Ms Clare Horrie & Ms Kathryn Phelps 
When the Office Went to War 
War Letters from Men of the Great Western Railway

During the course of the First World War, staff of the Great Western Railway”s Audit Office sent letters and photographs back to their employer in Paddington, which were in turn collated into monthly “newsletters” by those who stayed at home to keep Britain moving. Today these newsletters give a unique insight into the Great War – these soldiers were writing to inform and entertain their colleagues rather than to comfort a worrying parent or to confess their love to a distant partner – and bring a distinct band of individuals to life.



The story is told chronologically to recreate the suspense in the Audit Office as the remaining few waited to hear from their colleagues at the Front.