A Tribute to John Benson

John Benson was a much respected member of the Branch for many years, living near to Hereford. He enrolled into the RAF, after WWII, and served as ‘ground crew’ assigned to the administration offices. He was soon sent on tours of duty to further flung parts of the world. In between his duties as a pay clerk, he would seek out the local railway infrastructure and take photographs. It was a selection of these which Dave Hill, a long-time friend living nearby, has had digitised and presented to us on 21^st March. Images from the 1950s in France and Germany, and in the 1960s from India, Nepal, Singapore – and whilst on leave in the UK he took his camera to many areas of the country. Because his service role gave him opportunities everyday travellers didn’t get so close after the war, we saw images of locomotives in Europe which many of us never new existed. Odd how the French locomotives looked more aesthetically pleasing as they got bigger – and newer! John had an encyclopaedic knowledge of railways, and his record keeping was meticulous. If a fact about a steam locomotive was required, John would know the answer, or at least know where to find the answer.