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Both sides of the Wall
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A corner of the Smithy. Stamping for
transport wagons 1915
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Picture by Dave Runnacles
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Extract from: Both Sides of the Wall by Eric Bellchambers
From the beginning the great event of the year at Wolverton was the annual holiday. The Company gave every employee a week's holiday - without pay - but with a free pass for him and his family to anywhere in the Company's system. During that week Wolverton and New Bradwell were ghost towns, the streets deserted and the shops without customers. Almost all the population made for the seaside - by courtesy of the Railway Company - for it provided trains to Blackpool, Scarborough, Yarmouth and North Wales. These all left very early on the Saturday morning from about six a.m. at perhaps ten or fifteen minute intervals. Although there were seats for all there was much jostling to secure corner seats. Some felt they should take fullest advantage of the free pass by travelling as far as possible. For these the favoured places were in Scotland, Oban, Inverness, Rothesay and the Isles.
The holidaymakers stayed in boarding houses or lodgings, some returning to the same place year after year. There was a good deal of self-catering so some took fresh vegatables with them gathered from their own allotments. On the Blackpool special particularly some regarded shelling peas as a useful way of whiling away the time on the long journey north. Out on the promanade the first morning, showing off their new holiday attire, workmates and their families met together, compared notes about the quality of their lodgings - and of course the food - and talked shop.
If any budding historian, sociologist, or social psychologist is looking for a suitable subject for a Ph.D thesis he might do worse than choose "The economic and social significance of the Privilege Ticket", a quarter fare for adults, eigth fare for children and one free pass a year for the whole family to anywhere on the Company's lines.
Order on 01908 322568 or email
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Current Project
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Milton Keynes Football Project
Funded by a 'Your Heritage' Lottery grant this project will collect personal testimonies, photographs and memorabilia to document the history of football in Milton Keynes over the last 100 years. The primary source material collected will be used to create a website, exhibition, book and digital stories. more |
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