Railway and CAD Corsham

[Guest tonygwr]

Would like to hear from anyone who was involved in the GW railway working arrangements that supplied CAD Corsham, Wiltshire, in WW2 or later period. This would include Thingley Junction, Lacock and Beanacre sidings as well as Corsham.

[Martyn Gibson]

Hi Tony,

I live and work in Corsham and have some contacts who have some knowledge of the railway workings during WW2.

If you would mail me off forum with what you are after I will do what I can to help you.

Regards

Martyn

[Guest]

Although it does not say much about railway working, have you come across Nick Camley's book "Secret Underground Cities"? (Leo Cooper, 1988). It covers other locations as well, but is mainly about the Corsham area.

One defect is that Camley writes as though Corsham was the only CAD in WWII, whereas it was only one of four, although the others were surface sites - they all mainly used rail links though. The first of these to be opened, CAD Bramley in Hampshire (now closed), was constructed mainly by German prisoners just after WWI. Within the RAOC, Bramley was always regarded as the "senior" CAD and remained in operation well into the 1970s, well after Corsham closed.

Camley is the guy who operated the Monkton Farleigh sub-depot as a tourist attraction in the 1980s, but it never produced the income to keep going.

[Martyn Gibson]

Angie

There is now a DVD out about the underground workings at Corsham and the history behind it all. If you are interested I have photographs of the underground paintings that were done to help brighten the place up for all the workers.

Contact me if you are interested in a copy of this DVD and I will get you the contact details

I worked in the tunnels during my time in the RAF and feel quite priveliged to have seen Brunells work in Box Tunnel as well the quarrymens work and what the Royal Engineers built all those years ago.

Regards

Martyn