People Gallery

Oddicombe Beach, Devon, 1932

Bather and divers are making the most of the water in this image of Oddicombe Beach from 1932. A group of ladies are enjoying diving from the platform into the sea. Beach huts can be seen in the background lining the shingles

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

1930s, 1930s Fashion, 1932, Bathers, Beach, Beach Huts, Devon, Divers, Diving, Oddicombe, Publicity, Swimmers, Swimming

George Jackson Churchward (1857 - 1933)

George Jackson Churchward, pictured here in 1918, was the GWR's Chief Mechanical Engineer between 1902 and 1921. He oversaw the Swindon Works modernisation and introduced the 4-6-0 locomotives, the blueprint for some the GWR's most iconic express engines. He died in Swindon in 1933 after being struck by a train as he was crossing the railway tracks between his home and the Works

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

Shunter in the wartime blackout, c.1940

Blackouts were challenging times for some GWR employees, as this image of a shunter taken at Bristol shows. Limited lighting during an air raid posed a serious health and safety risk, especially in busy depots or marshalling yards. Even in daylight the task of coupling and uncoupling wagons was a dangerous job. But at night it was even worse and during a blackout it must have been a daunting experience, even for a skilled shunter. Shunters were required to use lamps that had shades attached. This meant they were less visible to aircraft during an air raid, but it also had a negative impact on their working visibility