Vale of Evesham History Portal

A report observed in the Evesham Journal for 6th June 1924 drew my attention.
"George Alfred Dallimore, railway porter, 1, Church Lane, Norton, Evesham, was summoned for riding a bicycle on the footpath in the parish of Norton and Lenchwick, on May 27 - He did not appear, but sent a letter of apology pleading guilty, and saying he did not think of what he was doing. P.C. Green said at 1.30 pm. he was on duty on the Evesham road and saw Dallimore riding his bicycle on the footpath for about 100 yards. Witness asked him about it and he said "I just got on by Mr. Middleton's gate." Witness told him he would be reported.- A fine of 5s. was imposed."

Eighty years later, think of the contrast. Cycles, skateboards, scooters and racing invalid chairs harry the poor pedestrian at every corner. The footpath is often occupied by cars and vans, A-boards and dump-bins. Walking has become much more dangerous and it often safer to walk in the road. The other quaint aspect of the report was the presence of a policeman, a trade that is becoming less prominent every year, and a railway porter who worked at a station where, today, we rarely see a railway employee except the driver of the carriages.

This is history, not a gripe at modern times. Every one of us can remember when something was usual but is now a rare event. If you had kept a diary over your lifetime it would now be avid reading for a social historian. At the age of 66 I can remember steam trains, trolley busses, trams, horses pulling carts, pig bins, shrapnel, the grocer weighing sugar, slicing bacon, playing in the street, and the silence demanded at school. It is a way of life that has vanished, I saw it go past and never made a record.

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