Fred Edwards interviewed by Jo Bath

Oral history interview with Fred Edwards conducted and recorded by Jo Bath on 20 February 2004 as part of the Time Tracks oral history collecting initiative. Duration: 1 hour 48 minutes. [Disc 01, track 01] Born c 1921, leaving County Durham aged 14 to work in a leather factory in Nottinghamshire; joining the Navy aged 17 [00:01:48] [end of disc 01, track 01]. [Disc 01, track 02] joining the Navy, Navy life [00:03:30]; the journey to a posting in China; life on the China sea, the outbreak of World War 2 [00:07:10]; looking for the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic [00:08:40]; fighting the Italians; explosion of the destroyer and escaping the wreckage [00:12:34]; recuperating with rum and cigarettes [00:13:13]; diving for mines in the Suez Canal [00:16:20]; journey back home for leave [00:19:55] home on leave [00:20:58]; HMS Nelson and the Malta convoy [00:22:40]; D-Day and returning to Portsmouth [00:24:41]; meeting his future wife while on leave; his wife [00:31:20]; demobbed from Navy, back to Shildon, career options; joining the railways as a signalman, training school Darlington, postings; Locomotive pub opening [00:35:51]; watching the cavalcade; his grandchildren [00:38:05]; Royal Train [00:39:13]; accident between Simpasture and Heighington, inquiry [00:43:25]; signaling system [00:45:25]; accidentally letting wagons off the end of the tip [00:49:00]; runaway wagons and coal [00:50:38]; an accident and some injured hands [00:52:45]; cows on the line [00:54:25]; ill horses in a wagon [00:56:26]; closure of Heighington station, wagon of new coins sent to the wrong Heighington station [00:58:40]; dealing with multiple trains [01:00:50]; training his replacement; 1984, one day strikes [01:03:40]; theft of brass from axle boxes of new wagons from the works [01:06:27]; following the rules; accident with a chest expander [01:11:33]; his wife mending the banner [01:15:50]; working on trains as a pilot man [01:17:40]; reporting car going through the red light at crossing [01:19:08] [end of disc 01, track 02] [Disc 02, track 01] cars regularly going through the red light at crossing, prosecutions [00:03:36]; visits and escapees from nearby by mental health hospital [00:08:35]; shift system, uniforms; accident inquiry [00:13:34]; first aid; training in Union law at Newcastle University [00:16:51]; breaking signal box windows, reporting [00:20:53]; weather conditions issues, fog and snow [00:26:02] bending the rules [00:27:39] [end of disc 02, track 01] [end of interview]

Time Tracks, Shildon Railway Village Community Project was an initiative funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund that encouraged members of the public to bring photographs and documents at Locomotion to form a community archive, when Locomotion museum was opened in Shildon, 2004. Over 50 oral history interviews were also recorded with members of the community. They shared their memories of Shildon as they knew it in their childhood and throughout their lives, from as early as the 1920s, as well as their work experiences in local factories and industries, including Shildon railway works.