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Joe Duddington Driver of Mallard at 126 mph


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I am researching Joseph (Joe)  Duddington of Doncaster,  for a guided walk of railway interest, Joe was born in Doncaster in 1875, married twice as a widower, set the 126 mph record in 1938,  retired from 36A Carr Loco in 1947,  he died in 1953 aged 76,  lived in Hyde Park area of Doncaster for almost entire life.

 

Is there an obituary for him, and does anyone know where he was buried?

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  • 1 year later...

I can report, the resting place of Joe Duddington 1876 - 1953,  driver of Mallard on the record breaking run, has been identified to be  the 1856 Hyde Park Cemetery of  Doncaster.

An appeal by the "Friends of Hyde Park Cemetery" has attracted funding to create a fitting memorial to Joe, donations were received from many sources including Aslef.

 

http://www.fohpc.org.uk/duddington/

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The next task is to research Tommy Bray,  fireman on the run , does anyone have anything to post on Tommy Bray?  I believe he was Thomas H Bray and lived in Doncaster until his demise in 1966

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17 hours ago, Pandora said:

The next task is to research Tommy Bray,  fireman on the run , does anyone have anything to post on Tommy Bray?  I believe he was Thomas H Bray and lived in Doncaster until his demise in 1966

My recently deceased freinds uncle was Tommy Bray he was from Doncaster,

unfortunatly now cannot discuss this further, wish now i had found out

more about him.

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20 hours ago, Harry Welch said:

I seem to recall a BBC interview with Joe Duddington, perhaps on his retirement.

Is this correct or am I getting it mixed up with someone else?

 

I don't know whether it was a retirement thing, but there used to be a vinyl record and cassette from the BBC with an interview.

 

I used to have a copy on tape. Which dates it!

 

 

Jason

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The Driver and Fireman Memorials.

Today the memorial for Tommy Bray was unveiled to mark  the area where his ashes were dispersed

 

A report by a correspondent:

 

Cliff Bray, Tommy’s Grandson and Jean Bray, Tommy’s Granddaughter in Law attended with Cliff’s partner Jane and his Granddaughter.

 

Cliff and Jean both commented that Tommy never spoke about it [ the speed record ] as he would have seen it as part of his job, which I guess shows the nature of the man and how society was in the 1930s. Also when you bear in mind that 14 months later we were at war with Germany, I suppose the achievement wasn’t, understandably, as important to them after that experience.

 

The memorial for the grave of  Joe Duddington will follow later this year

 

TommyBrayMemorial.jpg

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On 21/06/2021 at 23:11, Harry Welch said:

I seem to recall a BBC interview with Joe Duddington, perhaps on his retirement.

Is this correct or am I getting it mixed up with someone else?

This video may be the report you recall:

 

 

The 1938 Radio interview:

 

 

When joe died his passing was reported far and wide including Australia.

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21 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Normal retirement age for men was 65.  There would have been quite a lot who didn't retire on reaching that age because of the wartime shortages of skilled men particularly in critical jobs, but was that still an issue in 1947?  


In 1965, I worked with a leading porter who had either been allowed to, or had been asked to, continue at work after age 65. I think he was about 67 at that time - I don’t know how much longer he worked.

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In 1976 I met a friend of my uncle and aunt, Murray Milne. He said that he might be one of the last railwaymen retiring with over 50 years service. He referred to himself as an "old Caley man" but I don't know how accurate that was. He was a senior inspector at Millerhill yaerd.

 

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5 hours ago, BR60103 said:

In 1976 I met a friend of my uncle and aunt, Murray Milne. He said that he might be one of the last railwaymen retiring with over 50 years service. He referred to himself as an "old Caley man" but I don't know how accurate that was. He was a senior inspector at Millerhill yaerd.

 

 

If he was retiring at 65, he would have been born in 1911. The earliest he could have started on the railway was then probably at 14? Which would be 1925... If he was retiring at 68, say, his claim to have been an employee of the Caledonian could be accurate. But the identity of the pre-Grouping companies, certainly in term of esprit de corps, lasted well after grouping, or so one gathers. So his first employer may well have been the LMS but he would identify as a Caley man, and certainly not as a Sou'-West man!

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10 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Normal retirement age for men was 65.  There would have been quite a lot who didn't retire on reaching that age because of the wartime shortages of skilled men particularly in critical jobs, but was that still an issue in 1947?  

Over-age men (and occasionally women)  were not uncommon on the railway in the 1960s and into the 1970s.   RSJC Minute T.460 of 1961 provided for staff being retained over normal retirement age (I presume that it probably superseded an earlier agreement).  When I was working  with the P&E Review teams on the WR in 1967 it came to light that there was a 73 year old C&W Examiner at Reading who had originally joined the SECR before the Great War.  He was still there because all the Western C&W Examiners weren't at all happy to get involved with the 3rd rail although he'd obviously been over normal retirement age before the WR had taken over the ex SR side.  And there were several other instances on the London Division of over age men working in various jobs.

 

Another one I came across in 1969 was the Leading Railman in charge at Morar on the West Highland Extension who had originally joined the NBR as an Engine Cleaner at Mallaig in 1913 and he had taken the job at Morar after he'd retired as a Driver. He had a considerable fund of stories, especially from WWII and also the working of fish trains and I got on rather well with him as on the weekend a group of us were there in the. Camping Coaches I helped him out with his accounts as he'd had a sudden rush of people (us) booking Priv Tickets.

 

There was also a lady, 'Flossie',  at Twyford on the WR who had originally joined the railway at Twyford as a Booking Clerk during WWIi but later became a Cleaner at the station and was finally reappointed in Porter's post at Twyford after she'd passed her 60th birthday.  Also a relatively recent retiree from Twyford was the station Chargeman who was over 70 when he finished and whom FGW/GWR had told he could stay there in the job until he wished to retire ( I think biking 5 miles to work for early turn was finally what decided him to finish) - I'd known him (in my school days I hasten to add) as a Lad Porter when he first started and his father - who was a PerWay Ganger - had also retired a year or two after his 65th birthday.

 

Incidentally the last person I knew who retired with 50 years service left in 1998 and he was also the, or one of the, last members of staff  who had joined the GWR (in late 1947, as a Signal Box Booking Boy)

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On 24/07/2021 at 00:15, Michael Hodgson said:

Normal retirement age for men was 65.  There would have been quite a lot who didn't retire on reaching that age because of the wartime shortages of skilled men particularly in critical jobs, but was that still an issue in 1947?  

Apologies, an error on my part,  the British Pathe  newsreel showing joe Duddington on his last day of duty  is from 1944, not 1947

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23 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Over-age men (and occasionally women)  were not uncommon on the railway in the 1960s and into the 1970s.   RSJC Minute T.460 of 1961 provided for staff being retained over normal retirement age (I presume that it probably superseded an earlier agreement).

:offtopic:

My Grandfather joined the LNWR when he left the army in 1919. He should have retired in 1963 but his Lineman's district was due to disappear just over 2 years later with the West Coast electrification. Preparatory work for New Street reconstruction was just getting underway and staff were already being brought in on loan from around the region to cover gaps. There used to be some sort of agreement, not sure if it was ever written down,  about having a short gap then coming back as a labourer grade and doing the old job on a temporary basis until it was filled permanently but mostly it was ignored.

He took his annual leave for what was the last two weeks of his normal employment. When his train arrived back at New Street on the Friday the S&T Inspector was waiting for him to ask if he could come out on Saturday evening to do some disconnections for a relaying job at Proof House. My Grandmother apparently turned away and the inspector said "I will send a taxi at 9pm."

When his district finally disappeared the Chief Installer on the mechanical gang had been hurt in a road accident and had been put on depot duties so he was asked to continue covering that job for the main track alterations in preparation for Saltley PSB. He continued until the Midland side of that work was finished and the area was transferred to Tyseley depot before he retired at 70 after 48 years and 10 months.

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On 26/07/2021 at 16:30, bobthesod4479 said:

Re the Tommy Brsay memorial

 

Was this recently?

Tuesday 20th July 2021 from my correspondent.  The memorial stone and dedication  for the grave of  Joe Duddington will  be later in the year

On 26/07/2021 at 16:30, bobthesod4479 said:

 

 

 

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I am informed of the dedication event for Joe Duddington will be  taking  place  at Hyde Park Cemetery Doncaster on October 2nd. A  Public appeal raised £5000  over and above  a target of £2000 for the gravestone where Joe is buried along with his first wife who died in the 1920s

 

image.png.e2f44b3be7a8d82e0eeefc2432285c51.png

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There was an old fella at Ashtead who done the morning peak up platform duty He'd always greet the drivers with cheery wave and half a Fisherman's Friend! Ho told me he was a former Stewarts Lane drive and used to drive the Golden Arrow in steam days. He was well over 70 and lasted well into the days of 455s on the South Western.

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