Wartime on the Railways Publisher: Sutton Pub Ltd (February 1, 2007) Release Date: February 1, 2007 Language: English Hardcover: 200 pages ISBN-10: 0750942460 This is a beautiful copy, unused. There is minor creasing around the cover, and an old library stamp is visible on the title page. [Publisher's Description] Since the American Civil War, railways have been a crucial element in warfare. The British military's initial interest in railways was primarily for maintaining domestic order, but during the Boer War, a large number of soldiers and their horses were transported through the London and South Western Railway and its port of Southampton. Railways were so important that the state took control of them during World War I, and similar measures were repeated, albeit in a somewhat controversial form, during World War II. "Wartime on the Railways" depicts the role of British railways during World War II, not only addressing operational issues and the impact of enemy attacks on the railways, but also looking at financial arrangements, the role of railway workshops in the production of military equipment, and the experiences of railway companies' ships during the war. In addition, personal testimonies from railway workers and female workers complement the story, as women took on many jobs traditionally held by men during the war. The book includes a chapter outlining the wartime preparations made by railway companies in the final stages of peacetime, as well as chapters on each of the "Big Four" railway companies, a chapter on the London Transport's underground network, and chapters dealing with financial arrangements, the impact on wartime travel restrictions and timetables, the role of railway workshops, and port and shipping issues. In particular, it also mentions the loss of many railway company-owned ships during the French campaign and the Dunkirk evacuation.