New book from Midland Railway Society
I have a few copies of the latest publication from the Midland Railway Society.
This is "The Midland Railway and the Great War" and is based on the Presidential Address that Peter Witts gave to the Society back in 2008. Sadly Peter died before he was able to prepare the text for publication so we have illustrated his talk with relevant unpublished photographs and plans from the Midland Railway Study Centre.
The book would be of interest beyond railway enthusiasts as he deals with the social aspect of Total War, not just on the railways, but also on its customers, and its staff.
10% of the British Forces on the Western Front were railway men, and its managers played a crucial part in the organizing of the Railway Operating Division (ROD) of the Royal Engineers that kept the British forces, and her allies, much better supplied that their German counterparts.
There are also some great pictures of women doing "men's" work whilst their male counterparts were away at the Front, and so pave the way for the granting of Votes for Women in 1918. The contribution of children and dogs is also not forgotten.
Please contact me if you would like to buy or view a copy. Andrew Surry, Finance. Ext. 3321 or andrew.surry@beds.ac.uk
The book is 28 pages gloss A4 and costs £5.