The handwritten notebook belonged to Kathleen Bushnell who was a booking office clerk on Southern Railway at Coulsdon North Station during the Second World War. She worked on the railway from 1940 to 1943. Kathleen used the book when undergoing her training at East Croydon, and in which she has written instructions for carrying out all the duties involved in being a booking clerk, e.g. passengers must be treated with civility and respect and always draw passengers attention to the cheap facilities, types of tickets to be issued, of colour, availability and description including children’s tickets, staff pass privilege and HM Forces. Public enquires, receipt books, refunds, reservation of compartments, passengers travelling in the guard’s van, passenger accompanied luggage, including typewriters, furniture, lost property, parcels, cloakroom. It includes a lot of interesting information showing how the railway was being operated during that time.

It contains a small black and white photographic print which depicts the group Kathleen trained with.