The Great Western Railway

[The Artful Dodger]

The Great Western Railway Magazine will give very similar information to the London and North Western Railway staff magazine but as far as I know it is not online.

All I got from the magazine was a brief notice saying my grandfather died and giving his date of death. From my mum, I found out that he was a 25 year veteran of the G.W.R. but can find nothing about his career,except for what my Mum told me.

Pretty sad, eh?

 

[euryalus]

All I got from the magazine was a brief notice saying my grandfather died and giving his date of death. From my mum, I found out that he was a 25 year veteran of the G.W.R. but can find nothing about his career,except for what my Mum told me. Pretty sad, eh?

There should be various different references to each member of staff, not just retirements and changes of job, but ambulance classes, hobbies, courses taken, etc. However, in the absence of indexes, you have to go through each monthly issue looking for "your" GWR employee. It helps to know which division he or she worked in, although some men might change their divisions if they changed their jobs.

I have Vol XLVII (1935) in front of me, and if I can have a name/location I can have a quick flick through the 682 pages.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

There should be various different references to each member of staff, not just retirements and changes of job, but ambulance classes, hobbies, courses taken, etc. However, in the absence of indexes, you have to go through each monthly issue looking for "your" GWR employee. It helps to know which division he or she worked in, although some men might change their divisions if they changed their jobs.

I have Vol XLVII (1935) in front of me, and if I can have a name/location I can have a quick flick through the 682 pages.

Can I send you a private message?

 

[euryalus]

Can I send you a private message?

I need to know the name, location(s) and department. Uniformed or clerical staff are easier to trace than engineering, workshop or locomotive employees.

 

[euryalus]

It might be worth adding that most of the old time railway companies produced staff magazines during the pre-Grouping period from about 1895 until 1923. Thereafter, the "Grouped" companies introduced their own staff magazines. However, the Great Western, which survived the Grouping, continued to publish its own magazine until nationalisation in 1948. This means that if, for example, an ancestor worked for the London & North Western or Midland companies, their details will appear in the LMS Magazine between 1922/23 and 1948.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

From 'elsewhere' I had heard of Swindon library and their Collection but all I got was a snippet about his death. They said there was nothing else in their Staff Magazine collection and at that time I accepted that info.

If they are correct then I doubt that others will find much but he did join the GWR prior to the start of W.W.1, was working in Reading at the time of his marriage in 1916 and still in Reading when his 2 children were born - a son in 1918 and my Mum in 1921.

In 1926, the family moved to Acton and were housed in the housing estate for GWR employees on Noel Road. He worked as a Passenger Guard - Paddington - on what was known as the Cornish Riviera Express until Lung Cancer ended his life - 22 May 1939.

His name was William John Golley - born 23 December 1888 in Redruth, Cornwall. He may have joined the Railway whilst still residing with his parents as he is indicated in the 1911 census as a General Labourer, living at 16 Blights Row, Redruth.

If more information is needed I will see if I have anything of value.

 

[euryalus]

I will have a look through the 1935 volume. It should be possible to order bound volumes via the inter-library loan service. 1926 would be a good place to start, as that may have been the date that he moved from Reading to Paddington (both in the London Division).

 

[The Artful Dodger]

I will have a look through the 1935 volume. It should be possible to order bound volumes via the inter-library loan service. 1926 would be a good place to start, as that may have been the date that he moved from Reading to Paddington (both in the London Division).

Not sure that the Inter-Library Loan Service operates between England and Canada. - but if it does .

 

[euryalus]

Not sure that the Inter-Library Loan Service operates between England and Canada. - but if it does .

Probably not, but it would be worth a try - the Great Western railway was, for many years, one of the largest joint stock companies in the world, and it is possible that some North American libraries or universities may have bound sets of the GWR Magazine (?)

I have looked through the "Staff Changes" sections from January to December 1935, concentrating on London Division Traffic Department staff. I have not yet checked other sections, such as "Staff Commendations", or "Among the Staff".

 

[euryalus]

All I got from the magazine was a brief notice saying my grandfather died and giving his date of death. From my mum, I found out that he was a 25 year veteran of the G.W.R. but can find nothing about his career,except for what my Mum told me. Pretty sad, eh?

I have been through the 1935 Great Western Railway Magazine, but could find nothing about William John Golley. There should, nevertheless, be several references to him in other volumes, as all staff movements were listed.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Thank you for trying 1935 volume. Don't know about any others. I suspect that he was still with the GWR in 1937 as a Passenger Guard, but then he developed Cancer some time in 1938 and was forced to retire for health reasons before his death on 22 May 1939. He was 50 years old.