Thursday 14 September 2017

Another story from Martin Logan ....... REMEMBERING THE EMPLOYEES OF MANCHESTER CORPORATION TRAMWAYS

The Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire is the home of the National Tramways Museum. 

Wall showing MCT, Leicester Tramways and Salford Tramways Memorials 
The museum provides a journey through the history of trams from horse, steam and electric trams. Its collection of 60 plus, and mostly working, trams from Britain and abroad is second to none.

It also houses an extensive archive of tramway history which takes in the period of the Great War 1914 – 1918. Currently as part of the Centenary of the Great War they have an exhibition titled Arms to Armistice telling the story of the many tramways employees who enlisted, fought and died in that horrific war.

Various trams at the museum
Part of this exhibition is about the Manchester Corporation Tramways WW1 Memorial Plaque.

In July during their Edwardian Weekend celebrations   I was asked to give a talk on my research into the 310 employees on that Plaque. Amongst the attendees were relatives of MCT employees Herbert Berry, died 1918 and George Leonard Collins, died 1918.

The exhibition also contains many artefacts from the Great War as well as film from the period and photos of the tramway employees. It houses a collection of Tramway Memorials dedicated to the hundreds of tramway employees who died during the war.

People in costume
One wall of the exhibition shows photos of the MCT Memorial Plaque, Leicester Tramways Memorial and Salford Tramways Memorial surrounded by the names of some of the 1,193 Tramways employees from 97 Tramway systems who lost their lives in the Great War.

It was a lovely weekend with many people dressed in Edwardian costume.  There were also people dressed in some of the uniforms those volunteers who went to war would have worn.

Many trams were working from double to single deckers carrying people through the Derbyshire countryside.

People in soldiers uniform.
The Tramway Village is open until November.

It is well worth a visit to see all the lovely restored trams in working order travelling up and down the tracks.

During your visit please do go and view the Arms to Armistice exhibition in the museum and remember all those tramways employees who once worked on those lovely trams and who would never come back.

If you have any info on any of the employees on the MCT Memorial Plaque please contact me at martin.logan@btinternet.com or by mobile 07985490124

LEST WE FORGET

Martin Logan,© 2017

Location;The Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire

Pictures; from the collection of Martin Logan

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