Mervyn Llewellyn Llyod interviewed by Christopher Nairne

Interview with Mervyn Llewellyn Lloyd, recorded by Christopher Nairne on 3 July 2025 at Woking Area Signalling Centre (ASC). Duration: 2 hours 43 minutes 8 seconds. [Strat of interview, track 01] Childhood in Southeast London, memories of local Second World War bombsites; life with family, family background, his parents jobs, family members involvement in First World War and Second World War, family link to Church of England; education, schools attended, subjects studied, Combined Cadet Force Royal Air Force [RAF] section, training flights; family holidays, choir singing and decision not to go to university. [00:27:19] Joined British Rail aged 17, clerical role at New Cross ticket office, Metropolitan Line. Joining training scheme, move to London Bridge; discussing London Bridge station redevelopment 2013-2018; parcels traffic in 1960s, shift work, comparing work on parcels at New Cross versus work at London Bridge, booking and reservation enquiries; developing railway knowledge, training on timetable layout, railway geography and customer service; early 1960s steam traction, electrification, electric-multiple-units (EMU) and changing railway technology, diversity in workforce then. [00:44:47] Transfer to Station Master’s Office at Holborn Viaduct, detail of administrative/clerical work there, other type of staff and way there were managed, wages and BR pension scheme; later clerical rotation across Southeast Division, TSSA union membership; clerical officer appointment, then Divisional Officer, dealing with incidents and investigations, including Hither Green (November 1967) and Marden (January 1969) crash investigations. [01:13:50] Joining British Rail Traffic apprenticeship scheme; 1971, promoted to Assistant Station Manager at Guildford, shift, commuting, staff management and cash wage delivery responsibilities; description of Guildford signal boxes, Local Departmental Committee [LDC] negotiation structures and staff relations. [01:40:32] 1974-77, managed Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Knebworth, Welwyn North and Stevenage, suburban electrification work and regional system differences; 1977, Station Manager at Guildford. [01:52:58] 1983, Area Passenger Manager in Portsmouth, moving with his partner to Fareham; 1988-89 Woking Area Passenger Manager, commuting. [end of track 01] [Track 02] Privatisation, moved to Railtrack as Train Planning Development Officer, work on future timetable planning and re-signalling schemes; c 2002, retirement and part-time freelance consultancy for the Strategic Rail Authority, advising on West Coast Main Line, Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Heathrow rail link timetable planning. [00:16:05] Reflecting on his career, how much he enjoyed consultancy work, biggest challenges were staff disciplinary issues and industrial action. [00:21:05] How the railway felt like a safe community for him as a gay man, maintained friendships with former colleagues. How he has never allowed sexuality to affect staffing decisions or professional relationships, being aware of other colleagues being gay, not making a secret of his sexuality at work. [00:25:46] Friendships outside of work, how he met his partner through a local group of gay men. Having never explicitly discussed his sexuality or came out to his family. 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis, having lost friends to HIV/AIDS. Relationship with his partner, civil partnership ceremony in Southampton. [00:31:47] His personal views on railway privatisation, dismay at privatisation and cautious optimism about green policies and future rail use, Channel Tunnel shareholding and hopes for greater Channel Tunnel use; advice he would give his younger self of that what interests you. [end of interview]

This interview was made as part of People Pride and Progress (PPP) project. The project was initiated in 2023 to record the stories and memories of the LGBTQIA+ community in a new oral history archive over two years. It aimed to connect past, present and future through intergenerational interviews, offering opportunities for colleagues across all parts of the rail industry to connect, reflect on and learn from each other’s lived experiences while creating an archive of oral history interviews.