South Yorkshire Times, May 5th 1933

Retirement – George Wilde

Mr. George Wilde, 78, Charles Street, yesterday retired after 44 years’ railway service with the old “Midland” and present L.M.S. He left school at the age of ten to start work, and in 1889 began hi: railway career, under the late Mr. J. Carroll, at Swinton. In the following year he was run over by a train and lost part of a foot. He then became a signalman. in which branch of the service he has remained for the other 43 years of his working career. He started at Pinxton, Derbyshire. in 1890, was moved to Helpston, Northants., and later to Reresby, near Leicester. From there he came to South Yorkshire. He served in the Chapeltown and Wincobank junction boxes. and was later moved to Canklow when the loco. department was opened there. While the track was being widened at Kilnhurst he went to the Highthorne box. From there he got back to Swinton, serving four years in the Swinton South box, eight years in the Swinton Station box, and then in the Wath Road Junction box, in which he has seen twenty years’ service in all. It is in this box that he has worked his last night shifts this week. He recalls the days when wages were 16s.a week for porters—”and often sixteen hours a: day and work Sundays for nothing.” He has served under four stationmasters at Swinton: Messrs. Carroll. Brader. Palfreyman, and Williamson. Mr. and Mrs. Wilde have been married 42 years and have had a family of sixteen, ten of whom are living.