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Wartime recruiting posters at Paddington Station, 1915

Recruiting posters were a popular way of encouraging men to enlist. Millions of posters were produced and displayed up and down the country during the war. The messages were often vivid and graphic, but also very sophisticated; they appealed to the young man and his sense of adventure and duty. The posters in this image are displayed on the cab ramp of Paddington Station in 1915. The central poster was designed by Lucy Kemp-Welch, a British artist, and refers to the bombardment of Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool by German battleships on 16th December 1914. Both posters were published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee.

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, c.1930

Dozens of boats and punts can be seen here lining the River Thames during the Henley Royal Regatta. The race lane can be seen top right, with spectators in their boats vying for a prime viewing spot. This view downstream also shows the Henley Grandstand which became part of the Phyllis Court Members Club, and is now known as the Riverside Pavilion

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

Female Clerks at Swindon Works, 1916

A group shot of female clerks taken in May 1916. This group are from the Accounts Office at Swindon Works and were managed by Mr Kelynack, the Clerk in Charge. Mr Kelynack went on to become Chief Clerk to the CME in 1929. The back two rows reveal a very young group of girls who do not look much older than 15 or 16 years of age. For these female and girl clerks their position had a certain status attached to it. Although they were paid a lot less than male clerks their roles were much admired and always had plenty of applicants. By 1918 the GWR were employing almost 3000 female clerks across the network

© STEAM Museum of the GWR