G. J. Churchward: A Locomotive Biography (SB)
The student of G. J. Churchward's work and life soon becomes impressed with two things: the measure of his achievement and the devotion which he inspired in those who worked under him. For he was undoubtedly the greatest locomotive engineer in British railway history; and he was probably the best loved even though that love was tinged with awe and sometimes fear. Holcroft, amongst many, almost worshipped him. When he left the Great Western Churchward said to him : 'Now, remember this; wherever you may go, or whatever you may do, always stick up for the Great Western.' And at the age of 91, Harry Holcroft told the author, 'This I am endeavouring to carry out.' This great and impressive figure of a man (both physically and metaphorically) became a legend in his lifetime, and so stamped his image on men and affairs that even forty years after his death, men sometimes talk about him as if he were still alive.
When one comes to write about him, one gradually becomes aware of a Presence. Temptation to loose thought and facile deduction vanishes before the fear of a condemnatory finger descending on the page with an exasperated voice saying : 'That bloody sentence is wrong ; that cock won't fight !' The author admits that he finished the chapter on The Great Bear with a certain amount of relief that there was no such interruption ; and he has the presumption to believe that he even heard a quiet grunt of approval.
Softback, 216 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Good/Very Good
ISBN: 9780043850695
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Updated: 2 April 2024