It's quite likely that Harry would have travelled by train from Ilkeston to the camp at Rugeley. There were, in 1917, very few alternatives. The problem in determining a route is the complexity of the railway system at the time.
In 1917 there was a plethora of small railway companies servicing the highly industrialised area around Nottingham and Derby. In Ilkeston there were three railway stations. (There are none now) One of the stations, Ilkeston North, was about two hundred metres from Harry's home in Mill Street. At Rugeley there were two stations, both of which are still operating.
My railway expert can't come up with any conclusive evidence to determine the route Harry would have taken so I will not attempt to guess. I can only imagine that the train would fill up as it approached its destination until it arrived at Rugeley full of new recruits.
Travel to the training Camp
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5 comments:
i have read most of your letters and i love allof them
I am very glad to find out for this blog. It's interesting and I can imagine pictures in my head how Your grandfather lived. I find out for Your blog on web site in my country - Croatia. You'r doing nice thing.
The adventure begins. I'm looking forward to it. I hope that Harry comes home safe from the war.
...John O'Neal
San Diego, California
The most likely route would have depended on where the train started from. However, assuming he had been issued with a travel Warrant:
By the old GN route through Derby Friargate to Burton-on-Trent.
He would have changed trains there, and gone on (MR) to either of Lichfield or Tamworth, as there was a reasonable service to either, and then (at either station) gone down from the HL to LL platforms, and caught the first Trent Valley route local (LNWR) to Rugely.
This is wonderful and I feel I'm not going to get much else done now I have discovered your blog! We have recently relocated to Romania for a year and decided to drive over so that we could stop in Ypres on the way over. It was a very emotional experience which fuelled my interest in everything about WW1, and we were very lucky to bump into 2 men from the Western Front Association (Essex branch) who gave us lots of information and suggested I look on the web. I don't think your site was specifically recommended but I am chuffed to have found it. Can't wait to read more about Harry and see what happens to him, bless his heart. Thank you SO MUCH for doing something so valuable and interesting on the net; there's some much pointless rubbish on it! All the best. Jacky.
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