|
Railway Executive Committee
The Railway Executive Committee (REC) was a government body which controlled the operation of Britain's railways during World War I and World War II. It should not be confused with the Railway Executive which was a division of the British Transport Commission. In both cases, this period of government control was followed by a major re-organisation of the railways. World War I The Railway Executive Committee (REC) was formed in 1912 to act as an intermediary between the War Office and the various British railway companies. It was formed in response to the Agadir Crisis for a contingency in which it would have to defend its Triple Entente partners France and Russia against a Triple Alliance offensive. The companies were already involved in the transport of many thousands of troops during annual manoeuvres and it was realised that better coordination and planning would be required if the United Kingdom were to enter into a future European war. In 1911, the companies began to plan f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war. Prior to 1914, the European great powers were divided between the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and Britain) and the Triple Alliance (containing Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herbert Ashcombe Walker
Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker (16 May 1868 – 29 September 1949) was a British railway manager. Early life Walker was born in Paddington, London, in 1868, the son of a doctor. He was educated at the North London Collegiate School and studied medicine for one year at St Francis Xavier College, Bruges. He then passed the Apothecaries' Hall exam. Career When family finances meant that plans for a medical career had to be abandoned Walker, aged 17, joined the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) as a clerk at Euston in April 1885. In January 1889 he became outdoor assistant to the Superintendent of the Line. In 1893 he was made Assistant District Superintendent, North Wales Division and 10 months later was moved to the same job in the Southern Division (covering London to Stafford); in 1902 he became District Superintendent Euston, when he visited the US to study American practice. In October 1909, he became Assistant to the Superintendent of the Line and in July 1910 Outdo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Companies' Association
The Railway Companies' Association was a co-ordinating body for British railway companies from 1867 until nationalisation in 1948. Its purpose was to protect the interests of the companies and their shareholders, chiefly against parliamentary interference. It was an early example of a lobby organisation. History The Association had its roots in a meeting of railway company chairmen, held at the Railway Clearing House (RCH) in March 1854, to discuss parliamentary matters of concern, but a properly constituted organisation developed only slowly. This was partly a result of the independent nature of the Victorian railway companies and the number of company chairmen and senior officers who were Lords or MPs in their own right, and partly a reflection of the gradually increasing role of government in regulating railway company actions and the need for an 'industry' response. By 1858 a United Railway Companies' Committee (URCC) had been formed, but it foundered after three years and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Pick
Frank Pick Hon. RIBA (23 November 1878 – 7 November 1941) was a British transport administrator. After qualifying as a solicitor in 1902, he worked at the North Eastern Railway, before moving to the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) in 1906. He was chief executive officer and vice-chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board from its creation in 1933 until 1940. Pick had a strong interest in design and its use in public life. He steered the development of the London Underground's corporate identity by commissioning eye-catching commercial art, graphic design and modern architecture, establishing a highly recognisable brand, including the first versions of the roundel and typeface still used today. Under his direction, the UERL's Underground network and associated bus services expanded considerably, reaching out into new areas and stimulating the growth of London's suburbs. His impact on the growth of London between the world wars led to his bein ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gilbert Szlumper
Major General Gilbert Savil Szlumper, (18 April 1884 – 19 July 1969) was a British railwayman, and the penultimate general manager of the Southern Railway. He left the Southern Railway for war service in 1939, becoming director-general of transportation & movements, War Office (1939–1940); railway control officer, Ministry of Transport (1940–1941) and director-general of supply services, Ministry of Supply (1942–1945). Early life Gilbert Szlumper was the son of Alfred W. Szlumper, chief engineer of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). He was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon, and studied engineering for two years at King's College, London. He joined the LSWR in 1904, held a commission in the Royal Engineers from 1908, became personal assistant to the LSWR General Manager in February 1914 and was secretary to the Railway Executive Committee during the First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Valentine Wood
Sir William Valentine Wood Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, KBE, worked for much of his life on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), rising to become its President. He was known for his ability with numbers. Biography William Wood; Willie Wood to his railway colleagues and Val to his family, attended Methodist College, Belfast before joining the Northern Counties Committee (NCC) as an accountant. Here he expanded his interest to all matters relating to the railway. During World War I he worked for the government, and when the Department for Transport, Ministry of Transport was created in 1919 he became its first director of finance. He later returned to railway work on the LMS, successor to the Midland Railway which had owned the NCC, where he became vice president (finance and services). When Josiah Stamp was killed in 1941, Wood was asked to take over as President, a post which he held until the nationalisation of the Railways in 194 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Milne (railway Manager)
Sir James Milne, K.C.V.O., C.S.I. (4 May 1883 – 1 April 1958), was an Irish railway manager in Great Britain. He was General Manager of the Great Western Railway (GWR) from 1929 to 1947, and also deputy chairman of the Railway Executive Committee (REC) from 1938 to 1947. Early life Milne was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1883. He attended Campbell College in Belfast and later moved to Great Britain to study Engineering at the Victoria University of Manchester, graduating in 1904. GWR Milne joined the GWR 1904 as a pupil engineer (training to be a locomotive engineer) in the locomotive department. He later moved to Paddington and gained operational and traffic experience. In 1912 Milne married Nora Rebekah Morse, daughter of Levi Lapper Morse. Government work Milne joined the Ministry of Transport when it was set up in 1919 as Director of Statistics until 1921. He also served on the Geddes Committee on National Expenditure (1921–22) and the India Retrenchment Commit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sir Ralph Wedgwood, 1st Baronet
Sir Ralph Lewis Wedgwood, 1st Baronet, (; 2 March 1874 – 5 September 1956) was the Chief Officer of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) for 16 years from its inauguration in 1923. He was chairman of the wartime Railway Executive Committee from September 1939 to August 1941. Biography Wedgwood was born at Barlaston Lea, Stoke-on-Trent, the son of Clement Wedgwood and his wife Emily, daughter of the engineer James Meadows Rendel. His elder brother was Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood. He was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became a member of the Cambridge Apostles. He was close friends there with his second cousin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, who later dedicated two of his works to him, "In the Fen Country" and "A Sea Symphony". Along with Richard Curle, Wedgwood was executor of Joseph Conrad's estate from Conrad's death in 1924 until 1944, when responsibility was transferred to the author's son John Conrad and the law firm With ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was London Transport. History The London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) was established pursuant to the London Passenger Transport Act 1933 enacted on 13 April 1933. The bill had been introduced by Herbert Morrison, who was Transport Minister in the Labour Government until 1931. Because the legislation was a hybrid bill it had been possible to allow it to 'roll over' into the new parliament under the incoming National Government. The new government, although dominated by Conservatives, decided to continue with the bill, with no serious changes, despite its extensive transfer of private undertakings into the public sector. On 1 July 1933, the LPTB came into being, covering the "London Passenger Transport Area". The LPTB's financial structure ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Railway (UK)
The Southern Railway (SR), sometimes shortened to 'Southern', was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent. The railway was formed by the amalgamation of several smaller railway companies, the largest of which were the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR).Bonavia (1987) pp. 26-28 The construction of what was to become the Southern Railway began in 1838 with the opening of the London and Southampton Railway, which was renamed the London & South Western Railway. The railway was noted for its astute use of public relations and a coherent management structure headed by Sir Herbert Walker. At , the Southern Railway was the smallest of the '' Big Four'' railway companies and, unlike the others, the majority of its revenue came from passenger traffic rather than freight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London And North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At that time, it was divided into the new British Railways' Eastern Region, North Eastern Region, and partially the Scottish Region. History The company was the second largest created by the Railways Act 1921. The principal constituents of the LNER were: * Great Eastern Railway * Great Central Railway * Great Northern Railway * Great North of Scotland Railway * Hull and Barnsley Railway * North British Railway * North Eastern Railway The total route mileage was . The North Eastern Railway had the largest route mileage of , whilst the Hull and Barnsley Railway was . It covered the area north and east of London. It included the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle upon Tyne and the routes from Edinburgh to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London, Midland And Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally used in historical circles. The LMS occasionally also used the initials LM&SR. For consistency, this article uses the initials LMS.) was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railways into four. The companies merged into the LMS included the London and North Western Railway, Midland Railway, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (which had previously merged with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922), several Scottish railway companies (including the Caledonian Railway), and numerous other, smaller ventures. Besides being the world's largest transport organisation, the company was also the largest commercial enterprise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
