George Palphramand

George Bellwood Palphramand retired in 1913 after 41 years in the service of the Great Western Railway.

George was born in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire on June 17, 1851, the son of George, an engine driver and his wife Isabella. Following the death of Isabella in 1861 the family moved to Rugby where George jnr served his apprenticeship with the London and North Western Railway. In 1872 he moved to Swindon where he married Mary Ellen Strong in 1876.

In 1884 George and Mary were hit by tragedy when their three year old son Ernest drowned in the canal near their home at 24 Read Street. In an age when child mortality was high they could not have expected to lose one of theirs in such traumatic circumstances. How do parents recover from such a loss? George had to go to work, Mary had to cook, clean and care for her surviving three children. In time they would have another son, Reginald born in 1887. Three siblings that had no memory of their little brother and one who never knew him.

In time Reginald followed his father into the railway works and having completed his fitting and turning apprenticeship moved to Coventry where he worked as a fitter in the aviation industry.

Following his retirement George and Mary moved to 69 Broadway, Earlsdon, Coventry. Mary died there in 1926. George died 11 years later on December 7, 1937.

Both Ellen and George were buried back in Swindon in Radnor Street Cemetery grave plot E8469 where they joined their little son who had died so many years before.

The site of the former Wilts & Berks Canal

Presentation to Mr. G. Palphramand – An interesting affair took place in the G Shop Office, Loco. Dept., GWR Works, Swindon, on Saturday morning last, the occasion being a presentation to the Foreman, Mr G. Palphramand, on his retirement from the Company’s service. The presentation took the form of a handsome silver-mounted ebony walking stick and a pipe, given by the assistants and Office Staff of the G. Shop. Mr A. Beer, in making the presentation, said he was expressing the sentiments of all those present in wishing Mr Palphramand the best of health to enable him to enjoy his retirement. He asked him to accept the gifts as a small token of respect and esteem of the members of his Staff. He would carry away with him the best wishes of all whom he had been associated with during his long service, and no doubt the walking stick and pipe would bring back pleasant recollections of bygone days.

Mr Palphramand thanked his colleagues for their kindness, and said he should appreciate the gifts very much indeed, as coming from his Staff, with whom he had always had harmonious dealings during the whole of his service as Foreman; and he thanked them all for the support they had at all times given him in carrying on the work of the Shop, at times under very trying circumstances. He felt very sorry to leave them all, and he had not thought of retiring quite so soon, but he found his health was not good enough now to enable him to carry on the work, and he thought it wise to give up in time.

Mr Palphramand served his apprenticeship with the L. and N.W. Railway at Rugby, and entered the service of the GWR in June 1872, thus completing 41 years with the Company. He was appointed Assistant Foreman in May, 1884, and took over the G (Millwrights) Shop as Foreman on Jan 1^st, 1891. He has served under five different Managers, and was for many years Captain of the GWR Works Fire Brigade. He was also for some years a member of the Council of the GWR Mechanics’ Institution, and also served in the old Volunteer Force in connection with the Wilts Regiment.

Swindon Advertiser, Wednesday, October 15, 1913.

The large Palphramand and Strong family grave

Hubert Cyril Littleton Haggard – a promising career cut short

Hubert Cyril Littleton Haggard was born on May 23, 1889, the second of William and Sarah Haggard’s two sons. He began work with the Great Western Railway aged 15 as a ‘lad clerk on probation’ in the stores department before transferring to the laboratory as an assistant analysist on the junior staff then progressing to the senior staff. Hubert was a conscientious and meticulous student; sadly, it was this attitude to work, which contributed to his fragile mental health. In 1908 Hubert was signed off work and ‘on the club’ – ‘required to be indoors at half past five in the evening.’ Today we have a better understanding of mental health but even now young people like Hubert are failed by an overburdened system.

Swindon Lad’s Sad End

Chemical Student’s Body found in the Canal

Promising career cut short

An exceptionally sad affair has occurred near Swindon. Last (Wednesday) evening a boy walking along the path by the side of the canal in the neighbourhood of Hay Lane, near Swindon, noticed a body in the water. He at once gave the alarm, and a man succeeded in getting the body out. It was apparent that life was extinct. Enquiries proved that deceased was Hubert Cyril Littleton Haggard, of 29 Chester Street, Swindon.

Our reporter made enquiries at the deceased’s home, where the news of the discovery of the body had come as a terrible shock.

Hubert, who was 19 years of age, was one of the brightest and best liked lads in the chemical laboratory in the GWR Factory. He was a lad full of promise, and most attentive to his work. He had been in the GWR laboratory as an analyst for between three or four years, and his exceptional progress and general aptitude for difficult and delicate work impressed those under whose directions he laboured. He held several certificates, and had won scholarships for efficiency in chemical science, being one of the foremost pupils when at the Swindon and North Wilts Technical School. Latterly he had exhibited signs of suffering from debility, which was attributed somewhat to an over application to his duties, for the father stated to our reporter that “Hubert was an extremely sensitive lad; he was conscientious to a degree, and once he applied himself to any piece of work he would stick at it until it was done to his best satisfaction.” The debility was not by any means acute, but it was decided that Hubert should take up no subjects this season, and he was himself agreeable to this. He placed himself under medical care, and being “on the club,” as the saying goes, he was required to be indoors at half past five in the evening. Before then, however, he generally managed to get in a little stroll.

On Tuesday afternoon he went for his usual stroll. He appeared quite fresh and happy when he went out. When he did not return at the usual time, some anxiety was felt, and as the night came on and he still did not return, the police were informed, and all night a search was kept up without avail, until the news came late on Wednesday afternoon that his body had been found in the canal. The deceased, apart from his work, was a cheerful, pleasant lad. He was a member of St. Mark’s Church, and was well liked and warmly respected by all who knew him. Much sympathy is felt with the relatives in their bereavement.

The inquest was held this afternoon and a verdict of “Found drowned” was returned.

Swindon Advertiser, Thursday, November 26, 1908.

Hubert was buried on November 30, 1908 in grave plot E7727. The burial registers include the comment – Found in Wilts & Berks Canal. His mother Sarah died in 1923 and was buried with him. William Haggard died in 1938 aged 85 years and was buried with his son and wife.

The Palphramand family

This large family plot has many stories to tell. From Joseph Strong, a pattern maker, who moved to Swindon from Bolton in Lancashire in the 1850s to his son-in-law George Palphramand, who in retirement moved to Coventry and in death returned to Swindon to be buried with his family.

But I am beginning the story of the Strong and Palphramand’s with a family tragedy and the death of a little boy.

George Palphramand and Mary Ellen Strong married in St. Mark’s Church on April 13, 1876. Their first child Isabel was baptised on November 4, 1877 in the church where they were married. At the time of the 1881 census George and Mary were living at 24 Read Street with their three children Isabel 3, George 2 and 7½ month old baby Ernest. Mary’s brother Joseph Strong and his family lived next door at number 25. In the 1880s Read, Marlborough and Andover streets abutted the Wilts & Berks Canal.

Work began on the Wilts & Berks Canal at Semington in 1795 expressly for the transportation of Somerset coal to the towns in Wiltshire and Berkshire. However, with the completion of the Great Western Railway line from London to Bristol, trade on the canal diminished. It was closed by an act of parliament in 1914 and eventually filled in from about the 1930s. Today the short stretch of the former canal provides a route into Swindon town centre from the bottom of Kingshill.

At the inquest into the death of Ernest, a witness drew attention to the fact that there was really no fence there to keep little children from getting on the canal side, and ‘it was a great inducement for children to play there.’ Returning a verdict of accidental death the jury ‘expressed a wish that the Canal Company should endeavour to carry out such improvements to their fences that would hinder the occurrence of similar fatalities.’

Was this recommendation acted upon? Would this have been any consolation to the Palphramand family?

The Wilts & Berks canal looking east towards Marlborough Street footbridge c1914 published courtesy of Local Studies, Swindon Central Library.

Another Death From Drowning – On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Baker held an inquest at the Ship Inn, New Swindon, on the body of Ernest Strong Palphramand, aged three years and eleven months, son of George Palphramand assistant foreman in the P Shop, G.W.R. Works, of 24, Read street, who was drowned in the canal at the end of Read street, on Sunday afternoon. Mr George Thomas was foreman. The father of the deceased deposed that he last saw his son alive at about half past four o’clock on Sunday afternoon. The deceased was then playing with his brother in the backyard. The two children then went out at the back-gate, down the yard, and round by the front. The deceased went on to the path, and must then have fallen into the water. The other brother did not go on the path, but saw the deceased in the water, and gave the alarm. Witness ran up the street and jumped in, but could not find the child. His wife called the children back when they first went out of the gate, but they did not come; the elder of the children was five years old. When his older son came back from the water he seemed confused and could not tell where his brother was. No one really saw the child fall in the canal; and he must have been in the water for quite a quarter of an hour. Every effort was used to restore animation by those on the bank before the doctor arrived. Witness wished to call the attention of the jury to the bad state of the fences, and the path; there was really no fence there to keep little children from getting on the canal side, and it was a great inducement for children to play there. Henry Fraine, carpenter, of 44, Albion street, who helped to get the child out of the water, and Dr. Swinhoe also gave evidence. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, but expressed a wish that the Canal Company should endeavour to carry out such improvements to their fences that would hinder the occurrence of similar fatalities. The jury also expressed their deep sympathy with the bereaved parents.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, Saturday, July 26 1884.

Ernest Strong Palphramand was buried on July 23, 1884 in grave plot E8469. The burial registers record that he was 3 years old and that his place of death was ‘The Canal near Read Street’.