Schoolboy, servant, GWR apprentice: the memoirs of Alfred Plumley 1880-1892

In 1890, after strings were pulled by his kindly mistress at the big house, 16-year-old page-boy Alfred Plumley unexpectedly found himself leaving domestic service and beginning an apprenticeship with the GWR.

Based on his own eloquent memoir, this book uses Alfred's two years as a 'lad porter' at a Somerset village station to explore the importance of the railways in 19th century rural life.

High-spirited Alfred quickly comes to love his new life and, undeterred by an unhappy temporary posting to the 'great city' of Bristol, ends up spending 45 years as a GWR employee.

Alfred's words evoke a time when life was harder but pleasures were simple, friendships were lasting - and the railway was king.