My name is Richard Thomas Cox and I was born in the village of Easton on the Hill, Nr Stamford.

I left Easton School at the ripe old age of 15 in 1951, about 8 of us left that year and everyone got some form of prize or scholarship but not yours truly, but never mind Mr Hance made up a very special one for me and it was for the most cheerful disposition, It was a book about Don BRADMAN which I still have to this day. Anyway I started work on the railway at Stamford Stn. under the Guidence of Mr. Pridmore who was then the Station Master, my first task every day as soon as I got to work was to go and fetch him 100 Senior Service cigarettes he used to give me a £1 to get them they cost 19/6 and he would give me the other tanner for going which in those days was well appreciated, also working there was a gentle old man called Bill Baker he was a sort of senior porter and we looked to Bill for all his years of expereince on the railway, he took me under his wing and showed me how things were to be done.

My first job was as a junior porter, sweeping out the waiting rooms and such like. I then got promotion to lampman and had to go around and clean all the gas lamps on and in the station forecourt, also the signal lamps which in those days were parafin oil burners this was quite heavy work as I had to climb up and down the signals with carrying these in my hands, but was all new to me and I enjoyed it.

I then went to work at North Luffenham Stn. as a porter (more money), I used to cycle there from Easton at 5 o-clock in the morning when I was on early shift to open the Stn. up for the first passengers. This Stn. also had to deal with the goods train sidings which transported race horses to and from Edithweston Stables very nearly every day. This is the place that I was first introduced to the motorcycle Peter Collins was the Stn.Master here and he had two water cooled Scott Motorbike`s these were fantastic machines to me as he used to let me ride them in the station yard (I add with great care) and under his guidence. The little village of Morcott also came under Luffenham for which I had to go and open up.

Morcott was where I finished my time on the Railway in Nov.1953.

In Nov. 1953 I enlisted into the Army at castle hill lincoln, I joined The Life Guards at Knightsbridge but that is another story for another day.

Dick Cox

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