wulsten Posted 19 August , 2011 Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Does anyone know which railway operated in Wakefield prior to the Great war researching a chap who served in the 1/4th KOYLI who was killed in action on the canal bank Ypres, prior to the war he worked in the signal box at Kirkgate railway station and afterwards moved to Fleetwood, or any info relating to railway memorials to their workers, anything appreciated. Harry Ridge 1/4th KOYLI (Added) Would a signal box worker be employed by Y&LR ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdoc Posted 19 August , 2011 Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Harry, Wiki suggests that the line through Kirkgate became part of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_and_Leeds_Railway Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepper Posted 19 August , 2011 Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Agreed, Wakefield Kirkgate and Fleetwod were both stations on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. There is a memorial to the men of the L&Y at Manchester Victoria station. There's a phot on flickr Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulsten Posted 19 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Keith, Nigel thanks for the links, looks like i will be catching a train to Victoria to view a very fine memorial, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulsten Posted 19 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Just for interest, located the Y & L Roll of Honour website http://www.lyrs.org.uk/genealogy/rollofhonour.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepper Posted 19 August , 2011 Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Nice find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulsten Posted 19 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Nigel, interesting but unfortunately Harry Ridge does not appear to be listed on the Roll of Honour or the memorial at Victoria station which is strange as his obituary in the wakefield newspaper gives his prior employment in the Kirkgate railway stion signal box, or were the employees of the signal boxes different from the railway company using the track ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepper Posted 19 August , 2011 Share Posted 19 August , 2011 Normally yes but the railways around Wakefield get a bit convoluted so it could be that he was an employee of another company if it was a section of line owned by one company but used by two or more. That he had previously worked at Fleetwwod which was solidly L&Y territory does point towards him still being and L&Y man though. Is his obit online of just in a Wakefield paper? Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 20 August , 2011 Share Posted 20 August , 2011 Why would the L&YR use signalmen from other companies on their lines? Fleetwood was also L&YR. I have searched all of the companies listed in the publication St Pauls Cathedral Service in Memory of Railwaymen, which I find quite comprehensive and can't find him. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdoc Posted 20 August , 2011 Share Posted 20 August , 2011 If that section of line was operated as a joint railway, i.e. by more than one company at the same time under a committee, or by one company but with running rights available to another then the working arrangements could be shared. On the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, for example, although it was nominally independent the stations and fixtures were provided by the London & South Western but the locomotives were designed and built by the Midland Railway. It was perfectly possible for a servant of one company to work with the servants of another on a daily basis. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill24chev Posted 20 August , 2011 Share Posted 20 August , 2011 two railway companies had lines through Wakefield, the Great Northern and the Lancashire & Yorkshire. The GN station was Westgate and the L&Y was Kirkgate. their is a spur conecting the two stations owned acording to Jowett by the L&Y. If the man is not on the L&Y memorial he may have been a signal man in a GN box that controlled the junction to Kirkgate, this is just speculation but it may have been named "Kirkgate " junction. However the reference to Fleetwood sugests he was an L&Y man because Fleetwood was the terminus of a joint line owned by the L&Y and LNWR. The fact that he is not on the L&Y memorial does not mean he was not an L&Y man. as we know from other forum posts many men did not get comemorsted on the memorials that we would expect them to be on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulsten Posted 21 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 21 August , 2011 Bill, thanks for the info, he is probably one who was missed off the roll of honour, however at least he is being remembered, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Underdown Posted 21 August , 2011 Share Posted 21 August , 2011 Appointment books for several of the railway companies are now on Ancestry, see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/605.htm I don't think all of them are covered yet though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulsten Posted 25 August , 2011 Author Share Posted 25 August , 2011 David, many thanks for the link, will have a look, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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