Hello Folks,
Just to keep abreast of what's going in my little railway world, I've started my own section over here.
The line is set in the county of Kernshire, a composite of Cornwall, Wiltshire and Hampshire. The two main towns are Walthingham, an amalgamation of my favourite Wiltshire and Hampshire towns (were I have spent the formative years of my life) and Lyonesse, very much a composite Cornish seaside town/port. My fiancé and I adore Cornwall and it's folklore, and she was born and raised there. The intermediate villages along the line will, I suspect, be decided upon when I find out where I'll end up constructing the line.
As the line is unlikely to exist for a good few years (at least in any permanent form) I've constructed quite a convoluted history of the line to keep me sane and to help "guide" my purchases between now and then. It's nice to use my history degree every now and then...
A Brief History of North West Kernshire – Walthingham and Lyonesse
By Chris Auckland BSC, SSC, Chairman of the Kernshire Historical Society
Published by the Kernshire Historical Society. First Edition, 1956.
Early History
Walthingham stands as a testament to the great fortitude and bravery of many great Englishman who has stood against oppression, fear and death. Its place in history has been as much defined by those who have died there, as those that have lived.
Walthingham’s name originates from the natural beauty of the area that drew the first Anglo-Saxon settlers to living alongside the native Celts. Its name comprises of Walt (forest), -ing (meadow) and -ham (village or settlement).
It was in the 9th Century that Walthingham first appeared on the chronicler’s map. In 870AD the monastery on the holy island of Prydain was sacked by Viking raiders, with the entire building raised to the ground. Hafoc, a young monk, fled the monastery with their prized and highly valuable early copy of the Bible. He raced across the sea, landing at Lyonesse, before racing inland toward the fledgling settlement of Walthingham. On a hill overlooking the town, Hafoc made his last stand. Though the villagers of Walthingham raced to his aid, Hafoc was brutally murdered, the Vikings fleeing with the Bible. The villagers collected Hafoc’s body and interred it in their local church, now known as St. Hafoc’s. The area remains a key site of pilgrimage to this day.
The Norman Conquest
After the Norman invasion of 1066 the de Faucon family moved into Walthingham, being granted considerable tracts of land once belonging to the previous Anglo Saxon Earldom. The de Faucon family hailed from a region of Normandy called Saint Clair sur l’Elle and had faught decisively at the Battle of Hastings. As part of increasing his grip on the area the first Baron, William de Faucon, constructed a fortified manor on the outskirts of Walthingham.
The furthest reaches of the de Faucon lands reach as far north as the small hamlet of Upham (Anglo Saxon for Upper Enclosure). In 1079 the de Faucon’s renamed the hamlet Upham Saint Clair, in honour of the Saint associated with their Normandy territories, who they believed had so diligently watched over them through the battle 13 years earlier. The village has since had its name anglicised to Upham St. Clare, which it is known as to this day.
By the beginning of the 12th Century the de Faucon Barons had noted the great historical importance of Hafoc, and the similarity to their own name (Hafoc was the Anglo Saxon for Hawk), and thus opted to anglicise their name to Hawkland. They also began to work closely with the local religious orders to further promote pilgrimages to the local holy sites associated with St. Hafoc.
Post-Reformation
The reformation of 1529 had not ceased interest in Hafoc, Walthingham or the pilgrimage destinations across the area. The intervening centuries had also been very good to the local economy and the Hawkland’s.
The rolling hills between Lyonesse and Walthingham had become of vital importance to the area’s economy, as well as presenting issues.
In the first instance the hilly nature of the area and restricted land access to Walthingham. This forced the fledgling port at Lyonesse to take on a role it was essentially unequipped for. Supplies that could not be sourced locally were brought in by coastal barge to Lyonesse and then brought by horse and cart along the 8 or so mile long trails to Walthingham.
The hills were also, however, highly advantageous. A large chunk had been set aside for the Hawkland family to use as hunting ground, and the Walthingham Chase, as it became known, was popular with high powered visitors to the family’s estate. What was left was used for a mixture of cattle crazing, farmland and small scale china clay mining. The waters of the nearby Amblin Falls also proved to be a popular attraction, rumoured to have healing properties associated, as with most things in the local area, with St. Hafoc.
The Seventeenth Century
By 1640 Walthingham had become a town of significant importance and the estate was highly profitable, and this did not help it remain unaffected during the Civil War. Parliamentarian forces attempted to take Lyonesse in early 1644, their objective being to open a second front in Kernshire, which was almost exclusively for the King. A dragoon detachment led by the charismatic young officer Kit Hawkland met the initial Parliamentarian assault. Fierce fighting was witnessed through the streets of Lyonesse, but the Parliamentarians were consistently driven back. Their final assault was supported by two Parliamentarian frigates moored in Lyonesse Cove, but following a bloody battle on the beaches, the Parliamentarians withdrew. The battle proved costly, however. Kit Hawkland fought the last day of the assault with a musket wound in his right thigh. Although he remained active during the final phases, he collapsed as the final Parliamentarian ship left the cove. He died two days later. A subsequent attempt in 1644 to take Walthingham directly by coming across the hills was also repelled.
In 1660, the Abolition Act dispensed with the traditional feudal baronies, so, as with most baronies by tenure, the title of Baron Walthingham became a barony by writ. However, in honour of their service to the Civil War, the Earldom of Kernshire was created and awarded to the then Baron Walthingham, Vincent Hawkland. The title of Baron Walthingham became a courtesy title of the Earldom.
By the early 1660s tea erupted onto the scene, and Walthingham again was to play its part. The first coffeehouse opened in Walthingham in 1662, with tea being made available from the very start. Unlike elsewhere in Britain, milk was served with tea from a relatively early time. The rolling Kernshire hills proved to be excellent crazing ground, and the cattle breed of the area had remained distinct for a long period of time. Once the important elements of the breed were identified, the Hawkland’s worked closely with their tenant farmers to ensure this breed remained pure. The delicious creamy milk produced by Kernshire cows proved to be very popular and was even served on one occasion for King George III at Windsor Castle. The taste of the milk also complimented the strength of early tea served across Britain, and this was a trend that spread quickly.
The Coming of the Railway
The poor road access began to damage the development of the local economy. A road was constructed to connect Walthingham and Walshurst, a reasonable sized town around 22 miles south, but it was dangerous to use in anything but fine weather, and even then required a considerable number of horses to cope with the difficult terrain.
Despite the rise of railways across the United Kingdom, little had been done to develop them in the furthest reaches of Kernshire. However, in 1882, that was about to change. Lord John Hawkland, the then Earl of Kernshire, had served as an officer with the Royal Horse Guards during the Anglo-Egyptian War. On assignment with the 8th Railway Company (Royal Engineers), he saw first-hand how decisive effective use of railways had been at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir. Upon his return to Walthingham he set about exploring the possibility of constructing a railway to support the local economy. Surveying the area, it quickly became apparent that a route between Walthingham and Walshurst would prove costly, with considerable engineering and locomotives of significant power. Despite this, the London and South Western Railway proposed to construct a branch line from Walshurst to Walthingham in 1884, although a significant lack of support derailed the idea. In 1885, a second route was surveyed between Walthingham and Lyonesse, and this proved potentially more viable, although still considerably expensive. The plans were temporarily shelved.
While on holiday in India, Lord John met Everard Calthrop, who was in the process of negotiating with the Indian Government regarding the construction of a railway in Barsi. Lord John was fascinated by the potential of a narrow gauge railway to alleviate the cost issues related to construction. Lord John was convinced by Calthrop that 2’ 6” gauge offered the perfect balance between cost and capacity.
In 1897, whilst Calthrop was back in Britain supporting another railway project in Wales, Lord John invited him down to visit the area and to stay in his estate. Whilst there, Calthrop confirmed what John had suspected, that an 8 mile railway between Walthingham and Lyonesse could be built for a fraction of the cost of a standard gauge line. This would enable the rural communities to be connected, and granting easy access to shipping at Lyonesse port.
Calthrop and Lord John submitted a light railway order, which was subsequently approved. The London and South Western Railway had initially attempted to block the railway, but their alternative plans were deemed unviable and they removed their objection shortly afterwards. The line was to travel northward from Walthingham, across the river Amblin near the falls of the same name, across Walthingham Chase (were as sited a small halt) and up to Upham St. Clare, then further northwards to Lyonesse.
In 1899 the Walthingham and Lyonesse Light Railway Company was formed via a share issue. Lord John purchased 50% of the shares, becoming the majority shareholder, whilst 2% shares were issued free of charge to the estate’s five tenant dairy farmers. 5% of the shares were also gifted to the Friends of the Church of St. Hafoc and the St. Hafoc Heritage Trust. The remaining shares were purchased by other local companies, including a significant number by the Lyonesse Port Authority. At the first meeting Lord John was unanimously voted as Chair of the Board of Directors, and subsequently appointed General Manager.
By 1901 an order had been placed with Bayer Peacock for a 0-6-0 tank locomotive of a similar design to the locomotives being constructed for the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Wales, another venture supported by Calthrop. The Earls of Kernshire and Powys were close friends, and Lord John is credited with promoting support for the Welshpool venture with then Earl, Lord George Herbert. An order was subsequently submitted to Pickering for three carriages and an assorted of goods stock, including cattle wagons. Construction of the line began toward the end of 1901, and the line officially opened in 1903.
The Bayer Peacock arrived the day before the contractor’s locomotives were due to leave, and was named Baroness in honour of the early titles of the Hawkland family, and for the Earl’s wife, Lady Eileen. Need for another locomotive was hastily identified, so an order was placed with Manning Wardle for a 0-4-0 locomotive, subsequently being delivered shortly afterwards. In honour of the Royal Horse Guards, the regiment the Hawklands had served with since Monmouth Rebellion, the locomotives on the line were painted in oxford blue with red and gold lining. Carriage stock carried a Green and Cream livery to represent the rolling Kernshire hills and the creamy milk that made the area so well known. Goods stock was in plain grey.
World War I
The line was relatively successful and proved a going concern throughout the early parts of the 20th Century. In 1914 the Admiralty acquired a tract of land to the north of Walthingham and constructed a Royal Marine barracks and armaments depot, named HMS Hawk. Lord John agreed to grant the Admiralty access to the line, including a short spur to the base, in return for a generous army commission for his son Lord Nigel, with the Royal Horse Guards, who were based in Belgium. The entire period of the war saw regular movements of troops and materials from HMS Hawk to ships at Lyonesse.
Inter-War Prosperity
In 1918 Lord Nigel’s generous commission paid off. He returned to England following the armistice with a new wife, Ginette Wautier, a minor member of Belgian aristocracy whom he met whilst stationed there. Concern over Lord John’s increasing frailty saw Lord Nigel appointed to the House of Lords via a writ of acceleration, assuming the courtesy title of Baron Walthingham. In 1919 the majority of the Earl’s shares in the railway company were transferred to Lord Nigel whilst the Board of Revenue conducted an investigation into the estate’s finances.
Lady Ginette, known by the locals as Lady Jenny, was a strong advocate of the railway, regularly using it, and popularised use of the line for passenger services. This coincided with the development of Lyonesse into a seaside tourist destination. A passenger steamer had begun to operate across the Prydain Channel to South Wales, and Lyonesse proved to be a popular holiday destination for the miners of this part of Wales. Pilgrimages began to increase rapidly following the horrors of World War I, and many passengers made the journey from Lyonesse to Walthingham via the railway.
Following Lord John’s death in 1920, Lord Nigel assumed the Earldom. His majority share ownership, and the on-going support of the estates tenant farmers, ensured that he was almost immediately elected to Board of Directors and appointed as the new General Manager. The previous interim General Manager, Sir James Woodhouse, was appointed Chair of the Board. At Lord Nigel’s appointment, the Board of Directors presented him with a gift, a new set of nameplates, Lady Jenny, for the previously unnamed Manning Wardle. These were fitted during her immediate overhaul, whilst another locomotive, a 2-6-2 tank engine, was ordered from Hunslet of Leeds. The design of the locomotive, similar to the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway’s locomotive Russell, would later prove popular on the export market, especially to Sierra Leone.
Just as with most of Britain, the intervening years belied a storm that was coming. What was to come would prove to be the darkest of days, not just for the railway, but for the whole of Kernshire.
World War II
In 1940 the line again passed into the hands of the Government to further support the war effort. The Prydain Channel provided easy access to the North Atlantic and proved to be a valuable staging point for North Atlantic patrols. The admiralty converted HMS Hawk into a Royal Naval Armaments Depot, re-named RNAD Hawk and proceeded to use Lyonesse to rearm North Atlantic Convoy ships based in the Prydain Channel. The increased traffic saw the Admiralty bring in a Baguley Drewry diesel, which proved much more cost effective to keep in service then the steam locomotives that had proved the staple of the line throughout the past 40 years.
In 1941 Lord Nigel was killed in an air raid in London whilst working for the Admiralty. He save 24 members of Admiralty staff before the building he was in ultimately collapsed. Despite dying a hero, his death still sent a shockwave through Kernshire. Lady Ginette assumed the day-to-day running of the railway and the estate. Lord Nigel’s heir, Lord Matthew, was on deployment with the 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment (as part of the Royal Horse Guards) and facilitated the release of his body. Lord Matthew had initially joined as a Lieutenant with the Household Cavalry Training Regiment based in Windsor, but in 1941 this regiment was re-organised as the 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment, a motor battalion in the Guards Armoured Division. He was temporarily granted leave to attend his father’s funeral, and returned to Windsor in 1942, as Earl of Kernshire, and received a promotion to Captain.
The day to day operations of the railway were almost exclusively devoted to military service, although an intermittent passenger and freight service did exist. Restrictions meant that only No. 2 Lady Jenny could be kept in service. No. 1 Baroness and No. 3 were kept stored at Walthingham and salvaged for appropriate parts.
In 1944 the Guards Armoured Division were assigned to VIII Corp and landed in July. By August they were thick into Operation Bluecoat, a bid to capture the strategic objectives of Vire and Mont Pincon. On August 3rd, whilst operating a company recognisance operation on the outskirts of Vire, Captain Matthew Hawkland’s Daimler Armoured Car was struck by a Panzer IV of the 21st Panzer Division. Lord Matthew got his crew free from the crippled vehicle, but a second round destroyed it, killing Lord Matthew with it. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross. Despite a campaign by Lady Ginette to have his body returned to Kernshire, Lord Matthew was buried Bayeux War Cemetery. In 1945 Lady Ginette herself passed away.
Post War Troubles and Nationalisation
No heirs to the estate could be found and the estate, and the railway, began to fall into disrepair. Sir James Woodhouse was re-appointed Interim General Manager, but he struggled to maintain the railways business following so much uncertainty around the future of the estate and its farmers, which had a strong effect on confidence in the local economy. The Admiralty gifted the Baguley Drewry diesel to the railway company in 1946 in an attempted to further support the railway, and the estate’s lands, including the tenant farmers, passed via probate to the Government. This included the 50% share of the Railway Company. A very limited service ran during 1946, and although a slightly pick up occurred in 1947, the railway was still in dire straits. As shareholders of the railway, the tenant farmers continued to use the line, despite the steadily increasing road access to Walthingham.
In 1948 the Government nationalised the rail network. As majority shareholders of the Railway Company, the Government included the Walthingham and Lyonesse Railway, transferring ownership to the British Railways Southern Region. An initial assessment of the line validated it as a going concern, and No. 2 Lady Jenny, the only locomotive that could viably be brought back into service, was sent to Eastleigh for maintenance, returning in 1949 in BR lined black livery.
To promote profitability, British Railways also purchased an experimental two car DMU from Czechoslovak State Railways. This was serviced, again in Eastleigh, and arrived in Walthingham in 1950, painted in green with yellow whiskers.
The former estate of the Earl of Kernshire was finally put up for sale by the Government in 1951 and was bought by Christopher Fisher-Watts in August of that year. The Fisher-Watts family had made their fortune in the tea trade, with a chain of successful coffeehouses, tearooms and emporiums across London. Christopher’s wife Sarah had been born and raised in Kernshire and he was keen to invest in the local milk trade. Purchase of the estate also included the tenant farmers, who had continued to remain active throughout this difficult time.
Christopher had some previous experience with railways having completed a 3 year stint working with his uncle-in-law, Maximillian von Walshenheim, a railway engineer in Austria, and immediately identified the benefit of the railway to the local economy and communities. He set about stabilising the economy around the estate, and begun to promote Kernshire milk across the country. He also ensured that his tenant farmers continued to use the railway to transport their stock.
Investment from British Railways was not forthcoming, and with only the DMU and No. 2 Lady Jenny in operation, services were heavily limited. In 1952 British Railways first seriously considered shutting the line, but this was deferred due to strong protests from both the local community and the Admiralty, how continued to maintain RNAD Hawk, now renamed again to RNAD Walthingham and occasionally used the line.
Ultimately, however, British Railways had made up their mind, and the line was to close at the end of spring 1953. However, identifying the need for the railway, and aware of the economic significance of the line, Fisher-Watts launched a campaign to buy the line from British Railways. Although initially proposing to run it as an exclusively volunteer operated tourist attraction, it quickly became apparent that the line was a potentially viable business, with some investment. Therefore, the Walthingham and Lyonesse Light Railway Company was again reformed, and shares issued. Fisher-Watts purchased a 50% share for himself, and like the Earl of Kernshire before, gifted 2% shares to each of the main tenant farmers of the Walthingham estate. The Lyonesse Port Authority, which had marginally avoided nationalisation in 1950, purchased a 10% share, whilst the Admiralty also purchased a 10% share to ensure the ongoing use of the line. The remaining shares were bought up by private individuals from the Walthingham and Lyonesse communities.
Fisher-Watts was successfully appointed General Manager in June 1953 and began to oversee the restoration of the line and salvageable rolling stock. In recognition of his support, Christopher was offered a seat on the Board of Directors, which he declined. Sir James Woodhouse, the long-time caretaker of the line through the difficult period, was appointed Chairman of the Board later that month.
British Railways had just about kept the rolling stock operable, but only No. 2 Lady Jenny was in any condition to operate services. The DMU and Baguley Drewry were also in maintainable condition. No. 3, the previously unnamed Hunslet 2-6-2, was identified as the next most viable for restoration, and entered the workshop in the winter of 1953 for a scheduled 5 year restoration. She was named Lady Sarah, in honour of Fisher-Watt’s wife, who had been so supportive throughout the acquisition of the line.
The summer of 1954 saw the first peek services, and it was hastily identified that additional rolling stock would be required. In the autumn of 1954 a small number of coaches were purchased from von Walshenheim’s Austrian railway, and arrived in the winter of the same year. This enabled the line to offer intensive services, with No. 2, the Baugley Drewry and the DMU all in operation when required.
In January 1955 a deal was struck with the Jenkins Greenslade Steam Packet Company, who operated in the Prydain Channel. They provided regular summer ships from South Wales to Lyonesse, brining welsh tourists from the coal pits of South Wales to sample the calm delights of North Kernshire. The first service aboard the ship Emlyn, in July 1955, saw 250 tourists arrive at Lyonesse in a single day. A second ship, Suzanne, was pressed into service throughout the summer of 1955.
Today tourism has rocketed in the area, and the local economy is booming in the wake of increasing demand for milk. Passenger services between the seaside destination of Lyonesse and the beautiful town of Walthingham are providing huge revenues in peak season, as visitors flock to visit St. Hafoc’s Church and the falls Walthingham. General goods, milk, and dairy cows are brought to Lyonesse and loaded onto barges, with coal, fish and other general goods traveling in the other direction. Local passenger services are not vast, but are sustainable. The overhaul of No. 3 Lady Sarah has taken longer than expected, but is due to re-enter service in time for the summer season of 1957. No. 1 Baroness is unlike to re-enter service for some time.
Walthingham and Lyonesse Light Railway
Walthingham and Lyonesse Light Railway
Chris Auckland
I had wanted it to be a SdKfz 234 but the 21st Panzer Division didn't have any, and I couldn't find a record of Sdkfz 234s being attached to any other German unit involved in Operation Bluecoat.bazzer42:100379 wrote:PS bloody Panzers....
History is one of my favourite subjects, and I enjoy making fake histories for a lot of little projects I take on. Shame there's no money in it!
I do, in fact, also have a speculative track plan too, which would allow for end-to-end and continuous running, but it's so speculative it isn't designed around my current garden!
Chris Auckland
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