Second World War Gallery

Women employee in the Road Motor Department at Slough, 1944

The Road Motor Department at Slough was another area that saw the employment of women in traditionally male roles. This photograph was taken on April 18th 1944 and shows a female mechanic involved in the maintenance of the GWR's fleet of road vehicles. Supply difficulties and the shortage of trained staff made the maintenance of the road vehicles increasingly challenging, but with the railways being the biggest operators of road vehicles, it was vitally important that road services remained fully operational. With typical GWR resourcefulness, damaged and worn parts were repaired, and when component parts were not available from specialist firms, replacements were fabricated in the Company's own workshops

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 caused operational problems that threatened to affect the service the Company could offer to both the government and the general public. This was alleviated in part by borrowing locomotives from other British Railway Companies and also reinstating previously withdrawn engines back into service. In 1942 however, a number of American locomotives were shipped over to Britain to assist the domestic transport network. In a ceremony held at Paddington Station on the 11th December 1942, United States 2-8-0 tender locomotive No. 1604, pictured here adorned with the British and American flags, was formally handed over to Lord Leathers, Minister of War Transport, by Colonel N.A. Ryan, Chief of Transportation for the American Army, who stated that he hoped the locomotive "will do as good work for you as British Engines have done already for us"

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

SS St Julien at the Banana Dock in Dieppe c.1939

SS St Julien is pictured here at the Banana Dock in Dieppe during her service as a hospital ship. St Julien was built in 1925 as a vessel to serve the GWR's Weymouth route, which she did until requisitioned by the government on the 9th September 1939 to work as a troop ship. During the following month the steamer was sent to Southampton to be converted into Hospital Ship No. 29 and she began work ferrying casualties from France back to Britain, from where they would be taken by train to hospitals around the country. St Julien took part in the evacuation of Dunkirk, crossing the channel 6 times in an attempt to reach troops, where, despite being clearly identified as a hospital ship, she came under enemy fire. She survived Dunkirk and subsequent service as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean, and at the end of the war SS St Julien returned to operation on the Weymouth Service

© STEAM Museum of the GWR