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The Railway at War
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The 'County Down Railway at War
During the Second World War many U.S. and overseas Service Personnel served in Northern Ireland, and many of them travelled on the Provinces railway network, including the Belfast & County Down Railway. The following article will give some idea, and perhaps refresh a few memories, of what life was like in Northern Ireland during that time. We would be delighted to hear from any ex-Service men who may have memories of their service in Northern Ireland, and we would appreciate having an opportunity to record their memories.
The
‘County Down Railway and
the Second World War 1939
– 1941 ============================================================ By
Bob Pue 1939 Following
the declaration of the start of the Second World War on Sunday 3rd
September, 1939, the railways of the United Kingdom were considered to be a
primary target for German bombers, as it was expected that attempts would be
made to disrupt the transportation of arms, ammunition and troops. In
Northern Ireland there was considered to be a lesser threat, but yet the
railways here had to be prepared in case any emergency should arise, and so
preparations had to be made for the protection of installations, for the
protection of staff and travellers, and to provide whatever assistance that was
needed for the war effort. Indeed,
long before war was declared, the matter of National Defence was being discussed
between the Government and the railways in Northern Ireland.
The first reference appears in the General Manager’s Report to the
Board of Directors of the Company on 21st March, 1939, and the matter
appears to have been discussed quite frequently thereafter. The
question of Civil Defence was raised at a meeting of the various Railway
Managers during May, 1939, as a result of which a series of proposals on the
subject were submitted to the Minister for Home Affairs.
A response from the Ministry was placed before a meeting of the Standing
Joint Committee on 6th July, and a further meeting was arranged to
consider the situation. At
the meeting of the B.& C.D.R. Board on 23rd August, a letter from
Major W.H. Grant, Staff Captain, N.I. District, was presented.
This was enquiring if the Directors would consider handing over the
Slieve Donard Hotel at Newcastle, for use as a Convalescent Depot in case of an
outbreak of war, and if so, requesting particulars of the rent the Company would
consider as fair and reasonable compensation, by agreement, and being payable by
the War Department on vacation of the premises. A
further letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs setting out the payments which
the Government was prepared to make to the Company to secure the maintenance of
essential services during the emergency was presented to the Board on 6th
September, 1939, just three days after the declaration of war.
This confirmed that the amount agreed was £2,096, and the General
Manager confirmed to the Board that steps had already been taken to provide
shelters, clothing, protection of cabins etc., Details
were also submitted of the essential stores, in respect of which the Government
were prepared to advance funds to the Company, this to be repaid as the
materials were used, although the actual amount had not, at that stage, been
finalised. At a later
meeting confirmation of the emergency stocks which the Company was authorised to
order were given to the Board. This
concession for commodities was made up as follows:-
Coal
(Approximately 1,500 tons)
£2,438.
Rails
(150 tons)
£1,500.
Essential
Miscellaneous Stores
£2,000 The
Company was also authorised certain expenditure in relation to Sleepers,
Permanent Way Chairs and Fastenings, Reversible Point Handles, and Locomotive
Boiler Tubes, making a total authorised expenditure of £7,973.
Tenders were sought for the larger items, whilst orders were placed for
the smaller stores items. The
arrangement was that these stores would be retained for any emergency that might
arise, and if used, were to be replaced by the Company in order to maintain this
level of emergency stores throughout the term of the war. Also
in September, the General Manager advised the Board that a letter had been
forwarded to the General Officer Commanding, Northern Ireland District, asking
for Military protection for a number of important bridges on the Company’s
lines. These were, the
Holywood Arches, Dee Street and Connswater Bridge, Crawfordsburn Viaduct, and
the Quoile Bridge at Downpatrick. This
request was later refused on the grounds that there were insufficient resources
available for the Military to undertake such a task. On 4th October, the Board were advised that the Company had 95 wagons unfit for use. Of these 30 were already condemned, whilst 65 were out of service awaiting repair. The Board agreed that, because of the impending increase expected in freight traffic because of the war, two additional men should be taken on until the end of the year in order to get as many of these wagons back into service as In
the middle of all the preparations for emergencies, the Board, at its meeting on
15th November, 1939, considered the proposed restoration of a
Golfers’ Train to Newcastle on Saturdays. This was brought about as a result of petrol rationing,
and members of the Royal County Down Golf Club intimated that they would make
full use of such a train if it were provided.
The Secretary of the club was of the opinion that he could guarantee the
Company an amount of £7.10.0 each Saturday as a minimum payment, which would
represent an up-take of 30 seats. The
Locomotive and Traffic Departments estimated the cost of running such a train to
be £5.7.0. At
the Board meeting on 27th December the Directors were advised that
Mr. W.S. Robinson, the Assistant Locomotive Superintendent, had been called up
for service with His Majesty’s Forces, and has, in the meantime, only been
granted the rank of a Second Lieutenant. This resulted in a considerable drop in income, and so
the Board agreed
to make up the difference for a period of three months, by which time it was
expected he would be promoted to the rank of Captain. 1940 At
the 24th January meeting the Board considered a letter received from
the Controller of Outdoor Publicity in London, suggesting the fixing of printed
notices in the compartments of all carriages warning passengers against careless
talk which might give information to the enemy. The
Board also received a report at that meeting advising
them that the body of a Mrs. McCartan, the widow of the late Peter
McCartan, who had been a Driver with the Company, was found on the line at
Bangor West Halt at about 8.0pm. the previous evening.
It was not known how this lady got onto the line, but investigations
revealed that she had been killed by the engine of the 7.0pm Up train, as one of
the sand pipes of the engine was discovered to be missing. At
its meeting on 2nd April, 1940, the Board were advised that the
Military Authorities, through the Police at Newcastle, had requisitioned the
Company’s large pavilion at Newcastle, the keys of which had been handed over
in accordance with the Requisition Order.
A month later, on 1st May, they were told that the No. 2
pavilion had also now been requisitioned by the Military Authorities, leaving
only the small pavilion on the Station Platform available for organised
excursions. Subsequently, an
agreement was received from the War Department undertaking to pay the Company an
annual rental of £72 per annum for the large pavilion, and £40 per annum for
the smaller one. Following
the outbreak of war many of the Company’s staff enlisted in the Armed Forces.
At the beginning of May 1940 a letter was received from the Secretary of
the National Union of Railwaymen enquiring if the Company would consider paying
an allowance to such staff in cases where the Army pay and allowances was less
than the civilian pay which
the member would have received before enlisting.
Similar letters were sent to the G.N.R.(I) and L.M.S. – N.C.C., who
would not agree to such payments, but who advised the Union that each case would
be considered on its merits. The
Board decided that it could not agree to a definite arrangement, but that in
line with the other companies, it was prepared to consider each individual case
on its merits, and that if the necessity arose for making some allowance to
wives and families in certain instances, this would be done. Away
from the war, the Coal Merchants of Donaghadee asked the Company to extend the
line along the Harbour to allow for an additional two or three wagons to aid
with the discharge of steamers. It was agreed at the Board meeting on 16th
May 1940 to extend the line by about 60 feet, and to erect a buffer stop as
requested by the Ministry of Commerce.
The cost of the extension was estimated at about £75. In
June 1940 a request was received from the Authorities, through Col. Gordon, to
have the level crossing at Sydenham made available for vehicles on Government
Service. It appears that this
crossing had been closed for some time, and the gates secured with wire since
the cottage on the shore side of the line had been demolished.
Arrangements were made for the gates to be padlocked, and the keys to
remain with the Stationmaster so that they could be opened at short notice for
Military traffic. This was
followed a month later by an instruction from No. 61 Group, Royal Air Force, for
the Company to proceed with the provision of signalling to control this
crossing, and for Gatekeepers to be provided. Arrangements
were finalised during July, following a request from the Government, to run four
Special trains for the conveyance of evacuees.
The potential earnings from these trains, according to the figures
supplied, should have amounted to £196, whereas the earnings, on the basis of
the actual numbers carried by three trains, only amounted to £48 – a
difference of £148. It
appears that the other railway companies had similar experiences with evacuee
trains, and it was considered that compensation should be sought from Government
to offset at least 50% of the difference. Negotiations were also on-going with the Army during
July regarding the terms and arrangements for the construction of a siding to
serve the Ordnance Depot at Kinnegar, such siding to be on the Down line of the
Bangor branch. By August it
had been requested that the Company proceed with the necessary preparation work
for the installation of the siding. The
heavy demand on freight was putting pressure on the Operating Department, as
many of the wagons that were out of use awaiting repair when war was declared
were still not back in service. A
request was made to the Board on 24th July to have additional funds,
in the region of £1,200 to £1,500, made available to allow for the
construction of 10 to 12 new wagons before the end of the year. In
August 1940 a conference was held at the Ministry of Commerce office at the Law
Courts in Belfast to discuss the matter of emergency coal supplies.
Representatives included Col. P.C. Young who was the Controller of Coal
Supplies in the Scottish area, accompanied by Mr. Scott and Mr. Abbott of the
Ministry of Commerce. The
railways were represented by Major Speir (L.M.S.-N.C.C.), Mr. Howden (G.N.R.)
and Mr. Minnis (B.C.D.R.). The
reason for the conference was to determine whether or not it was possible for
the Northern Ireland railway companies to assist the Government by taking
supplies of 30,000 tons of Welsh coal, instead of Scottish coal, over a period
of about eight weeks. It was
agreed that the Great Northern would take 18,000 tons, the N.C.C. 10,000 tons
and the B.& C.D.R. 2,000 tons, if it could be delivered to Belfast at the
same price as Scottish coal. Still
on the subject of coal, emergency supplies were located to stations outside
Belfast as follows:-
Holywood, Bangor, Comber
58 tons each.
Downpatrick
53
tons.
Ballynahinch
Junction
122 tons. making
a total of approximately 250 tons. Delivery of the next cargo to Belfast was expected to
double this supply to about 500 tons. In
fact at the meeting of the Board on 4th September it was confirmed
that a total of 705 tons had been sent to outlying stations as follows:-
Holywood
116 tons. Bangor
118 tons.
Comber
112 tons. Downpatrick
104 tons.
Ballynahinch
Junction
255 tons. At
the same meeting, the Board was advised that the two Waiting Rooms at Belfast
Station had been requisitioned by the Secretary of State for the War Department,
at a rental of £87 per annum. It
was also confirmed that the Military had requisitioned the Pavilion at
Donaghadee from 1st September, whilst the Third Class General Waiting
Room at Newcastle had been requisitioned for use as a Rail Transport Office with
immediate effect. Later
in September an inspection of Queen’s Quay Station was carried out by the
Ministry of Home Security and an agreement reached with the Company that the
following Air Raid Shelters would be erected by the Ministry:-
Two at the buffers in Belfast Goods Yard.
Two
at the back of the Engineer’s Office and the buildings at No. 5 Platform.
One
on No. 5 Platform.
One
on each of No. 3 and 4 Platforms.
Two
in the corner of the Heating Shed. These
shelters would provide accommodation for about 500 people.
Later
in the year the Company agreed to provide additional shelters for use by those
who did not come under the heading of ‘essential staff’ at Belfast Station.
Plans were submitted for two additional shelters, one to accommodate 85
people, towards the end of No. 5 Platform, and the other to accommodate 50, in
the Cab-stand. The Ministry agreed to refund 7/- in the £1 towards
the cost of providing these. It
was confirmed at the meeting on 18th September that the Military had
now been provided with accommodation for Rail Transport Offices at Bangor,
Holywood, Comber, Newtownards, Downpatrick, and Tullymurry.
These, in addition to the facilities already provided at Belfast and
Newcastle, make a total of eight R.T.O. offices on the Company’s system.
The meeting was also told that the Military had erected three
Anti-Aircraft Gun Emplacements in Newcastle Yard, and a submission was received
from the Urban District Council in Downpatrick requesting permission to erect an
Air Raid Shelter on ground at Downpatrick station. In
October a request was made by the Assistant Director of Transportation in
Northern Ireland that certain men be trained for taking up duty on the railway
in case of enemy action, which would entail some of these men working as Drivers
or Motor-men, or travelling on the footplate of engines as a third man when
required. The Board agreed to
the request, provided the necessary Indemnity Forms were completed and submitted
to the Company. On
22nd October the 5.40pm train from Belfast to Newcastle was delayed
for 22 minutes at the Downpatrick Loop Platform, and a further 40 minutes at
Dundrum, a relief engine having to be sent from Newcastle to haul the train from
Dundrum, which resulted in Newcastle being reached 88 minutes behind schedule.
This problem was brought about due to the bad quality of the coal, which
was found to contain a large quantity of Anthracite.
Arrangements were made to return the remaining supplies of this coal,
about 150 tons, to John Kelly Ltd., the supplier, at his expense. On
the morning of 31st October, 1940, the body of an R.A.F. Aircraftman
was found on the tracks at Victoria Park Halt at about 8.15am, and was removed
by the Royal Air Force Authorities. An inquest was held on 6th November, when
the following verdict was arrived at:- “David
Moran Thorley, 20 years of age, R.A.F. Aldergrove, on 31st October,
on the Belfast & County Down Railway at Victoria Park Halt, was found dead,
and came to his death by decapitation, having been run over by a train whilst in
a temporary state of unsound mind.” Outside
of the war the elements also had to be contended with.
On the morning of 21st November two trees fell across the Up
and Down lines between Carnalea and Helen’s Bay stations, and a large hoarding
was blown across the line close to Bangor Station.
As a result the 6.55am and 7.15am Up trains were run together and left
Bangor after the hoarding had been cleared.
The train was again delayed because of the trees, and reached Belfast 90
minutes late. All early
morning trains in both directions were delayed, up to, and including, the 8.45am
from Bangor. At
its meeting on 11th December, the Board was advised that the Ministry
insisted that sufficient Air raid shelters be provided for the maximum number of
staff at Belfast, and that it was necessary to erect three such shelters instead
of the two which the company had proposed. Whilst
the war was continuing, and the company was doing everything possible to
accommodate the Military and pacify the Ministry, the Station Master at Crossgar
requested that a bathroom be installed in his house.
The estimated cost of this was put at £100 by the engineer, and
installation was agreed when the Station Master agreed to an increase of £6 per
annum in his rent.
1941 1941
started with the company fighting the elements rather than the enemy.
Delays took place to passenger trains on Saturday night, 18th
January, due to the snow storms. The
11.15 pm train to Bangor did not leave Belfast until 12.40 am, and the 11.05 pm
to Donaghadee did not depart until 1.05 am.
These two trains were delayed due to the difficulty in getting the
engines from the sheds into Queen’s Quay station, as the snow was so heavy
that it was blocking the sets of points in the Belfast yard. Two
days later, on Monday 20th January, the 9.35 am train from Newcastle,
in charge of driver Reid, came in contact with the buffers at No. 2 platform at
Queen’s Quay, resulting in several passengers, who were preparing to alight
from the train, being knocked down. Driver
Reid stated that the engine wheels skidded on snow on the rails as the train was
about to be brought to a standstill.
There was no damage to the train or to the buffers, but a few passengers
received minor injuries. At
the meeting of the Directors on 22nd January, they were told that, in
conformity with the Fire Watchers Act (Northern Ireland), two Fire Watchers had
been appointed at Belfast Station, and two in Belfast Goods Yard, to be in
attendance at these places when only Watchmen are on duty.
A liberal supply of stirrup pumps and sand had been provided at Belfast
Station, and that staff generally are being trained in what action to take in
case of an emergency. The
Foreman, Watchman, and Cleaner at Belfast Loco Works are being instructed in how
to deal with incendiary bombs should the necessity arise, at the Running Shed,
Locomotive Works, or Stores Department.
A man was also provided at Bangor Station to be on duty when the station
was closed during the night, and stirrup pumps, sand etc., was supplied to
Comber, Newtownards, and Donaghadee, these being the stations in the vulnerable
area. At
the same meeting the Board agreed to extend the platform at Fraser Street Halt
by two carriage lengths because of the additional numbers of workmen travelling
by the morning trains from Donaghadee and Downpatrick. The
question of bathrooms for Station Masters appears to have been contagious, as
the Board was advised at its meeting of 5th February that the Station
Master at Saintfield had now also requested such a facility.
He got off lighter than his colleague at Crossgar, as his rent was
increased by only £3. per annum. Away
from the war the ‘County Down had a further problem on the morning of Tuesday
4th February, and for this I quote the General Managers Report :- “When
a train of coaches was being shunted from the Running Shed Siding into No. 5
platform at about 7.0 am on 4th February, the engine of the shunting
train came into the cross-over leading to the Down Main Line, and as the 7.0 am
passenger train was passing out, the leading engine on this train (No. 30) came
into contact with the shunting engine, resulting in engine No. 30 being severely
damaged. The
accident resulted in a sudden stoppage of the passenger train in which very few
passengers were travelling, and no complaints were made. The
morning service was in consequence short of two engines, and the road from the
engine shed siding to the Passenger Yard was blocked necessitating other engines
being obtained and being worked through the Goods Yard and Ballymacarrett
Junction to the passenger station during a heavy fog.
Some
of the trains on both the Main Line and Bangor Branch were delayed as far as 35
to 40 minutes, and some local trains and motors had to be cancelled. The
coach on the shunting train next the engine was derailed.
Investigations are proceeding to ascertain the cause of the accident.” At
the next Board meeting on 19th February we also get the following
report :- “Further
to my report to the last Board, the mishap which took place in Belfast Yard has
been the subject of further investigation, and it is clear that the driver of
the shunting engine passed the disc signal when it was at “Danger”, but
there are extenuating circumstances, as it would appear that the general
practice for many years has been to pass this particular signal at “Danger”
when conducting certain shunting movements to Nos. 4 or 5 platforms.
Engine drivers taking it for granted that this particular disc signal was
only necessary when a train was being shunted from the Engine Shed Siding to the
Goods Yard, that being the principal movement controlled by the whistling code. It
is considered undesirable to definitely fix blame on the engine driver at this
juncture, as there is a possibility an inquiry may be held by the Inspector of
Railways attached to the Ministry.” On
Sunday 9th February the main line was blocked by a land-slide in the
cutting near knock station. It
was believed that this was caused by a burst water-main, but it appears that the
company was unable to secure any compensation from the Water Commissioners as it
was impossible to prove that there was any negligence on their part.
The company therefore had to foot the bill for clearing the line. At
the same meeting we learn that an Air Raid Shelter is to be constructed by
Downpatrick Urban District Council on the company’s property at Downpatrick. In
line with Government regulations the B.& C.D.R had to provide all members of
staff with “Certificate of Occupation” cards.
At the meeting on 5th March the Directors were advised that
the Ministry considered these to be no longer sufficient, and that it would now
be necessary for the company to provide all employees with revised “National
Registration Cards” bearing a photograph of the holder, overlapped by the
Official Stamp of the company. The
cost of this exercise was put at approximately £20.
(I wonder have any of these cards survived?) In
April the Board received a request from Newcastle Urban District Council for
permission to fix a postage stamp machine to the wall of Newcastle station for
the convenience of the general public. It
was reported to the Board on 16th April that the company’s property
at Belfast did not suffer any damage during the very heavy air raid which took
place over the province during the night of 15th and early hours of
16th April,, but the line was blown up by a bomb between Ballygrainey
and Donaghadee Stations, near Ballyfotherley Crossing.
A repair gang was dispatched by special train from Belfast at 8.30 am on
16th April, and it was expected that the line would be available for
traffic in the early afternoon. During
this emergency passengers were conveyed by bus between Newtownards and
Donaghadee. In
April the Ministry of Security asked all the railway companies not to publish
details of any traffic receipts, this to take effect from 18th April,
and to continue for the duration of the war. It
appears that the company was experiencing difficulty in getting some staff to
comply with Government Orders in relation to the manning of posts under the Fire
Prevention (Business Premises) Order, with large numbers of staff refusing to
take up their posts in accordance with the rosters arranged.
It appears that the Ministry requested a list of the names of all staff
who refused to comply. During
April a number of drills were carried out by First Aid, Fire Fighting and
Decontamination squads. The equipment was fully tested, and found to be in
working order. Instruction
was also given to signalmen in the use of stirrup pumps and sand for dealing
with incendiary bombs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “The
Blitz”
On
the night of 4th/5th May, 1941, Belfast came under a
sustained attack from German bombers, in one of the most serious attacks on the
city during the Second World War, an attack that became known generally as
‘The Blitz’!
The main targets of this attack were the Belfast Docks, the shipyards of
Harland & Wolff, the Aircraft Factory of Short Brothers and Harland, and the
industrial heartland of East Belfast. In
the centre of this area lay the headquarters of the Belfast & County Down
Railway at Queen’s Quay, which was also considered to be a primary target.
The
Air Raids resulted in serious damage to the Company’s property in the area of
the Locomotive Works and Running Shed, the following premises being completely
destroyed: the Timber Store, Sail-makers Shop, Locomotive Superintendents Office
and Stores, Carpenters Shop, Engine-men’s Dining Hall, and the Gas Works.
Two Passenger Coaches, one Caravan and four new wagons were destroyed in
the Paint Shop, and one coach damaged, while outside the shops three flat wagons
were destroyed and one badly damaged.
Three
of the Company’s flat wagons were destroyed at Dufferin Dock, and a covered
wagon was also damaged, making a total loss of two carriages, one Caravan, and
ten wagons, with one passenger coach and two wagons damaged. Train
services were badly disrupted on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 5th,
6th and 7th May,
On 5th May it was discovered that the line between Belfast and
Bloomfield had been damaged by a bomb, and the bridge over Connswater River had
also been damaged.
Single line working was arranged on the Monday between these two points,
but on the Tuesday morning, 6th May, two unexploded bombs were
discovered in Moorgate Street, adjacent to Bloomfield Station, with the result
that the station had to be closed, and all traffic suspended.
This necessitated the operation of a substitute bus service to Knock
Station throughout the Tuesday, with all main line trains being turned at Knock
Station. The
bombs were attended to by the Military, and the section between Belfast and
Knock was re-opened at 8.30pm on the Tuesday evening for single line working.
Normal working of the double line resumed on the morning of Wednesday 7th
May. Difficulty
was found in maintaining the service during the early part of the week, i.e. 5th,
6th and 7th May, principally due to the absence of a
number of Drivers and Firemen.
Many of the Traffic staff were also absent, resulting in those on duty
having to work exceptionally long hours.
Improved working began from Thursday 8th May, and the
improvement continued as members of staff returned to duty up to and including
Saturday 10th May. The
estimated cost of damage to the installations at Queen’s Quay was submitted to
the Board at its meeting on 28th May, 1941, and the breakdown was as
follows:- Permanent
Way Department:-
Buildings, Plant & Equipment destroyed
as
per Engineer’s Estimate.
£14,729.
Contents
of Loco. Dept.
£5,275.
£8,192.
Stores
Department:-
Stock of Stores
General Stores Department
£6,923.
A.R.P.
Equipment
£
212.
Total:
£30,056. Whilst Queen’s Quay suffered severe damage, and the loss of many of the Company’s records, the damage sustained by York Road Station on the other side of the river was substantially greater. Fortunately none of the ‘County Down Staff were killed or injured during the Blitz, but the damage took quite some time to put right. The following are a series of photographs of the damage to the company's installations at Belfast following the Blitz
The Iron Store The Locomotive Works
The Running Office
The Timber and Iron Store
===================================================================== The
Belfast & County Down Railway Defence Volunteer Unit At
the Board Meeting held at Queen’s Quay Station on 12th June 1940,
Mr. W.F. Minnis, the General Manager, advised the Board that a Circular had been
issued to all members of the Company’s staff with the object of forming a
B.& C.D. Railway Defence Volunteer Unit in order to assist the Government,
and also for the protection of the Company’s property.
He advised the Board that a similar unit was also being formed on the
L.M.S. – N.C.C., and steps were being taken by the Great Northern to deal with
the matter at a very early date with regard to the Northern Ireland section of
its operation.
At the next Board Meeting on 26th June, Mr. Minnis submitted a
list of names of the members of staff who had volunteered for service in the
Railway Defence Unit, together with copies of letters that had been addressed to
Col. Charley regarding the Belfast area, and to Col. Houston regarding the area
outside Belfast.
The numbers who had volunteered up until that time were:-
Belfast Area
46
Stations outside Belfast
23.
At the beginning of September we learn from the Board Minutes that those
on duty at night had been allowed a small supply of tea and biscuits, but that
the other railway companies, whilst supplying tea and biscuits, also provide
their volunteers with sugar, bread and milk.
As there were only eight or nine men on duty on any night, Mr. Minnis
made the point that the cost would not be very high, and so asked the Board for
approval to make similar provision for the Company’s volunteers.
He concluded this request by advising that the Government made a payment
towards this expense in England, and it was expected that they would also do so
in Northern Ireland. As
information about the Defence Volunteer Unit is very limited, we would
appreciate any further information or photographs that anyone may have.
Photo:
B.& C.D.R. Museum Trust Collection. The
‘County Down Railway Defence Volunteer Unit being inspected on
Photo: B.& C.D.R. Museum Trust Collection. Some
of the members of the Defence Volunteer Unit pictured at Belfast. ============================================================================== Notes
on the photographs on this pages These
few photographs were taken by a former Belfast & County Down Railway
employee who smuggled a camera into the Queen’s Quay workshops soon after the
blitz in May, 1941. As far as
we are aware they are the only photographic record of the damage caused to the
company’s installations at Belfast, and are therefore a valuable record, and
an important archive in themselves. The employee
had the photographs in a drawer at home for over 50 years, and recently
presented them to the Trust, considering it now safe to bring them ‘out of the
closet’. Most of the
photographs are self-explanatory, but those of the ‘County Down Defence
Volunteer Unit on page 44 opposite, require
a little further explanation. The top
photograph shows the Unit being inspected by Capt. Grant of the regular Army
based in Holywood, at the end of Platform 5 at Queen’s Quay Station on Sunday
8th December 1940. Centre
of the inspecting Party, and next to Capt. Grant, is Lieut. W.E. Smeltzer, Commander of the Unit based in
Holywood, and a veteran of World War One. The bottom
photograph shows four members of the Head Office staff on Platform 5 on the same
date. They are (From left to
right) F. McLachlin, Audit Office; Wm. Bell. Secretary’s Office, later Flying
Officer Bell, who was killed in action; Sgt. J. McCune, Secretary’s Office; E.
Harvey, Secretary’s Office, and later First Radio Officer – Merchant Navy.
All photographs on this web site are copyright, and are not to be copied for re-sale.
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