Ww2 Collection

Evacuees at Paddington Station in 1939
This moving image of evacuees making their way along platform 4 at Paddington Station was also taken during the 4 day evacuation of London and other major cities in September 1939

GWR fire brigade at Paddington Station taking part in a drill, c. 1940
This image shows members of the GWR fire brigade at Paddington Station taking part in a drill. Training was an important part of fire fighting and kept employees prepared in case of an emergency

GWR staff loading a stretcher into a parcel van which has been converted into an ambulance, 1940. The van bears the GWR roundel branding and a stylised poster on the side

Evacuees waiting to leave Paddington Station, 1939
This image shows eight young boys and girls about to leave London as evacuees to the countryside. Although the images shows them laughing it must have been a daunting experience for them

US 2-8-0 tender locomotive No. 1604 at Paddington Station, 1942
On December 11th 1942, for the very first time, an American built locomotive steamed into Paddington Station. Acute shortages of locomotives on the GW network due to locomotives being sent overseas

Passengers at Paddington Station in 1943
This image, taken on Saturday 31st July 1943 (August Bank Holiday), shows hoards of passengers at Paddington Station. In 1939 the slogan " Is Your Journey Really Necessary" was introduced

Scammel being loaded with Anderson Air Raid Shelter, West London, 1939
Westbourne Park Yard in April 1939 is the focus of this interesting pre-war image. Parts of Anderson shelters are being unloaded from a line of wagons onto a 3 ton Scammell tractor by a Ransome

Motor landing craft under construction, 1942
In August 1941 the GWR began building the first of a large number of motor landing craft in the Carriage and Wagon shops at Swindon. No

250lb Bombs at the Swindon Works, early 1940s
An image of some completed 250lb bombs being loaded onto GWR open wagon No. 44 in December 1940. Like with the majority of the war work undertaken at the Works specialist equipment was built to cater

Female rivet hotter, A Shop, c. 1940
During the Second World War Swindon Works employed women in both the workshops and offices. Here a female employee is helping her male colleague with riveting

Paddington Station, c1940
A group of nurses wave off a train load of evacuees during World War 2. The mass evacuation of children from cities and towns, known as Operation Pied Piper, began in 1939

War memorial at Paddington Station in 1949
This full length image of the newly rededicated war memorial at Paddington appeared in the December 1949 edition of the, by this time, British Railways magazine

American Flag flying from Paddington Station hotel on July 4th 1941
This image shows the American Flag flying from the front of the hotel at Paddington Station on July 4th, American Independence Day, 1941

No. 24F shop, Swindon Works, undergoing war time alterations in 1941
This image, taken in September 1941, shows the alterations taking place in 24F Shop to accommodate the new shell production for the Ministry of Supply

Production line for wartime shells in No. 24 Shop, Swindon Works, 1942
No.24 Shop, on the Carriage and Wagon side of Swindon Works was fitted out with two production lines for 25-pounder shells

Welding Containers for Bombs, K Shop, 1940
Some rather intricate hot work is taking place in this photograph taken in K Shop, the Coppersmiths, in November 1940. The men are welding exploder containers for 250lb bombs that were ordered by

Midget Submarine superstructure, 1943
Also built in the Carriage and Wagon Works at Swindon were 50 of these midget submarine superstructures which were produced for the Admiralty

Anti-Aircraft Gun, Swindon Works, 1940s
This anti-aircraft 6-pounder navel gun was manufactured for the Admiralty in W Shop at Swindon Works during World War II. It comes with a mounting that would have allowed it to be fixed to

No 3 Company Swindon Battalion Home Guard, January 1941
Marching alongside the Iron Foundry (J Shop)

Sandbag protection at Birmingham Snow Hill Station
Railway stations were on high alert during the war years. The principal stations on the GWR network were used by hundreds of people each day

Female Stationmaster, June 1941
This image features a young lady called Freda Jones. During the Second World War she was made a GWR Stationmaster at Pontdolgoch, a station in mid Wales on the Welshpool to Aberystwyth line

Female wartime workers, 1943
This line up of women at Paddington Station shows the varied jobs female GWR employees undertook during the Second World War

2 PDR gun mounting, 1943
A side view of a 2-pounder pom-pom gun mounting built for the Admiralty at Swindon Works. This image was taken in the AM Shop in February 1943 and shows the ammunition positioned in the side trays

Female permanent way workers, c1940
During the Second World War women were employed in various different roles within the GWR. The women here fixing track chairs to wooden sleepers as part of their role within the permanent way

Women workers at the Road Motor Department, Slough, March 1944
During the Second World War women were given jobs normally assigned to men. At the GWR Road Motor Depot at Slough this involved car maintenance and repair

Servicemen drinking tea from a refreshment trolley on Paddington station, during WWII
A member of Refreshment Department staff serving tea to servicemen from her platform trolley at Paddington Station is the feature of this official photograph taken in 1943

Mobile emergency canteen at Paddington Station, during WWII
Paddington station in 1943 and a shot of the mobile emergency canteen, which was used to feed station staff, APR wardens, firemen

Woman using steam press at Swindon Works, 1942
Although women were employed on the railways prior to 1939, work involving the operating of heavy machinery, as shown in this photograph, was considered to be unsuitable for the fairer sex

Locomotive driver in air raid kit, during WWII
Locomotive no. 5085 Evesham Abbey with a locomotive driver on the footplate wearing a gas mask during WWII

GWR parcel van converted into an ambulance, 1940. The driver and another man in uniform are wearing gas masks. The van bears the GWR roundel branding

Woman pasting a billboard poster at Paddington station, 1943
Woman up a ladder pasting a billboard poster at Paddington station, 1943. The poster reads Remembrance Day FM Earl Haigs Appeal. Wear a Flanders Poppy. A locomotive in steam is in the background

Female worker servicing a Thorncroft lorry at Slough Road Motor Department, 1944
During the Second World War women were given jobs normally assigned to men. At the GWR Road Motor Depot at Slough this involved car and lorry maintenance and repair

Women working on a locomotive boiler in Swindon Work during WW2

Toad Brake Van, c1940
This 16 Ton boods brake van was built in 1889 to diagram a3. The guard can be seen in the rear of the van controlling the brake wheel

Women porters working in the left luggage office at Paddington station, during WWII
The Left Luggage Department at Paddington Station was, during the war, manned by female staff as can be seen in this image taken in 1943

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