2022 - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 5 Branching Out

 Week 5 (Feb. 1-7): Branching Out

One of the things I really like about the 52 Ancestors prompts is the way that each participant is free to interpret them differently. When I first saw the prompt for this week of ‘Branching Out’, I immediately saw it as relating to branch lines on the rail network.  That in turn led me back to my paternal Grandfather, Richard. When I was growing up the only thing I knew for definite about him was that he worked on the railways in some way; and I only knew this because my Grandma, was entitled to free rail travel.

Hetton Station looking east showing the Durham and Sunderland Line and a passing place on the single track.

Courtesy of Hetton Local and Natural History Society

Once I started researching my family tree properly, I was actually surprised that Richard ended up working for the railways, as he had been born in Hetton-le-Hole, Sunderland which was a strong coal mining community in England and indeed his father, my Great-Grandfather, John, some uncles and his own Grandfather, William, were all miners.  Certainly, the generation preceding his would have been expected to follow their fathers into the pits. However, the more research I have done, it becomes apparent that the mining industry was beginning its downturn at around the time he would have been approaching working age; indeed according to Chris Lloyd in his foreword to Women of the Coalfield in the 20^th Century, the coalfields had peaked, in terms of both output and employment in 19131.

I first find Richard entering the world of work on the 10^th of September 1915, when at the age of 17 he is recorded as a railway porter in Sunderland District 2 on the National Union of Railwaymen General Register of Members2. This year was confusing to me though, 1915? I had been led to believe that my Grandfather had been studying theology at Durham University when his father passed away in 1918, and he had to leave and seek work due to being the eldest of his siblings. With the details I have been able to confirm so far that is not the correct version of events.

It seems that Richard did start work in 1915; I have his St John’s Ambulance/North Eastern Railways First Aid training certificate dated February 1917 (some interesting information about St John’s and the Railways here) and I have found him on the 1921 Census3 living in Trimdon Station; his occupation recorded as a Goods Porter for North Eastern Railways.  Were it not for the photograph of my grandfather as part of a football team for St John’s College (the theological department), Durham University dated 1922/23, and a copy of a Greek classics text book with his hand written notes in the margins, I may have doubted he ever attended University.  I am now waiting to hear back from Durham as to whether they have any information about his time studying there, as I would like to know if he completed his course after all.

Richard's St John's Ambulance Certificate 1917

Own Collection

I began to wonder what prompted Richard’s decision to follow that career path.  Hetton-le-Hole and the surrounding districts were very reliant upon the rail network for the transportation of coal so it would have been a visible feature in his life growing up.  I recently came across a wonderful photograph of the first electric tram in Hetton-le-Hole, surrounded by children, dated September 29^th 1905 when he would have been aged around 7; was he swept up in the excitement of such new developments? Although I cannot be sure whether he was actually still living there in 1905; the whole family were in Hetton-le-Hole for the 1901 Census4, but by 19115 their address was Fenwick Street in Bishopwearmouth, (where the family were still living in 1918 when my Great-grandfather died) and I have found school admission records for my Grandfather and his brother William to the Bishopwearmouth Church of England Boys School in 19097.  All that aside, to me there is a palpable energy around this photograph, and I would like to believe that it was the beginning of his lifelong connection to this form of transportation.

 

Shared with the kind permission of Sunderland Antiquarian Society 

I wondered how Richard found himself living in Trimdon Station.  I know that in 1920 his step-mother Clara and her three young children, his half-siblings, moved to Iowa, USA, although I cannot be sure whether this coincided with his own move into lodgings at Trimdon Station or whether he had moved prior to their emigration.  The small town was still part of the colliery district servicing Trimdon Colliery, his fellow lodger was an above ground colliery worker, and the trains obviously formed a vital part of the industry.  I was lucky enough to find a really informative web-site Trimdon Times about the history of the three villages at Trimdon, apparently there was Trimdon Village, Trimdon Grange and then Trimdon Station.  Alongside all the written details are some amazing photographs.  I have spent more than a few half hours scrolling through them, hoping to spot Richard and, with the kind permission of Ken from Trimdon Times, am sharing a few below.

Pictures shared with the kind permission of Trimdon Times

The station photograph is dated after my Grandfather will have left however the staff photographs are contemporary

I half-think I can see some similarities between some of the young men and my Grandfather in the image below

Photograph of Richard Wright 1922/23

Own Collection

The next time I can find any official records for Richard is when he married my Grandma, Naomi in 1937, and whilst I would like to know more about his life in the interim period I have run out of ideas of where to look for the moment.  I do know that for a time he was not working for a railway company, as he is shown on the 1939 Register9 as a Poultry Farmer and Special Constable, but he did return to work in the Goods department at Louth Railway Station, at some point, and I have been lucky enough to connect online with a few people who remember him from that time.  

Richard's Special Constable Anti-Gas Certificate

Own Collection

I know that due to his work being in a reserved occupation he had not served in the Armed Services in either of the World Wars, but I was surprised to learn recently (when researching for this blog post actually) that Louth Station was bombed in 19419, sadly killing an engine fireman who was shunting in the goods yard! I want to know, and yet I don’t at the same time, whether Richard was working that day, was he still a first aider, was he involved in trying to help? How well did he know the poor man, his widow and his 3 sons? Aged 42 the gentleman who died was just a year younger than Richard would have been; I can’t even imagine how that would have affected my grandparents, such a gentle and social couple, who whilst being aware of the difficulties of the conflict may have still felt distanced from it in our sleepy, rural neighbourhood.

Although the station closed for passengers the year I was born, 1970 and for goods/freight in 1980, we were lucky in that the beautiful neo-Jacobean station building (built in 1847 – designed by John Grey Weightman and Matthew Ellison Hadfield of Sheffield) 10, 11 remains, and now forms a focal part of a local housing development, and it still makes me think of my grandfather when I see it. 

Louth Railway Station Circa 1908 

Shared with kind permission of John Alsop

I think he would be especially proud to know that my son, his Great-grandson, Jacob, is now working on the railways himself, East Midlands Railway, and in less than a month is due to qualify as a senior conductor.  Maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all!! 

(As I re-read that it brought a smile to my face remembering all the apple trees Richard had planted in our orchard – very apt!)

 

 

 

1.        Hedley, M 2021 Women of the Durham Coalfield in the 20^th Century : Hannah’s Daughter Page 6,The History Press First Edition (Kindle)

2.        Archive: Modern Records Centre, Archive reference: MSS.127/NU/OR/2/44, Folio or page 266, Title General Register, Dates: Jun-Oct 1915, Information contained: Members 643001-658000, via Find My Past, accessed 02/02/2022

3.        John Wright (1918) Certified copy of death certificate for John Wright, 28^th November 1918, No 337 Sunderland Register Office (Copy obtained via GRO.gov)

4.        Richard Wright (1921) Census return for Cooks Buildings, Trimdon Station, Easington, Wingate, Durham 552-1 30 Schedule 156 Line 3; Available at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/  (Accessed: 12/01/2022)

5.        Richard Wright (1901) Census return for Eppleton Row, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham Public Record Office: RG13; Piece 4695, Folio: 106; Page: 12 Available at http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ (Accessed 15/06/2020)

6.        Richard Wright (1911) Census return for Fenwick Street, Sunderland West, Durham Public Record Office: RG14; Piece30145; Available at http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ (Accessed Reference 15/06/2020)

7.        Richard Wright (1909) National School Admission Registers & Logbooks 1870-1914, 1909 Admissions Bishopwearmouth Church of England School – Boys, Page 30 Admission No 9233; Available at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/  (Accessed: 12/01/2022) 

8.      Richard Wright (1939) England and Wales Register return for Louth Road, Cockerington, Louth, Lincolnshire, Part of Lindsey, The National Archives, Kew, London, Reference RG 101/6477A ; Available at http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ (Accessed 15/06/2020)

9.      (1941) Raider Swoops on Lincs. Market Town: Five Dead, Lincolnshire Echo 20^th Feb 1941 Available at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/  (Accessed: 12/01/2022)

10.    Catford N (2009) Station Name: Louth Available at http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/louth/ (Accessed 10/01/2022)

11.    Wikipedia (2009) Louth Railway Station Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louth_railway_station (Accessed 10/01/2022)