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"RENOWN" LOCOMOTIVE DRIVER Research by Gordon Freegard
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JOHN HAMPSON #1
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Edward Keane contacted and negotiated to bring John
Hampson and his family, from England after offering John employment as an engine driver for Keanes developing
railway building business. Arriving at King George Sound aboard the
"Austral" in 1890, John, his wife Elizabeth, and their then three
children, landed at Albany. On reaching Midland Junction they were first housed
in a railway "V" van in the Midland Railway Company Yard on land where
the Centrepoint Shopping Centre stands today. This was temporary until the
erection of suitable tents and whilst houses were being built in Woodbridge
Terrace. John Hampson was employed to drive a crane loco
believed to be the "Renown". This was brought to Western Austraila
from an Exhibition in South Australia, and arrived a month after Johns arrival.
The "Renown" was used extensively on a number of Keanes rail projects
and particularly of the Zig Zag line out to Canning Mills. The attached crane
was removed early in its life and no known photos exist of it with the crane. |
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"RENOWN" LOCOCMOTIVE WORKING ON THE ZIG ZAG SECTION OF THE RAIL LINE TO CANNING MILLS #2
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"RENOWN" LOCOCMOTIVE WORKING AT CANNING MILLS #5
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John was
born in April 1855, in Gornel Wood, Dudley, Staffordshire. He was the son of John Hampson (railway mining
contractor). John.'s wife Elizabeth, was a Midwife and
eventually became listed on the Register of Midwives in Western Australia. On arrival in Australia their then youngest son
Harry was a toddler of 10 months old. Of the children of John and
Elizabeth, the first three came on the Australia to Midland with them and the rest
were born in Midland. Harry and Fred both worked at the Railway. In an interview with the "Swan
Express" on his retirement in 1955 after 44 years working at the Midland
Railway Workshops, he remembered days gone past.
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\ JOHN HAMPSON WITH HIS SON, HARRY c1940s #3 |
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ELIZABETH HAMPSON c1920 #4 |
He remembered his Mother having to walk to
Guildford to catch the train to Perth. He also recalled too, the camel teams
which passed regularly through Midland Junction. Harry attended school in the
old Church of England Hall which stood on what is now Ascension Park. Harry was
a Postman when he first met Hilda Tasker, the daughter of a Guildford
Blacksmith, who he later married in 1910. He commenced work at the Way and Works Branch of
the Railways in the old West Midland Workshops as a blacksmith striker until
his retirement in 1955. When he died in 1986 he was respected and
believed to have been Midland's oldest resident at the grand age of 96. Harry,
probably better known as "Silver" to his work mates, had hoped to
live to reach 100 and often remarked in recent years, "I don't want a
telegram from the Queen, Bob Hawke will do me." Harry and Hilda had eight children, and when Harry passed away in 1986 there were 31 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren and eight great great grandchildren. Many old friends attended the service for this respected Midland resident at Karrakatta including many people that his mother had delivered as the local midwife.
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References: Article: Gordon Freegard
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2020 |
