Today’s blogpost concludes a series of articles written by Miss Lorna Dawes about her time working ‘Inside’ the GWR Works. These pieces first appeared in the Wiltshire Family History Society newsletter and are published here with the kind consent of Yvonne Neal.
In later years wages were brought from the bank by a man on an open bogie pulling two large boxes contained the cash.
I never heard an attempt to rob.
Lorna’s own sketch
The workmen queued up to be paid but the foremen were paid individually, and I used to go one week to the Loco Works, one week to the Carriage Works, accompanied by a man carrying the box of envelopes and money. We had to go to every shop office and many were upstairs above the workshop. In one workshop on the Loco side the noise almost took your breath away, and had the effect of freezing movement. So much so that you almost couldn’t put one foot in front of the other. In fact, deafness affected quite a few of the workers there. On a wet day, we hated it being the Loco side because of the oil and water hazard. This also applied to the tunnel on a wet day.
Disciplinary hearings were held with all the legal representatives and full reports. I typed some myself.
Long service awards, laid down by years: various items to choose e.g. camera, watch etc. Can’t tell you when this began, but was another of my involvements. I do know there were sometimes upsets because ‘one day out’ meant no award. Large ceremonies took place in the Training School with the Works Manager present.
There was a team of office cleaners. Many were elderly women and some came through the Works from Rodbourne. There was quite a lot of brass to clean! These cleaners did two shifts, early morning, possibly starting at 6.00 a.m., and again in the evening. Seemed a lot – 2 shifts.
There were quite a few cats in the workshops and offices. Unbelievably, a cat had a little of kittens behind a moulding box in the Foundry. The men were really concerned and told everyone to be careful. My Dad was there at the time. When the Works were closed for Trip, it wasn’t unknown for men to gain access to fee the cats.
When the library at the Mechanics closed, the books were sold off and I bought three – about Tibet and Nepal.
In my early days I travelled to work by bus and there were special buses laid on at the Works entrance.
My Dad had no ‘fixed’ bathroom at home and went to ‘the Baths’ after working in the Foundry.
In later years air conditioning fans were introduced in the Foundry but, when my Dad worked there, the only aid, especially on a hot summer’s day, was buckets of water – with something added – BRAN.
Another job I had on Welfare consisted of finding lodgings for men attending Diesel Training School in Emlyn Square. At that time Swindon didn’t have much call for accommodation, apart from hotels, but we found nice places and two were in Beatrice Street.
I guess it was turpentine in those days as we dreaded the window cleaners (rail gang) coming. The smell hung on.
A man from Bristol came to service the typewriters but we had to do our own temporary repairs. One was to tie loose ‘type’ arms with cotton and it did work until the engineer came.
Spring was heralded when an older man messenger, who travelled the Works on a bicycle (such were the distances) came to us in the offices with bunches of pussy willows picked in the concentration yard.
Workers played all sports at the GWR Sports Ground in Shrivenham Road. Teams of clerks and workers against one another. Snooker and billiards were played in the Mechanics.
Weekly repertory meetings were also held in the Mechanics. One group did long spells of different plays each week.
Other activities included:
GWR Male Voice Choir
National Savings Group – a large silver cup was fought over
First Aid Classes and competitions – all lines competed.
Arts and Crafts (Mechanics) from all over the GWR.
GWR Music Festival
Mass x-rays
Blood donations
As for stationery – masses of ‘scrap pads’ were produced and available.
Women were employed in the sewing room, laundry, canteens, casualty centres as well as clerks.
I had to accompany new entrants, and female illness cases, to Park House and ‘sat in’. I also collected water samples and remember one ‘donation’ was in a large-sized HP sauce bottle – full up!
You may also like to read:
Miss Lorna Dawes and a life ‘inside’
Radnor Street Cemetery 
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