Railwayman Bernard Holden says steam is in his blood
The name of Bernard Holden will forever be totally entwined with that of the Bluebell Railway.
Much of his later life has been focused on the restoration of the line north from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes, on to Kingscote and in the not too distant future, East Grinstead, writes Paul Watson.
Mr Holden, who celebrated his 103rd birthday in March 2011, lives at Lydfords nursing home at East Hoathly. However, for much of his life he lived at Ditchling.
He is a railwayman and comes from a railway family.
He simply says: “Steam is in my blood.”
His family connection dates back to 1840, the early days of the railways, when his grandfather worked on the Brighton to Shoreham line.
Bernard was born in 1908 at Barcombe station where his father Charles was Station Master.
Steam trains have never been far from Bernard’s thoughts – he spent his whole career working on the railways.
In 1940, he helped organise the trains to take evacuated soldiers away from the Kent ports after the Dunkirk evacuation.
Around 400 specials were put on in a huge logistical operation.
Later in the war Bernard was stationed on the Indian Railways as a captain with the Royal Engineers.
These years had a huge effect on him and were the subject of his first book, Let Smoke Make Steam, the preface for which was written by Dame Vera Lynn.
He had first met Dame Vera when he was in India and they remain friends to this day.
The Bluebell Railway began when four young students knocked on Bernard's front door one evening saying they wanted to start a railway and asked for his help, as in those days nobody under the age of 21 was permitted to chair a public meeting.
Bernard fitted the bill in terms of his steam experience and his age.
Bernard asked his wife Lilian to show them in as their suggested meeting date was coincidentally his birthday, March 15.
He chaired that subsequent first meeting in a chilly hall in Haywards Heath which heralded the beginning of the world's first standard gauge preservation steam railway.
The first public train from Sheffield Park station on the Bluebell Line was August 7, 1960.
Some 50 years later the society repeated the ceremony again and Bernard, by now aged 102, and again wearing the same top hat, was able to ride the special train once more.
Bernard was awarded the MBE for services to railway preservation in 1992.
He remembers going to the palace to collect his award. 'Her Majesty The Queen told me to "keep up the good work".
Bernard married Lilian Box whom he met at Southwater station (where she lived).
They had two sons, Andrew and Roger.
Bernard sadly lost Lilian and his two sons in quick succession in 2000 and 2001.
He is registered blind and is a St Dunstaner.
If you ask him for the secret to longevity, he will likely answer 'steam railways!' and to wearing a hat whenever he goes outside.
His remaining ambition is to ride the first train from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead when the goal set all those years ago to reconnect to mainline services is finally realised.
In our photographs, which were supplied by Jim Holden, Bernard is pictured, top left, on the front of a train in India and, above right, celebrating his 103rd birthday.
Below he is pictured in front of the Taj Mahal in India and on Steyning Station in 1923, second left, front row, in his school uniform.
See also:
A look at Uckfield's railway history
Uckfield's new railway station is 'highly commended'
(Added to site Friday, March 18th, 2011)
