City honours the Jellicoe Express
A smoke-puffing train and restored carriages passed through Perth Railway Station on Tuesday.
Part of a programme of plaque unveilings to celebrate the train that took troops from London to Thurso in the Great War, it was an unforgettable experience for steam train lovers, with the air smelling of coal smoke and hot metal as the K1 engine detached and filled up with water during an hour-long stop in the Fair City.
Perth and Kinross Provost Liz Grant was at the station to unveil a commemorative plaque to mark the centenary of the Jellicoe Express.
The train, which was vital to the Allied effort in the First World War was named the Jellicoe Express after Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, the Commander of the Grand Fleet.
Admiral Jellicoe went on to lead his ships out from Scapa Flow, Orkney, to fight the German High Sea Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in June 1916.
Personnel had to be transported 717 long miles from London to Thurso and Railway Station Provost Liz Grant, John Jellicoe, Captain Chris Smith and Brigadier Mel Jamieson, Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross, after the ceremony
the best way was by rail.
The so-called Jellicoe Express – a dedicated railway service for the Navy – made a daily trip up the country, direct from Euston Station to Thurso. The Jellicoe Express, pulled by the Great Britain X, leaves Perth
It had a stop at Perth on its long 21hour journey, allowing the troops to stock up on cigarettes and tea at a handy platform refreshment barrow.
Britain’s longest-ever train journey was marked by a Navy inscribed plaque in the waiting room with speeches from Provost Liz Grant, Captain Chris Smith, Naval regional commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Admiral Jellicoe’s grandson, John Jellicoe.
Provost Grant said: “It is an honour to be asked to unveil a plaque to mark the centenary of the Jellicoe Express.
“Perth was a key stop for the service. We should not forget the dedicated group of local volunteers who set up and ran the ‘Perth Patriotic Barrow’ at Perth railway station during the First World War.
“At the barrow, members of the armed services could get tea, cigarettes and a snack. The soldiers were extremely Mel Jamieson
appreciative of the barrow.”
Fair City rail enthusiasts young and old were delighted to see two steam engines – A K1 and a Black 5 – haul a set of restored carriages into the station.
The train was making a 10 day roundBritain tour for the Railway Touring Company and offered 250 paying passengers first class hospitality and a three course meal.
The gourmet food and gilded table lamps were a far cry from the experience of soldiers taking the Jellicoe Express in the Great War.
Troops heading for the Grand Fleet Navy base at Scarpa Flow were packed in with their bulging kitbags and many never got anywhere near a seat for the entire rail journey from London to Thurso that took almost 24 hours.
Altogether the Jellicoe Express was credited with carrying 475,000 people between February 1917 and April 1919. Provost Liz Grant, John Jellicoe, Captain Chris Smith and Brigadier