Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Grace Fisher, nee Kendall, my real Mum.

She died just after my birth, from Cancer of the Womb.

Everyone says she was an angel - I suppose they would? - but I happen to believe the stories.

My Sister is the absolute spit of her.

[tikay]

Wedding day, I guess.

[AndrewT]

This was my first day at work, just setting off, raincoat slung over shoulder, real cool like. "The Link" was where I lived (in West Acton), & the dog was Susie, who ate all my greens off my dinners for me. She was very healthy.

My dad has driven a lorry out of the Yeoman's yard (off Horn Lane) for over 30 years. I used to spend some time on Noel Road as one of my dad's mates lived there.

[tikay]

Dad, & my Step-Mum, Elsie Angell, nee Kendall.

Taken in the garden of our house.

She was, & is, the only living soul I genuinely hate, & will never forgive. It's not easy to Step-Parent a child, & it was a 2 way street in fairness, but even so, there were no excuses.

But she did bear a lovely Son, Kenneth Albert Kendall (my half-brother), who's a clone of my Dad, & is a genuinely wonderful man. Married now, with adopted twin girls.

He loved his Mum as a Son should, & so there were always "issues" between me & he, especially when we grew up. Eventually I realised it was not his fault that she was his Mum, & tried, too late, to behave decently to him. He still sends me Birthday & Chrissie Cards. I've not seen him for 20 years of more, he lives in Milton Keyres.

[tikay]

This was my first day at work, just setting off, raincoat slung over shoulder, real cool like. "The Link" was where I lived (in West Acton), & the dog was Susie, who ate all my greens off my dinners for me. She was very healthy.

My dad has driven a lorry out of the Yeoman's yard (off Horn Lane) for over 30 years. I used to spend some time on Noel Road as one of my dad's mates lived there.

On Noel Road - in the Railway Estate part? "The Link" was off Noel Road, at the West Acton end. St Gabriels Church was at the other end, down near Horn Lane, & Gypsy Corner.

Horn Lane had Acton Main Line Railway Station, & the Walls Ice-Cream factory, with Landis & Gyr round the corner, & F Meyers the Vegetable Retailers, right on Gypsy Corner.

[AndrewT]

This was my first day at work, just setting off, raincoat slung over shoulder, real cool like. "The Link" was where I lived (in West Acton), & the dog was Susie, who ate all my greens off my dinners for me. She was very healthy.

My dad has driven a lorry out of the Yeoman's yard (off Horn Lane) for over 30 years. I used to spend some time on Noel Road as one of my dad's mates lived there.

On Noel Road - in the Railway Estate part? "The Link" was off Noel Road, at the West Acton end. St Gabriels Church was at the other end, down near Horn Lane, & Gypsy Corner.

Horn Lane had Acton Main Line Railway Station, & the Walls Ice-Cream factory, with Landis & Gyr round the corner, & F Meyers the Vegetable Retailers, right on Gypsy Corner.

Yeah - the yard backs onto the railways tracks, there's a siding where aggregate is transported to the yard for the lorries to deliver it to wherever it is needed.

[tikay]

This is a bit of a mystery.

Family history has it that this picture was on the front page of "The Times", in about 1952 I believe, & I thought it was the emergence, new, of a brand new Steam Engine, but it looks like I got that wrong.

The Lady is Princess Elizabeth (just before she became Queen I guess), or it might have been Princess Margaret - I think Elizabeth.

I don't know who the Suits are, but the Fireman was my Dad. He had to, ceremonially, give the Engine-Driver (Princess Elizabeth) the traditional starting instructions "right away mate". He may be one of vey few folks to have called the (future) Queen "Mate"!

The mystery is the name & number of the Locomotive. I know for sure it was taken at Swindon Railway Works, & I thougt the Loco was named "Princess Elizabeth", but extensive googling this morning does not bear that out. I also thought the Loco was number 4057, 5057, or 6057, but googling again comes up with an oddity - ??57 come up as something Castle, & 4057 (i think) is "Princess Elizabeth", but it was built much earlier, by 50 years or more.

I've searched "The Times" archive for 1952 & 1953 but drawn a blank as to that picture - it'd be cool to find the write-up that accompanied it, & so check the facts.

[tikay]

This was my first day at work, just setting off, raincoat slung over shoulder, real cool like. "The Link" was where I lived (in West Acton), & the dog was Susie, who ate all my greens off my dinners for me. She was very healthy.

My dad has driven a lorry out of the Yeoman's yard (off Horn Lane) for over 30 years. I used to spend some time on Noel Road as one of my dad's mates lived there.

On Noel Road - in the Railway Estate part? "The Link" was off Noel Road, at the West Acton end. St Gabriels Church was at the other end, down near Horn Lane, & Gypsy Corner.

Horn Lane had Acton Main Line Railway Station, & the Walls Ice-Cream factory, with Landis & Gyr round the corner, & F Meyers the Vegetable Retailers, right on Gypsy Corner.

Yeah - the yard backs onto the railways tracks, there's a siding where aggregate is transported to the yard for the lorries to deliver it to wherever it is needed.

That would be between the Railway Station (brow of the hill) & the little parade of Shops. Terry Downes, the ex-boxer, opened one of the first ever Licensed Betting Offices right opposite.

That Railway Yard used to be a huge marshalling yard, where I drove the shunters many a time, but it's just an aggregate railhead now.

[Jon MW]

This is a bit of a mystery.

Family history has it that this picture was on the front page of "The Times", in about 1952 I believe, & I thought it was the emergence, new, of a brand new Steam Engine, but it looks like I got that wrong.

The Lady is Princess Elizabeth (just before she became Queen I guess), or it might have been Princess Margaret - I think Elizabeth.

I don't know who the Suits are, but the Fireman was my Dad. He had to, ceremonially, give the Engine-Driver (Princess Elizabeth) the traditional starting instructions "right away mate". He may be one of vey few folks to have called the (future) Queen "Mate"!

The mystery is the name & number of the Locomotive. I know for sure it was taken at Swindon Railway Works, & I thougt the Loco was named "Princess Elizabeth", but extensive googling this morning does not bear that out. I also thought the Loco was number 4057, 5057, or 6057, but googling again comes up with an oddity - ??57 come up as something Castle, & 4057 (i think) is "Princess Elizabeth", but it was built much earlier, by 50 years or more.

I've searched "The Times" archive for 1952 & 1953 but drawn a blank as to that picture - it'd be cool to find the write-up that accompanied it, & so check the facts.

From: http://www.steamtales.com/GWR_tales/princess_elizabeth.html

PRINCESS ELIZABETH

The last Royal driver I worked with was a chap named ‘Driver Potter’. He brought down the Queen as she is now, brought her down to Swindon when she was Princess Elizabeth, and she was coming to Swindon Works. The engine on the train that brought her down was engine number 57 the ‘Princess Elizabeth’. Now at the time I was firing to Dick Haynes, and we was told to go up the station and relieve the driver who was Potter, I forget who the fireman was at the time. They was going out to the Milton Road baths to have a bath and change of clothes, brand new overalls and caps and all that.

We had to take it down to the factory, on the turntable and the factory men came out and emery papered the handrails and the engine and all that. Because Princess Elizabeth was going to get on this engine at the factory once she had finished touring the works, and ride up to Swindon Station on the engine.

Well we went down there and the factory men done their job polishing the engine and all that, and eventually we had to take it outside the old ‘hay’ shop. Out came a brand new pair of wooden steps that they made, which was placed down by the cab.
Now I was a bit of a rebel in those days and was always running the Royal Family down. Princess Elizabeth came walking along, we was only a few yards away, and I says to Dick, “cor, don’t she look bloody beautiful Dick”, and Dick said, “there y’are”, he said, ‘you was running the buggers down five minutes ago”, he said, “now you reckons their beautiful”. But she did, she looked immaculate, with a pale blue hat on, and when she came out to get on the engine, we was ordered to get off and the Royal driver and fireman got on and took her up the station.

Norman Wiltshire (26907)
GWR - Swindon: January 1939 - December 1979

[tikay]

 
This is at Old Oak Common Depot.

The Loco is 6,000, King George V, freshly restored. I prefer Steam Locos to be dirty, to be honest, shiny is so wrong. His uniform was "retro" too, not at all oily or crumpled. Wrong again.

This would be 20 or 30 years afer Steam traction was withdrawn from British Rail.

It was a big occasion, to celebrate (I need to google it, to check) 100 years of Paddington Railway Station, or Western Region Steam, or somesuch, I can't quite recall without checking.

It was the day I realised the power of TV. A TV Film Crew came to our house to film Dad getting ready, interview him, da de da, & the street was thronged with bystanders, "ooh, that's Jimmy Kendall, being filmed".

The idea was that Dad would be the Driver of a tran hauled by Steam Loco 6,000, & it would depart Paddington at exactly the same time as a brand-new, state-of-the-art, Diesel hauled train also departed. They'd travel down to Didcot, or Bristol, one behind the other, then rinse, repeat, back to Paddington. It was a huge Media Circus, & I think Royalty were present. It was a huge honour for Dad to have been selected as the Driver, he was the GWR's "top" Driver at the time, & it was his job to drive the "Royal Train" quite regularly.

But it all went sady wrong, & 6,000 developed a "hot-box" (an axle running hot) & it broke down near Didcot, & had to be ignomonously towed back to Paddington by a smellly Diesel Loco after  3 hour delay. Oh, the shame, & we were all very upset for Dad.

This would be not long before Dad retired due to ill-health, & he died quite soon after.

[AndrewT]

This was my first day at work, just setting off, raincoat slung over shoulder, real cool like. "The Link" was where I lived (in West Acton), & the dog was Susie, who ate all my greens off my dinners for me. She was very healthy.

My dad has driven a lorry out of the Yeoman's yard (off Horn Lane) for over 30 years. I used to spend some time on Noel Road as one of my dad's mates lived there.

On Noel Road - in the Railway Estate part? "The Link" was off Noel Road, at the West Acton end. St Gabriels Church was at the other end, down near Horn Lane, & Gypsy Corner.

Horn Lane had Acton Main Line Railway Station, & the Walls Ice-Cream factory, with Landis & Gyr round the corner, & F Meyers the Vegetable Retailers, right on Gypsy Corner.

Yeah - the yard backs onto the railways tracks, there's a siding where aggregate is transported to the yard for the lorries to deliver it to wherever it is needed.

That would be between the Railway Station (brow of the hill) & the little parade of Shops. Terry Downes, the ex-boxer, opened one of the first ever Licensed Betting Offices right opposite.

That Railway Yard used to be a huge marshalling yard, where I drove the shunters many a time, but it's just an aggregate railhead now.

My dad claims he was in Terry Downes bookies when one of Terry's 'business associates' came round and smashed the place up.

BTW - I've just found a Pathe news reel of the Queen's visit to Swindon to dedicate that train - see if this link works.

http://www.britishpathe.com/images//preview/00000000/00048000/00048899.WMV

[tikay]

This is a bit of a mystery.

Family history has it that this picture was on the front page of "The Times", in about 1952 I believe, & I thought it was the emergence, new, of a brand new Steam Engine, but it looks like I got that wrong.

The Lady is Princess Elizabeth (just before she became Queen I guess), or it might have been Princess Margaret - I think Elizabeth.

I don't know who the Suits are, but the Fireman was my Dad. He had to, ceremonially, give the Engine-Driver (Princess Elizabeth) the traditional starting instructions "right away mate". He may be one of vey few folks to have called the (future) Queen "Mate"!

The mystery is the name & number of the Locomotive. I know for sure it was taken at Swindon Railway Works, & I thougt the Loco was named "Princess Elizabeth", but extensive googling this morning does not bear that out. I also thought the Loco was number 4057, 5057, or 6057, but googling again comes up with an oddity - ??57 come up as something Castle, & 4057 (i think) is "Princess Elizabeth", but it was built much earlier, by 50 years or more.

I've searched "The Times" archive for 1952 & 1953 but drawn a blank as to that picture - it'd be cool to find the write-up that accompanied it, & so check the facts.

From: http://www.steamtales.com/GWR_tales/princess_elizabeth.html

PRINCESS ELIZABETH

The last Royal driver I worked with was a chap named ‘Driver Potter’. He brought down the Queen as she is now, brought her down to Swindon when she was Princess Elizabeth, and she was coming to Swindon Works. The engine on the train that brought her down was engine number 57 the ‘Princess Elizabeth’. Now at the time I was firing to Dick Haynes, and we was told to go up the station and relieve the driver who was Potter, I forget who the fireman was at the time. They was going out to the Milton Road baths to have a bath and change of clothes, brand new overalls and caps and all that.

We had to take it down to the factory, on the turntable and the factory men came out and emery papered the handrails and the engine and all that. Because Princess Elizabeth was going to get on this engine at the factory once she had finished touring the works, and ride up to Swindon Station on the engine.

Well we went down there and the factory men done their job polishing the engine and all that, and eventually we had to take it outside the old ‘hay’ shop. Out came a brand new pair of wooden steps that they made, which was placed down by the cab.
Now I was a bit of a rebel in those days and was always running the Royal Family down. Princess Elizabeth came walking along, we was only a few yards away, and I says to Dick, “cor, don’t she look bloody beautiful Dick”, and Dick said, “there y’are”, he said, ‘you was running the buggers down five minutes ago”, he said, “now you reckons their beautiful”. But she did, she looked immaculate, with a pale blue hat on, and when she came out to get on the engine, we was ordered to get off and the Royal driver and fireman got on and took her up the station.

Norman Wiltshire (26907)
GWR - Swindon: January 1939 - December 1979

OMG, thanks Jon!

Can you date that piece? I'm keen to find the Article in The Times, & if I had a rough date, it would help.

Thank you very much, I'm thrilled with that.

PS - Normal Diary Service wll be resumed asap. J-T in early position & all that.

[Jon MW]

November 16th 1950

I was trying to work out how to post the image of the paper.

I think you'd have to do a print screen, copy the image into something (crop it as appropriate) - and then use that image to post it in the diary.


EDIT: I couldn't actually date the piece, but I had a bash at times archive search from 1950 to 1953 and it came up

[Suited_Jock]

Tikay what was it like living in Black and White? I just can't imagine living in anything but colour.. Youth of today I guess.

[RED-DOG]

These are priceless you know Tony.

People these days take photographs for granted, but it was a much more difficult and expensive process back then. I bet the avarage family didn't take half a dozen a year.