Arthur George (Sonny) Currant, Railway Ganger Alan Payne, Date
A gang of platelayers and other staff at Box Station around the year 1900 (courtesy John Currant)
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We think of the stone mines as providing most of the employment in the village in the late Victorian period through quarrying excavation (miners), pickers (sounding the roof) and stone masons. This is true but there was another influx of people that also became important.
Workers on the railways throughout the whole Victorian period and into the mid-1900s. This is the story of just one person in the village, Arthur George Currant. Arthur George (known as Sonny) Currant John Currant's father Arthur George was a railwayman for most of his life. He was born at Wilton Cottages, Ashley on 13 September 1905 and died at 7 Bargates, Box on 19 February 1973. On 16 January 1943, he married Olive Jones, who was born near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, into a Welsh-speaking family. Olive had suffered tuberculosis as a child and went into a sanatorium in Wales, Craig-Y-Nos Castle, which had been former home to the famous Italian opera singer, Adelaide Patti. Olive first came to the village in 1940 to work as a nurse at the Kingsdown Lunatic Asylum. My father met her off the train and offered to carry her bags and that was the beginning of their relationship. Right: Arthur George Currant in the 1930s |
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Once familiar sights in the centre of Box with locomotives passing at Box Bridge (courtesy John Currant)
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After their marriage at Llanelli in 1943, they lived at Lowden, Chippenham and Arthur cycled to Box every day to work at Box Station until they moved back to Box in 1953. One of the earliest railway incidents after that was when one of Arthur’s colleagues, Jeremiah Daly, was killed at work. Jerry was 42 years old and lived at 2 Pleasant View, Kingsdown.[1] Arthur gave evidence to the inquest that Mr Daly was a look-out man for his gang who was in the tunnel and blew his whistle to give the other workers warning of the approaching train. Jeremiah was caught by the train and a newly-lit cigarette was leaning against the wall.
Steam engine coming out of Box Tunnel in 1950s near a ganger’s shed (courtesy John Currant)
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As a completely new industry, the railways had to develop new words to describe the work of employees. Two such terms were platelayers and gangers. Platelayers was an early word for the men who laid the original rails for Welsh coal tramways. The plates were flatter than modern rails, roughly in the shape of an L and without the usual edging, a design which was not needed until flanged wheels were developed to enable the railroads to carry heavier wagons. The name platelayers stuck for later rail engineers. Gangers were the foremen in charge of a group of platelayers but they also had a specific responsibility for the maintenance of an identified section of the permanent way on a railway. The gangers were responsible for the inspection, repair and overall supervision of his length of track and were sometimes referred to as lengthmen.[2] When needed, the lengthman would be allocated to a couple of miles of track, with a hut at the side of the line where he could keep his equipment and from where he could monitor his length of line. Left: Gangers at Box: Left to Right Front Row: Frank Codger Smith, Bill Robbins, M Hill. Arthur George Currant back row half-hidden (courtesy John Currant) |
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Arthur's shed for his Gang outside Box Tunnel (courtesy Rose Ledbury and John Currant via Gordon Hall)
Responsible for a defined section of track, the gangers needed access to tools and equipment as well as replacement parts for small repair jobs. Without transport, the provisions needed to be conveniently located near the allocated track section.
So gangers had sheds conveniently situated along the side of the track, which also served as gathering points for lunchtimes and clothing stores for variable weather.
So gangers had sheds conveniently situated along the side of the track, which also served as gathering points for lunchtimes and clothing stores for variable weather.
Arthur George Currant at the back of his gang undertaing platelaying repairs at Box Station (courtesy John Currant)
For thirty years Arthur was employed on maintenance of Box Tunnel until he was made redundant in 1966 following cost-savings by Dr Beeching. After his redundancy from GWR, Arthur worked as a driver for Moon Aircraft Company at Clift Quarry Works, Box Hill, but their business declined. When Bill Hemmings died whilst serving as steward of The Comrades Club, Arthur and Olive took over and moved into the premises (now called Hardy House) in 1958. The connection with the railway was ingrained in the family culture and Arthur George, bought the sign “Box Signal Box” when it was no longer needed.
Conclusion
When Box Station and Mill Lane Halt were closed in 1964, it wasn’t just transport facilities that went but also considerable employment for local people. The railway infrastructure was reduced in a general distrust of nationalised industries but skilled, well-paid jobs were also lost together with proper benefits offered by the railway companies, such as pensions and life insurance. It affected many generations of people because work on the railways had seemed to be secure and many children had followed their parents into the industry.
Conclusion
When Box Station and Mill Lane Halt were closed in 1964, it wasn’t just transport facilities that went but also considerable employment for local people. The railway infrastructure was reduced in a general distrust of nationalised industries but skilled, well-paid jobs were also lost together with proper benefits offered by the railway companies, such as pensions and life insurance. It affected many generations of people because work on the railways had seemed to be secure and many children had followed their parents into the industry.