Description

This is a delightful little booklet written not by an historian, nor by an experienced author of any kind but by an elderly tram conductor who wanted to share his memories of the Kingston Upon Hull horse trams, replaced by electric in 1900. He began work as a boy for the tramways – unusually his first day of work was a Sunday counting the mountains of pennies collected for fares.

At the other end of his time on the horse trams, he hoisted a black flag on the last car to run before closure, and was made responsible for selling off the horses and equipment after closure. In those days, sick injured or elderly employees of such undertakings were in part dependent upon locally organized welfare funds to which the men made weekly contributions.

Mr. Dyson wanted to make a contribution from the sale of his booklet to the tramway “Sick Fund” but could not afford the printing costs. He approached local businesses to pay for adverts to cover these. It is a reminder of how much kinder to each other the British used to be that many firms paid for space even though it was unlikely much extra trade would result. The response was so good that the booklet has as many pages of adverts as it has of trams! Please do not let this put you off many of them display a period charm where a man said what he wanted to say about his business without being bullied into paying for something “fancy” by a smooth talking young man from an advertising agency.

Mr. Dyson hints at another ambition, perhaps a touch of immortality? “I… hope that my efforts will maintain a place among other historic works of Old Hull…” Well here we are nearly 100 years later and you dear reader are possibly thinking of buying a download. Perhaps he has got his wish?

PREVIEW BELOW – MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD.