The Enginemen, Chapter 8/1

Glossary

ASLEF – Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, trade union of most of the footplate staff on the railways.

NUR – National Union of Railwaymen, trade union of other grades of railwaymen, particularly signalling and station staff, and a few footplate staff.

Chapter 8: August 1961

George heard it during breakfast. In between the chattering of Eva, Florrie calling out from the kitchen and bustling in and out with milk and cereals and then his bacon and eggs, he caught it on the TV which had been flickering to itself in the corner of the room. The East Germans were constructing a wall to divide Berlin, to stop its citizens escaping to the West. He shushed his family, and took the remains of his breakfast over to his armchair nearer the television. The Communist authorities had been threatening action for some time to stem the flow of emigrants leaving the country. Everyone had thought it had been bluff, but the threat had seen the numbers of those fleeing their homes increase for fear the option would be closed to them. How right they were.

George’s heart sank. He could just see the headlines in the Tory press. They’d make a meal of this and use the opportunity to condemn socialism and make local political capital out of it. He felt let down by the East German politicians, they were making it harder for socialists like himself to change things for the better in his own country. As the week progressed the news became even worse. In just a few days they’d built 96 miles of concrete and barbed wire. And then they’d shot a couple of young men who were seen trying to escape. The East German soldiers, guards on the Wall, became public enemies of the British press, and that tainted his beliefs, his ideals.

He now found himself on the back foot, defending socialism instead of preaching it, he found himself in arguments with Arthur Campion, Chairman of the LDC, who tried to defend the action of the Communists. The issue became one that inflamed opinions at the LDC preliminary meeting and caused them to neglect discussing the issues that were of immediate concern to a couple of drivers whose cases they had promised to take up and for whom they were seeking recompense.

The Union Branch meeting at the end of August also got very heated. Jock Smithson from the town council had written to George inviting representation from ASLEF to join him and colleagues from the NUR at the CND rally in Trafalgar Square the following weekend. Thousands were expected and all the CND celebrity supporters would be there. George said it was up to individuals, it was a political, not an industrial, issue, but some of the younger Branch members wanted official recognition and to take the Branch banner along. In the end, George got his way, but only after too many accusations had been flung around and George and some of his likeminded older drivers had been subjected to personal abuse that they were not used to. Resentment simmered because the Branch decision meant that any ASLEF members who wanted to attend would have to do so in their own time. The rules only permitted time off for official union duties.

George put the fracas to the back of his mind, for other issues crowded in on him. The Tesco application for planning permission was still unresolved and his son, Paul, was seeking his advice on whether he should invest any of his savings into the garage business where he worked, with the expectation if he did so that the role of manager would fall into his lap. George felt that Paul was really seeking a loan, as he couldn’t imagine for a moment that Paul had managed to save the type of sum that had been mentioned. And George, while he wanted to help Paul, was facing further potential demands from both Derek and Eva.

These dilemmas, then, were on his mind when he booked on the Monday after the CND rally, and found all hell let loose. There were groups of drivers and firemen hanging around the lobby, he heard voices raised. Apparently one of the younger firemen, Keith Mountford, had reported sick for his turn on the Saturday and had then taken part in the CND rally, only to get himself arrested during the sit-down along with Canon Collins, Vanessa Redgrave, George Melly, John Osborne and a large number of lesser known activists.

Keith had been booked and was due to appear in court later in the week, and rumour had it that he’d been up before the boss earlier that morning and had been sacked on the spot.

“It’s Arthur Higginson’s doing,” shouted one of the firemen, “he’s in with the governor now sticking his oar in.”

“Where’s Keith Mountford? Have any of you spoken to him directly since he’s seen the Shedmaster?”

No-one had, but Bert Henshaw said that Jim Plunkett had seen him outside the shed at nine o’clock looking very shaken.

“I’d better see Higginson and find out what’s going on. I’m meant to be preparing 5034 and taking her for the 1/18, but I can’t do that and wait until Higginson’s available.”

“I’ll cover you,” volunteered Bert, “my mate here will check the fire, I’ll go to the Stores and start oiling her up. I was about to book off, but I’m sure Joe on the window will book me a little overtime.”

George went in search of the Chief Clerk, and not finding him at his desk, spied Nellie through the glass partition and put his head round the door.

“Nellie, have you seen Arthur Higginson? It’s urgent!”

“He’s inside with the governor. He’s been there half an hour already. He can’t be much longer, the boss has a meeting at Paddington at eleven and he needs to leave within the next quarter of an hour.”

“Do you know what’s going on? Rumour has it that Keith Mountford’s been sacked. Is that true?”

“I don’t know, George. Keith was certainly in to see the boss first thing this morning and he didn’t look very happy when he came out, but he didn’t say anything.”

“I’ll wait for Arthur.”

“Stay here if you like. Want a cup of tea?”

“Thanks, Nellie, yes, very welcome.”

Nellie Bristow always had the kettle simmering, she never knew who would appear in her cubicle.

“Keith Mountford was in the CND sit-down on Sunday apparently. Got himself arrested, I hear, with some distinguished company.”

“Oh,” said Nellie, “I saw the march on the telly and the violence when the police went in to make arrests. Are you saying Keith was there and got himself arrested too?”

“That’s the rumour going round the depot. Also that the governor’s given him the sack.”

“Surely not. Plenty of respectable people got themselves arrested during the protest. I don’t believe that young man would be violent.”

“I hope what I hear isn’t true. Even if he did get involved and got arrested, the boss can’t discipline him before he’s been up in court and the facts become clearer.”

“I’m sure you’re right, George,” murmured Nellie. “If he had the strength of his convictions and did what he thought was right in his own time, I don’t see how he can be dismissed without a proper hearing. And, knowing you, you’ll see that that happens.”

They both heard voices from the Shedmaster’s office, and suddenly Arthur Higginson burst out, clearly quite agitated and tense. George put his cup down, and reached out to the Chief Clerk’s arm.

“Arthur, can I have a word? It’s not true, is it, that you’ve sacked young Mountford?”

“George, you’d better come back to my office and hear the full story. Don’t believe every piece of tittle-tattle going round the shed.”

George sat down opposite the Chief Clerk and waited for the explanation.

“George, it’s very serious. Not only did Mountford get himself arrested at the CND rally, he took leave without permission and rang in sick, which was patently untrue.”

“So you’ve sacked him on the spot, have you, without waiting for the court hearing and without any formal disciplinary process. You just can’t do that.”

“George, that’s not the half of it. The man was unrepentant, and when challenged by Mr Doig, this morning, he was abusive. I was called and he was abusive to me as well.”

“You still can’t sack him on the spot without going through the formal disciplinary machinery. You know that, you know the rule book better than anyone.”

“What that man said to the Shedmaster and then to me was unacceptable. The governor was shocked and dismissed him on the spot. In view of the subsequent abuse, I support the governor’s action.”

“You’ve picked him out for exemplary treatment because he’s standing for the LDC and you think he’s a militant. It’s political harassment.”

“Nonsense, you know better than that.”

“Get the governor to withdraw the summary dismissal and go through the proper disciplinary process, and I’ll see that we get at the truth. I’ll not defend anyone who was proven to act violently in the demonstration or who abused the Shedmaster unless there was provocation.”

“George, you know I can’t ask the boss to back down - and in view of Mountford’s behaviour this morning, I don’t intend to ask him.”

George Munday was getting red in the face and the argument threatened to become heated and personal. However, he took hold of himself just in time, remembered that a cool head was more effective at such times, and merely said:

“Okay Arthur, I hear what you say. You haven’t heard the last of this. The Branch will take it up, of that you can be sure. You’ll be hearing from me.”

And with that, George got up, knocking his chair over, righted it somewhat clumsily, and left the Chief Clerk who reached for a packet of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and lit up, his shaking hands betraying his tension.

The group of drivers and firemen were waiting for George as he returned to the lobby. They crowded round him and several asked simultaneously if the rumours of Keith’s sacking were true.

“Yes, they are,” said George with some emphasis, “it looks as though the governor may have pushed Higginson to agree, but now he’s adamant that he will not countermand it. They’re out of court, of course, but they’re alleging verbal abuse from Keith this morning when he was interviewed by Doig. It doesn’t seem like Keith to me, but I’d better see him as soon as possible to get his version of events.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“See Keith first. Then call a Branch meeting. I suggest we wait to see what happens when he’s up before the beak in case there’s some evidence we don’t know about. Anyone know where Keith went?”

No-one did. And time was rolling on, George could delay no longer or he’d not get 5034 off shed in time for the 1/18.

“Look, leave it to me. I’ll not let this rest. I’ll go and see Keith and I’ll put a notice up as soon as possible about an Emergency Branch Meeting. Till then, leave it.”

The crowd of enginemen gradually dispersed, some muttering, others shaking their heads, while George went to relieve Bert Henshaw and found Wyn already hard at work on the ‘Castle’s’ fire.

When George booked off that evening, he left a note for Keith Mountford with the Time Clerk in case Keith returned for his belongings or any messages and took a note of the man’s lodgings. As the address was quite close, in Acton, George slipped round but he was out, so George left another note with his landlady asking him to get in touch as soon as possible. Next morning he got a phone call from Keith before he went to the depot and he arranged to meet him at the Royal Oak in Willesden before booking on for the afternoon Plymouth Parcels which he’d run as far as Bristol.

Keith was already there and had got himself a pint, so George just bought himself a half and sat down with him in the corner, out of earshot of the few other imbibers at that pre-lunch hour.

“Well, what sort of pickle have you got yourself into, young man? You’d better tell me all the facts if you want me to help you. I take it that you have been sacked.”

“Only too f***ing true I have. The bastards. Half the world was at the demonstration and got arrested. We didn’t do anything, it was the police that were brutal. Everyone just lay there and the sods just waded in with truncheons. Of course we tried to resist. Wouldn’t you have?”

“What have you been charged with?”

“Disturbance of the peace and resisting arrest.”

“Can you give me your word that you were not violent and that no accusation of that will be made against you.”

“Well, I wasn’t violent, but I’ve no idea what story the police will concoct to frame me, not just me, many of us. According to the News, over eight hundred have been arrested. They’ll say we struggled and police got injured. We just went limp as the demonstration leaders told us to, the police got frustrated and couldn’t lift us quickly enough, some of them got hurt trying to put us in the Black Marias, I saw at least a couple of coppers complaining that they’d put their backs out.”

“When is your case being heard?”

“Thursday. The CND solicitors told us to expect a fine and be bound over. They may make one or two of the celebrities an example. That’s what they said.”

“Okay, let me know immediately after the case on Thursday. I’m on the 4/10 Wolverhampton that day, so you won’t get me after about three o’clock. Ring me Friday morning if necessary and we’ll discuss how the Branch can help you.”

“Okay, thanks, GM.”

“By the way, I gather you should have been on duty on Sunday and that you went AWOL to attend the march and sit-down.”

“Well, yes, I did, but I’m not the first to do that and no others have been sacked for a first offence. I’ve got a good attendance record.”

“One further thing, Arthur Higginson said you verbally abused both him and the Shedmaster this morning. They say you were sacked as much for that as for absenteeism and involvement in the demonstration. What did you say to them?”

“I can’t remember exactly. They made me mad. I probably swore a bit, but everyone here does that. I’ve heard Arthur Higginson swearing at everyone on the shed at one time or another. The man can’t help it. He’s a bloody hypocrite if he’s accusing me of abusing him!”

“Well, it might help your case if you can remember exactly what you said and tell me. I don’t want any surprises when I’m trying to defend you at any appeal.”

Keith Mountford grunted and finished his pint.

“What are you doing now?”

“Booking on at the Labour Exchange I suppose. Can’t lay about in the digs all day, the landlady
ill object, and if I stay here I’ll be drunk by lunchtime and that won’t help my cause.”

“Sensible lad. But we’ll get your job back, rely on the Union. The Branch will be behind you, there was a crowd yesterday wanting immediate action to get you re-instated, but I said I needed to talk to you first. Keep in touch and don’t let it get you down.”