The Munt family of 30 Batford Road

Geoff Woodward has asked us to add the following information about STANLEY MUNT:

He started on the Great Northern Railway at Wheathampstead in 1905 as a lad porter, becoming an adult porter at the same station. He then trained as a signalman, and was posted to Grimoldby (Lincolnshire) where he stayed for a few months before moving to London Road signalbox at St Albans. He moved to the Wheathampstead signalbox in 1910 and became a full-time signalman at Harpenden (East) signalbox until he retired on 31 December 1958.

Stanley was secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), having taken over from W R Almond in 1938, and after retiring he continued with the local branch.

He was also caretaker of Batford Methodist Church and a trustee of the same. He spent his spare time at work - between trains - writing for the Church, doing NUR business or repairing hymn books. He was also a keen gardener (as can be seen in the photos above). He died in August 1976, aged 85.

Alan Hamblin tells me that Stanley Munt remembered the bricks for the building of the National Children's Home arriving at Harpenden East railway station in 1913.

Thanks to Geoff for the information on Stanley Munt, I remember him well. Our Sunday School teacher. He often used to let us operate the signal levers at Harpenden East when we were children, (can't imagine that happening now).