Alec’s diary continues:
No Home Guard in morning being Easter Sunday. John and Bro. to Bristol to see show. Donald came down in afternoon but I was on my way for a game of tennis with Basil. Had quite a good game. Mine has gone to pieces after badminton. Do not feel a bit stiff. Got home about 6.45 p.m. Did not go out in evening.
Alec’s diary continues:
Did not go to bed but amused the household by sleeping on sofa most of the morning. Don Hewlett looked down in early afternoon so decided to take him for a ride with us out to Portishead. We all met at East Clevedon Tree at 6.15 p.m. Cycled out to Possett*. My lamp working OK (I think). Stopped at the White Hart Walton [Weston] in Gordano. Had a few quick ones and a game of table skittles. Out to the Royal at Possett, a few more drinks then on to the Como. Some weird and assorted wenches there so did the piano act and went down to the local hall for a dance. Packed in about 11.00 p.m. then walked all the way back to Redcliffe Bay. My lamp not working. Managed to put same right then set course for home. Donald nowhere around but Cedric and John intact.
*This had me flummoxed until I realised it’s his version of ‘Bristle‘ for Portishead – except that ‘Port Zed’ tends to be the local pronunciation. Alec’s parents were both Devonian, though, so ‘Possett’ may derive from the accents they grew up with.
Alec’s diary continues:
Got up at 3.0 p.m. Johnny came round at 6.00 p.m. had a bash till 8.0 p.m. then came down to station as is meeting his brother home from Reading. Caught 8.22 p.m. same procedure as yesterday. Got to the Marsh at 3.20 a.m. but did not get up to E. Depot until 6.0 a.m. Left train at the Marsh and got details of arrival at the Control. Mr Vaughn gave me another cup of tea in the B.O. Charles Holly on Yatton platform just going to work. Got to Clevedon at 7.10 a.m. Mum and Dad just going off, Mum to Lyng*. Got home on bike then got breakfast from oven put dog out and then to bed.
*Alec’s uncle Don (his father’s brother) lived at Lyng near Taunton, and at this time was probably still stationmaster at Athelney as he had been in 1940 when he married a local girl, Joan Stephens. Eva’s journey to Lyng would have involved a train from Yatton to Durston, possibly followed by a bus to Lyng or a connection to Athelney and a walk (or a lift) from the station there up to the house.
Eva, like her husband and son, got free train travel courtesy of her ‘priv’, i.e. ‘privilege ticket’ which was issued to all salaried staff, their wives, and children up to school-leaving age. My mother continued to get a ‘priv’ every year even after my father (Alec) died, until one year I returned it on the basis that she was in a dementia care facility and wouldn’t be travelling by train ever again. The result, though, was that she thought all train travel should be absolutely free (for her), and when once we suggested a steam excursion to Cornwall to visit the Eden Project she refused to go if it involved actually paying for it. No amount of explaining worked; train travel was free or she wouldn’t go. We didn’t go.
Caught 7.5 a.m. Bristol and woke up after train had been in Yatton station for a couple of minutes. Got home before 8.0 a.m. and went straight to bed. Got up at 3.0 p.m. Rang up 76 but Mrs Howell says Johnny out on a case. Rode bike down to village for a trial. Seems O.K. Met Doug going to pictures. Had bath in evening. Caught 8.22 p.m. train and repeated yesterday’s performance. Got right through to East depot Up side by 3.55 a.m. Walked back, met Ted Mann in Control. Went down to canteen for a cup of tea. He then gave me a hand with some Particulars for Bob. Caught 5.25 a.m. train but missed connection at Yatton. Mr Vaughn gave me a cup of tea and installed me by the fire in the booking office. Got home at 7.30 a.m. Carried tin of paint for Dad so had to walk. To bed at 8.0 a.m.
Alec’s diary continues:
Had all Day off. Doug came round in morning. Gave my bike a further clean up, also painted same. Finished job in afternoon then put brakes right on both our bikes. Doug came round for a couple of hours in evening. Johnny not home in time. Caught 8.22 p.m. train saw Sid in West Depot so got out at Parson St. and walked back. Picked up train left Depot at 9.00 p.m. got into Temple Meads station at 6.00 a.m. so left train and got arrival details from Control.*
*It’s probably unnecessary to state at this juncture that I have no idea what Alec was doing. It’s clearly something to do with monitoring and tabulating goods movements, and at this juncture his father was Chief Controller of the Freight Office at Temple Meads so was effectively his boss. (Albeit with a couple of layers of management between them.) Anyway he seems to have been boarding trains and going with them wherever they went, presumably noting the actual pick-ups and deliveries they made and comparing those with the waybills to catch any discrepancies. It seems inefficient and a waste of manpower, but how else you’d do it in a pre-computer age is a bit of a mystery to me.
Alec’s diary continues:
To office on 8.47 a.m. train Bristol. Gang have a new member Sid Derrick Guard from East Depot. Very good man on rules and regulations. Had quite a pleasant chat. To canteen for lunch. Hill on 11.15 a.m. Paddington. We are to go on transfer No. 1, 2 and 3 commencing tomorrow. I relieve Sid Derrick. Caught 4.40 p.m. home and made the connection. Did not go to Badminton as season is closed. Johnny went as had arranged to book the hall. Doug came round about 7.0 p.m. had a spot of music. Thence to Salthouse for a drink. No-one of importance there so went home about 9.0 p.m.
Alec’s diary continues:
Home Guard in morning. Gordon brought back trumpet so we had some music before I went out. Did not bother to change for Home Guard. Did not go out in afternoon. Doug came round sharp on 2.0 p.m. and Johnny failed to put in an appearance. Both turned up Sunday night so went along to Salthouse. Changed for the occasion but it was not worth it.
Alec’s diary continues:
Went to Bristol in morning. Nothing to do just compare notes. Caught 11.25 a.m. home. Met Mrs Simpson on train. Missed connection at Yatton so had to wait for 12.15 p.m. and 12.22 p.m. Bristol also Weston train and Diesel. Got home 1.30 p.m. Doug came down in afternoon. Stayed in and played over his records. Johnny came down and took Double Bass upstairs in evening went to Salthouse for drink. The place was quite empty. Went for a walk with Doug after.
Alec’s diary continues:
Black Friday*
Caught 9.47 a.m. from Clevedon took new forms for Chas to work on at Bristol. He has finished his transfer working but does not intend to do much more work on the Temple Meads details. Caught 11.15 a.m. from Temple Meads. Got out at Stapleton Road. Signalman says No. 10 has not left Stoke yet (11.30 a.m.). Caught a light Yankee engine for Stoke [Gifford, presumably].
Got there at 12.15 p.m. Charlie Trump says No. 10 has gone with a load of Portishead. West Box says same is up at Horfield. Walk to Filton Jun. and pick up 12.55 p.m. passenger for the Bristol Road. See what looks like No. 10 at Horfield so get out. Steer gets the train so do not have more than a couple of words with him.
Join No. 10, work stage by stage to Lawrence Hill arrive there 6.5 p.m. Everything plain sailing then arrived Ashton Gate at 7.0 p.m. Walked back to Parson Street and caught 7.40 p.m. Bristol home.
*I was bewildered by the expression ‘Black Friday’ and thought it must be the date of some major disaster in the war which he was recording. There are various ‘Black Fridays’ listed online but the only one in 1944 took place in October and relates to the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada and the Battle of the Scheldt – well over six months in the future when this entry was written. I suspect, knowing Alec, that what he really meant was ‘Friday when I got mucked about a bit when the engine wasn’t where I expected it to be and I wasted an hour looking for it’, and if that isn’t making a drama out of a crisis I don’t know what is.
Alec’s diary continues:
Went to office on 8.0 a.m. Had game of cards. Finished up 2d so did not buy coffee. Hill says transfers start today but Wilmot and myself are to carry on with the Summaries of K. Road and T. Meads. Managed to square them as far as numbering and stapling were concerned. Gillett only has to put same on forms tomorrow. Caught 4.40 p.m. by skin of my teeth but missed the connection at Yatton. The Wrington bus leaving at 5.35 p.m. was late so when the 5.15 p.m.* Bristol came in caught the Clevedon train in. Hurried home then went to Badminton at 7.30 p.m. Did not mean to play but took my kit all the same as it was the last night. Packed in at 10.30 p.m. then cycled home with Pat. Only managed to get in three games.
*He seems to have made this more complicated than it needed to be. Without knowing where in Clevedon the Wrington bus actually stopped, it probably made better sense for him to hang on at Yatton and take the later train anyway. [Besides, he travelled free on the train and would have had to pay for the bus.] There is, of course, no bus service from Wrington to Clevedon these days; you have to go via Bristol and it takes two hours.
On The Track 