The railways played a significant role during WWII. Petrol rationing and the fact that very few people owned cars meant that train travel was the only way of travelling any distance, though this was discouraged. Posters were everywhere asking the public if their journey was really necessary. Posters also reminded the Home Front of the importance of using the trains for war work. It was the steam trains that evacuated children from cities to the safety of the countryside. Wagons weighing 50 tons (Warwell) were designed and built to carry Sherman tanks supplied by the U.S.A. Troops, rescued from Dunkirk, were picked up at Dover and transported by rail to hospitals and camps. Top secret recruits travelled to Bletchley Park station to begin their work as codebreakers. Supplies of food, equipment, ammunition, coal and the movement of troops were dependant on the railway network.
The railway workers, often women, replaced the men who were away fighting, Everyone ensured that the trains kept running, despite sometimes severe weather conditions and constant bombing. It was essential that track and engines were quickly repaired. The role of the railway was essential during WWII and Britain owes it's civilian and reserved occupation workers a debt of gratitude.
Photographs are of re-enactors at 1940s Events - Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire and Worcestershire, 28th June 2015. Peak Rail Derbyshire,1st August 2015.
Source -
www.marple-uk.com
www.1900s.org.uk.
www.railalbum.co.uk-railway-wagons www.culture24.org.uk
#WWIIRailways #1940sre-enactors #homefront
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