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Victoria Station to London VE Day


Laker

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I have a particular interest in trains Sheffield to London on Wednesday 8th May 1945 - well known as VE Day.

anybody know? anybody travel on them?  If so any particular experiences on them?

 

 

 

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On 28/02/2018 at 15:41, Sheffield History said:



Good question. Not seen much on V.E Day in Sheffield yet but I'm sure we can find something for you

I too have an interest in what moved that day but for an odd reason. As Sheffield History  says there is nothing  much if anything about about VE Day in the forums although it did affect us directly. VJ Day came later and being about events round the other side of the world made less impact. Anyway we had had enough by then and after the day life was no better for years.

  Nothing seems to have posted about the hours put in  by the   ladies organisations that  voluntarily manned the canteens during the war years,   It was called   "Doing your bit" if they had not been drafted into the works by the Direction of Labour Regulations My mother coped with three places, each staffed  by a different denomination church organisations. Every Thursday midday, works canteen Pomona Street 11 till 2pm. Every Thursday evening  Forces canteen, YMCA Fargate 6 till 9pm. Every third Wednsday Forces (only) canteen Victoria  Station 8pm till 6am., less often solely due to a surfeit of volunteers from the local Methodists .On these occasions I was boarded out to her parents for the night on Airedale Road. Very convenient then on the Thursday, tram from Middlewood to Ecclesall for High Storrs for one old penny. 

The German  surrender was signed on Tuesday in time for the Wednesday to be declared  a public holiday. Services were curtailed but  there were trams to town from Ecclesall as usual. I opted to go for the night  with mother to the station for 8pm expecting to see some activity.   Wrong. Absolutely dead everywhere. Hopeully after all this time there may be some record; my rcollecion is  that we were told on arrival that there would be no trains till the morning. Alternatively it was Sunday service so take your pick. 

My mother and the other lady  volunteer were a bit put out. There were few night trains anyway, it was strictly forces only who either got off to go home or got on to go away Not as l recall any change of trains either so there never was much call for the canteen during the night.  It  was on the Manchester platform next to the Left Luggage Office. The railway staff were allowed in, in particular little Ernest, sometime relief signalman out to Penistone  but now regular nights in Left Luggage. He told us about the lack of services but also that in spite of this the line was in fact fully manned . So sandwich making was put on hold. 

It began to drag till around midnight  the Railway Police Sergeant came for his tea and buns. We got to talking, the outcome being my accompanying him on has rounds westward through the down Bridgehouses Yards as far as they went, up a short flight of steps to a door into the road for a quick look out. Nobody lurking so bolt the gate and  back through the up sidings and so on to the Wicker Bridge. Not a soul anywhere.

By this time it was somewhat  after 2am. Being fully manned but with no trains the LNER had thoughtfully still provided the usual West End Pilot which was parked directly  over the Wicker. As was then usual, a Great Central Large Director, whose  number once more l forgot to record, damped down sitting quietly behind us. So for the next hour or so, the crew, the sergeant and me  all stood leaning on the railings looking down at a flood of merrymakers  aĺl  milling happily and noisily about (licensing hours had been extended)  and heading for the northern hills. A good time had apparently been had by all,  except for those of us nominally on duty. Our only advantages were the welcome warmth from the engine and by 6 am the trams were running again. 

From personal observation I can say that the main train, 3.05 am Manchester to Lincoln and Grimsby did not run nor did anything else while we were there. I suspect without knowing that it is doubtful if anything had  left Victoria that day but it would be nice to know definitely after seventy odd years. Very remiss of me not to have asked about that at the time.

Mother's time was not wasted either. As usual she had sat and knitted socks for soldiers to keep awake.

 

 

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10 weeks on I haven't seen, received any specific responses, although thanks to the guy who told of his experiences the night before VE Day .

if no one has dug up any specifics re Sheffield Victoria, has anybody any knowledge about trains to London from Sheffield Midland on VE Day ?

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