Image Licensing : Family boarding a train in the carriage sidings at Swindon, for the annual Works trip, 1932

EDITORS COMMENTS

This evocative photograph captures the excitement and anticipation of a family's annual journey for their holiday, taken at Swindon station in 1932. The Swindon Works, a significant locomotive manufacturing site for the Great Western Railway (GWR), closed down for two weeks every year for maintenance and repairs. In order to minimize disruption to regular services, the workers and their families were treated to a free holiday known as 'The Trip'. Instead of boarding the trains at the station, this image shows the family preparing to embark on their adventure from the carriage sidings at Swindon. The children, dressed in their Sunday best, cling to their parents as they step onto the train, while their suitcases and belongings are carefully loaded onto the platform by other family members and workmates. The father, wearing a smart suit and hat, looks on with pride and affection, while his wife smiles reassuringly at her young ones. The steam engine in the background, with its gleaming metal and billowing smoke, symbolizes the power and might of the railway industry that made such holidays possible. The lush green countryside in the distance beckons, promising a much-needed break from the daily grind of work and the bustling town of Swindon. This photograph is a poignant reminder of a bygone era when the railway played a pivotal role in the lives of workers and their families, providing them with a chance to relax, reconnect and create cherished memories together.