Elway, my first boss at Potters Bar B.O. - and who went on as chief at W.G.C in about oooo 1958? -, Don Hodges who followed him at the Bar and who I still meet regularly, sundry footplatemen and even ferocious Dick Chandler, chief clerk at Hatfield, not ferocious at all once you worked with him. Of course there were plenty of right illegitimi as well - - - -

But Charlie I got to know at Potters Bar and then again after my secondman stint, at Hatfield where he came a lot because it was in that room near - or was it the actual? - Lord Salisbury's waiting room that he took not only first aid but also the Mutual mprovement Classes - do they still have such ? He again was one of the benign old school, very serious, very dignified and, as you say, Stevie, very religious. He used to come into P.B. booking office in the evening on his way home if he'd been uproad and use the phone to report in. Why he couldn't do it before he left the site I dunno but he'd always come in the back parcels entry and I (only one on late turn) always knew it was Charlie by the heavy booted tread and the hard breathing (no, not that kind) and he always asked, regardless of whether I was on the window, 'please may I use your telephone', and then, always the same words when he got through 'we gave up the possession at such such time and there was no delay'. And he was obviously oblivious to the irony in the question that was asked at the other end because he always signed off with 'yes, I'm a-gooin home for me tea now'. Then he would ask if things were alright in my department and make his polite 'goodnight to you'.

[hyperion]

I've carried this on as a new post because when I get down the bottom my text disappears below the frame. Dunno if this is my equipment or if there's a limit to text ??

Anyway, Micky, the one with the 'pissy' epithet was, again, dear old Percy Carter, relief porter - 'pissy Percy - who (I hope I don't slander his good name but everybody knew him) had to have a fair amount of lubrication during his shift. At that time Letchworth G.C. still lived up to Ebenezer Howard's requirements and was publess so, of course, it wasn't Percy's favourite posting. When he couldn't get out of a shift there he used to plan the timetable so that he could hop in the brake of a down train as he saw it out, top up in The Engine at Baldock and get the next one back. He spent many a shift with me at Brookmans and never seemed the worse for wear, doing everything required and finding a little time for the occasional trip down to the Hotel.

I have a picture of Percy somewhere from the then 'Barnet Press'. taken in 1926, he was the first duty man at Brookmans Park when it opened. I suppose he was in his 20s then and looked exactly the same long, lanky old Percy I worked with in the 50s.

Happy Days - we keep saying !

[hq1hitchin]

Oh Blimey ! You can't take your eyes off the ball for a mom here can you ! Chiefy Elway, my first boss at Potters Bar B.O. - and who went on as chief at W.G.C in about oooo 1958?

Gordon Elway, bless his memory! My chief at THE garden city when, at the age of 16, I was promoted to Clerk Class 4, after probationary training at Welwyn North. £4 3d 9d a week on account of my 'O' levels. Remember Frank Slingo, who recruited me to the TSSA and little Bernie, the relief clerk -always seemed cheerful?

[hyperion]

Yes, Gordon 'Chiefy' and, of course, Welwyn will always be THE Garden City even if it was 2nd, I suppose it distinguishes it from the rest of Welwyn really.

So they started you off at Welwyn North, hq1 ? As I said it was Brookmans Park for me although my actual start was at Potters. I'll always remember the afternoon I was left to my own devices on the window at Potters, having been approved capable of selling a few tickets, when the phone rang and Mr.Daniels at Brookmans wondered why people were coming off there with Baldock tickets ! I hadn't got me rada right and, clever clogs, was whipping tickets out of the rack without looking where I was going ! 'Chiefy' lost a little bit more hair that day !

Incidentally, going back to Alec 'Loppy Lud' Temple, it seems the name was probably, or intended to be, 'Loppy Lugs'. This after talking to the aforementioned Don Hodges, ex chief Potters Bar after Gordon, who liked a flutter in those days. 'Loppy Lugs' was a racehorse which really did have droopy (loppy) lugs (ears in the south) and ran in the '50s and evidently won on soft going, although where Alec came into that I don't know, because I pretty sure he didn't follow the gee-gees.

[hyperion]

And oh, yes, Bernie, that would be little Bernie Taylor, regular at Potters Bar with Reg 'Hank' Wade when I started and, yes, he went on the relief, and, yes, he was ALWAYS happy, very thin, very active, very quick. Some say he was in a Japanese camp during the war but he never spoke about it if he was. He was one of the few clerks relieved in London offices and the ONLY relief clerk to relieve in Kings Cross Loco office.

You must haveknown the 'chief' relief, clerk of all clerks, REVERENCE his name, Ken 'Booboo' Boam ?

[Mickey]

Out of respect for Charlie Redgers AKA 'Teapot Charlie' i thought i would amend my original posting. I remember Charlie visiting WGC box on about half a dozen occasions while i was there usually to visit 'Chalky' White cos old Chalky was in Charlie's 'First Aid' class. To be honest i remember 'Pedler' Palmer calling Charlie 'Teapot' but thinking about it again i remember 'Pedler' calling him by another name which was 'typical' of old 'Pedler' Palmer if anyone knew him.

[StevieG]

Yes, remember Bernie Taylor being on the relief from my time as Finsbury Park stn.supervisor, 1977-79. Apart from doing the Booking Office, he often filled in on the peak-time announcing, usually mornings. I've got a tape recording somewhere of some just pre-inner-sub'n electrification comings and goings at FP, which includes a few of his, like "...Dalston and Broad Street", and "...to Welwyn Garden."(-there was often no 'City' from him for there. Usually it was the well-known voice of the senior Mary Johnson (not her first married surname I was told) announcing, including for nearly all evening peaks, from the raised, glazed booth facing south under the N. end of the platform canopy on platforms 5 & 6 (former 7 & . I think I recall being told that she used to be one of THE voices of King's Cross announcing.
From a much earlier time I can still picture the redoubtable Arthur Smith, station inspector, standing in the middle of the Up Fast platform (then No.4) during the morning peak, briefly holding up the left hand, or the right, or both, to signal across to the announcer when a calling peak train was approaching on one, other, or both, of the UF and Up Slow.

Never knew many in the clerical world. Apart from Bernie, the Chief clerk at Fins. Park, in late '70s, I think was Don something, and Les Coe was behind the window at Oakleigh Park in about 1967.

Sorry Hyper, but sometimes you're up to ten years before my time with some of your memories, so can't add to a lot of them.