- Contributed by听
- cornwallcsv
- People in story:听
- William, Richard and Lucy Mayne, Bob Gregrson
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4594331
- Contributed on:听
- 28 July 2005
This story was entered onto the Peoples War site by Rod Sutton on behalf of Graham Gape who collected it from Mrs. Lucy Gape, nee. Mayne, age 73 years.(1992) for his Pubs, People and Places. It is emtered with his full permission. He Fully understands the sites terms and conditions.
NANSTALLON HALT
My brother Richard and myself went to school at Nanstallon Halt. This is on the Padstow to Bodmin railway line. Now closed. My father, William Cecil Mayne, but known to everyone as Sydney, was the signalman at Nanstallon for over thirty-five years. He was born at Lezant, near Launceston, on the 27th. August 1884. He joined the Southern Region Railway as a young man, being first based at Devonport. My father lost a leg while shunting by night, when the engine driver moved the engine while he was coupling up wagons. After he recovered, he was first transferred as a signalman to Dinton, near Salisbury. He then moved to Nanstallon Halt. He was able to ride a bicycle with his artificial leg. His hobby was making and repairing clocks, and used to repair shoes and boots.
My father had to open and close the gates to let trains through, from Wadebridge to Bodmin. About every ten days or so, during the war, he would receive orders to open the gates at 4-30am. to let a special train through. I used to be home on leave from Falmouth, and used to hear the train go by, very slowly, and in darkness. These trains carried explosives and ammunition from Padstow to Bodmin Road, and then onwards to where required. The probable source of this was from R.A.F. St. EVAL.
The machine-gun operator of this train was a Mr. Bob Gregson, who lived at Wadebridge for many years. Also, every so often in the early hours of the night was a special train, that came down on the North Cornwall branch line, to Wadebridge, and then onto Bodmin Road and to Bodmin, these trains were also in darkness and travelled slowly past Nanstallon Halt, these trains contained wounded soldiers, who were escorted by nurses, the army also had two wards at St. Lawrence鈥檚 Hospital, Bodmin.
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