SandraGittins

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

William Wyley Rankin - Horsekeeper Goods Dept Hockley
Driver 3rd Brigade Royal Horse Artillery
Killed in action 27/9/1914 aged 27
Buried Vendresse British Cemetery

Farewell Ypres until the next time ❤️

Solferino Farm Cemetery today

Lovely day in Ypres
Looked around a certain well known book shop and came out with a Belgium railway lamp and chemin der fare watch - photo taken by a convenient WW1 railway sleeper!

December 1916 when the Railway Operating Division was working the limited light railways before the directorate came about. The 16-17 winter was bitterly cold and any water pipes laid near the surface didn’t stand a chance as well as water tanks on the surface.

They were great. Don’t worry I say what I think too and to hell with it. We are ‘mad’ about our particular war specialities

Went looking for the locations of the light railways in Trônes Wood
#WW1 #Railway

Beaucourt Hamel station then and now

😉

Took a copy - thank you very much.
Your friends there wanted to know what we had in common - I said we’re mad 🥴

Visited Delsaux and Bac-du-Sud cemeteries yesterday looking for 4 men of the 54th Light Rly Co RE’s
I am piecing together the company history as there is no diary or other archives, except for data I have found, and their story deserves telling

Will have a look tomorrow

Will pop in and have a look

To be honest not sure there was that much ‘legal’ scrap. The salvage corps did great work throughout the war, and any railway track etc was put up for tender/auction in 1919 (if I remember right). But you know what they used to day - ‘ if it ain’t screwed down it’s fair game’

Most of the urgent work on the railways started as soon as there was a retreat.
Rebuilding in other areas was greatly governed by recycling what was left, and transportation of new building materials was difficult hence the use temporary shelters.

Authuille Bridge - one of many bridges on the Albert to Arras line demolished in March 1918 as the Germans advance.
The red building seems to have survived the bridge demolition - looking at the date on the wall it was only built the year before!
Map @GreatWarDigital

Albert Station today, complete with aeroplane hanging from the ticket hall ceiling - and why not!

Grandcourt Level Crossing on the Albert to Arras line today. Note the two buildings by the crossing were rebuilt in 1919 and different design to the originals (see old postcard)

Heilly Station
Well known for the Casualty Clearing Station in WW1 where trains arrived and departed with the wounded. Those who sadly didn’t journey onwards can be found in the cemetery in the distance
#ww1 #Railway #Somme

While amending my GWR WW1 book I was reminded of a story I found for the GWR remembrance train
I don’t think there will be room in the book reprint for this, & for those who haven’t seen it on the train I thought I would share this unfortunate story
2nd Lieut T E Simpson RAF

Finally got the opportunity to pay my respects today to GWR employee Thomas Edmund Simpson at Vignacourt Cemetery.
The circumstances of his death illustrates how, as on many occasions, luck and fate can deal an appalling hand
(See below)
#GWR #Railway #WW1

Rather a nice pad - plus the sound of the nearby trains on the Albert to Arras line

Beautiful day for the start of our trip to get fully engrossed in all things WW1 Railways
#WW1🛤️🚂#Somme #Ypres

😂 Cheers Allen 🥂

New card:
Level crossing at Grandcourt - Somme

Will be looking at this for real in a couple of days time 😉

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

James Card (Packer Engineering Dept Lawrence Hill Bristol)
Rifleman 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade
Killed in action 13 Sept 1914 Aged 29
Buried at Vauxbuin French National Cemetery

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

John George Ilsey -Riveter Signal Dept Reading
Private 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers
Died of wounds 19/11/1914 aged 29
Buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

Henry Frank Milton Signal Porter Pyle (Bridgend)
Private 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regt
killed in action 21/10/14 during First Battle of Ypres.
Aged 26 - commemorated on the Menin Gate Ypres

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

George Francis Lee (carriage cleaner Old Oak Common)
1st Class Stoker HMS Aboukir - was torpedoed by German submarine on the 22 September 1914
He is Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

Albert John Bailey Labourer Loco Dept Old Oak Common
Private 2nd Highland Light Infantry
Died of wounds 23 Sept 1914 at American Ambulance Neuilly-sur-Seine & buried at the nearby CWGC cemetery Paris