A War Department Railway pass used by workers engaged in the construction of Codbury and Heytesbury Camps

[MPS]

I came across the following web site entry related to a worker’s travel pass issued by the company of Sir John Jackson who built Codbury and Heytesbury Camps on the edge of Salisbury Plain between 1914 and 1915.

 

Does anyone know any more about such War Department travel passes and if there were others used for the free or subsidised travel of workers engaged in the British munitions industry during the Great War?

 

https://war-work.com/sir-john-jackson-limited-engineering-contractor-to-the-war-department-salisbury/

[Moonraker]

Welcome, MPS

 

Yours is an interesting question. I've come across many references to soldiers travelling by train but hardly any to workmen.

 

Codford, not Codbury.

 

I have more information about the company, allegations of lazy workmen and shoddy huts, criticism by the Public Accounts Committee of profiteering and worker's death and a postcard showing its workers standing on the railway line waiting for a train home. Some of this has been posted here on the GWF and to place it on this thread would distract from your question.

 

I look forward to direct answers from my learned colleagues.

 

 

[MPS]

Thanks for pointing out the typo. 
 

I would love to see a copy of the postcard image of the workers waiting for the train. Can you direct me to it please?

[Moonraker]

I don't think that I posted that particular image on the GWF, but I'll add it to this thread in the next day or two.

 

In the meantime, this old thread will give you some background on Sir John Jackson's company. (See my post dated September 23, 2006.)

[MPS]

Thanks. Very much appreciated.

 

 

[Moonraker]

As promised:

 

[MPS]

Very good. Are these postcard images?

[Moonraker]

They are both photographs on postcards. Local photographers did a roaring trade once the War Office started using Salisbury Plain from 1897. They would be at railway stations (notably Ludgershall) when troops arrived and would also visit the camp, selling photographic postcards to the troops. Ross, who published the lower card, was one of two prolific photographers from Shrewton, along with A F Marrett.

 

As well as publishing their own cards, the local men would supply a few of their photographs to news agencies and illustrated magazines. There are many postcards showing camps being built in Wiltshire in late 1914 and Kitchener battalions and the First Canadian Contingent training at that time.. Around the turn of the year, photography of military installations was banned and most postcards for the remainder of the war showed civilians - concert parties, YMCA huts and staff, for example.

 

A very few cards now attract very high prices, even £80 or more. I would value the two above at £25-30 (top)  and £30-35.

[MPS]

Fascinating. Thanks for the added details.

[Moonraker]

On 06/12/2020 at 17:45, Moonraker said:

...  I have more information about the company, allegations of lazy workmen and shoddy huts, criticism by the Public Accounts Committee of profiteering and worker's death and a postcard showing its workers standing on the railway line waiting for a train home. Some of this has been posted here on the GWF and to place it on this thread would distract from your question.

 

I look forward to direct answers from my learned colleagues.

 

 

As there have been no such answers yet, and encouraged by MPS's interest, I'll provide details of deaths, some rail-related, of Codford construction workers:

 

https://salisburyinquests.wordpress.com/

 

Search for Samuel Resnick, Herbert Wells, George Lye, Percy Futcher and Ebenezer Griffiths.

[Moonraker]

I put the original question to an expert on the Midland & South Western Junction Railway, which served Chisledon Camp, south of Swindon, where huts were built in 1914-15. A branch from Ludgershall (Wiltshire) was built to serve Tidworth, where construction of brick barracks started in 1902. Ludgershall was also close to Perham Down,where huts were built in 1914-15. He replied:

 

"With regard to War Department travel passes, members of the armed forces were also entitled to special tickets, which gave them a discount on ordinary fares. Similarly, railway staff were entitled to privilege tickets, which cost less than ordinary tickets. I don't know whether similar schemes were available to munitions workers. I haven't seen any special tickets for munitions workers, but they could possibly either have been given ordinary privilege tickets like the railway staff, or the tickets described as "government rate", whose use I have been unable to discover. As far as the workers at Brimstone Bottom were concerned, I doubt if any charge was made and tickets or passes issued, as the only people likely to want to travel on the trains would be workers lodging at the camp and working on the barracks, so why bother with unnecessary paperwork?"

 

Brimstone Bottom was the site of a navvy village for workers building Tidworth Barracks; open wagons conveyed them from the village to the construction site and back. But obviously they would have had to travel from various parts of the country.

 

Googling "Brimstone Bottom Wiltshire" will take one to a couple of relevant old photos.

[MPS]

Thanks for this additional and valued information.