Battle Of The Railsways 1940-41

Britain’s railway personnel endured relentless wartime pressures, keeping the network operational against Luftwaffe strikes.

In 1939, Britain possessed the most concentrated and intricate railway system in the world. With the outbreak of war, this network was of vital importance in keeping the country running. Many people today are aware of the impact of the Blitz in 1940-41, when Germany’s Luftwaffe sought to terrorise the British people into submission through bombing of civilian targets. Few however are aware of a key element of this - the Battle of the Railways. The determined efforts by the Luftwaffe to cripple the nation’s rail network were met by the herculean efforts of the railway personnel to keep the system running, in spite of the difficulties. Adolf Hitler was assured that air assault would bring Britain to her knees, but the Luftwaffe was not successful in this endeavour, partly because their attacks were sporadic and not strategically targeted, but mainly due to the often unseen bravery of the railway staff in keeping the network going. This is the story of those critical, but now often overlooked months on the Home Front in the Second World War, and of the men and women who endured so much in order to keep this vital industry running.

Matthew Richardson is Curator of Social History at Manx National Heritage. He has a long-term interest in military history and has published several outstanding books on the subject including 1914: Voices from the Battlefields, The Hunger War: Food, Rations and Rationing 1914-1918 and Eyewitness on the Somme 1916. He also has a keen interest in the history of the Isle of Man TT and, in addition to producing several acclaimed exhibitions on this subject, worked with Dave Molyneux on The Racer’s Edge: Memoirs of an Isle of Man TT Legend.