Armistice Day display for Brighton rail workers who served during World War One

Laura Lee, who works at Arundel Rail Station, has ensured the sacrifices of Brighton railway staff are not forgotten after spending countless hours combing through records to collate the names, ages, roles and fates of those who served, including when they signed up.

She has included burial locations for the railway workers who did not return home after checking their details with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

“Researching Brighton was the last part of my project and it fills three A4 folders. I didn’t realise just how many people worked in rail in Brighton until I started. It was sad to see one chap who signed up in August and by October had been killed. I also noticed lots of the same surnames pop up.” she said.

The project began during the run up to the centenary of the war when Laura, who has worked on the railway for 21 years, started researching the fate of serving railway workers who had been based at Arundel Station.

After receiving encouragement to extend the research, her project snowballed to include information from neighbouring stations, including Brighton.

The Sussex mother of two became engrossed in the project, regularly spending hours each night scanning records.

The now complete research covers 27 stations and information on workers from Brighton station, depot, and goods yard forms the final installment.

Brighton station manager, Jim Cumming, said: “I was so impressed by the amount of work and effort Laura has put into her research. My fellow Brighton station manager and ex-serviceman, Danny Sands, and I felt it was necessary to recognise her hard work by displaying it on the concourse with regimental flags for all to see.”

Laura’s Brighton research was on display at the concourse of Brighton Station, Queens Road today between 10am and 5pm.

It will ultimately be lodged at The Keep, Brighton’s archive and historical resource centre.