Tuesday 6 December 2016

Who was Joyce?

Sentinel 7109 was named 'Joyce' after the daughter of Mr Sandeman, the chairman of Croydon Gas works where 7109 operated for 32 years until 1960. This is known from "The Locomotives of Croydon Gas & Electricity Works" by J. B. Latham and published in 1970.
New replica nameplate
But that was the easy bit. Current S&DRHT secretary and long standing member, John Baxter, began searching on the Ancestry.co.uk website and I subsequently continued the challenge.

The search began with 'Joyce Sandeman' and 'Croydon'. This revealed only one person 'Joyce Helen Sandeman' and, according to various records, she was born on 1st July 1902 and died a spinster on 12th December 1974.

'Sandeman' being an uncommon name and located in Croydon would appear to be the only lead. Thus all information here is based on Joyce Helen although it could be completely wrong!

Joyce's parents were William James and Annie Charlotte Sandeman. William James Sandeman was the Gas Works chairman and other members of the family had connections with the gas supply industry.
1911 Census Entry
As Joyce died a spinster, there are no children to seek to ask about her so there is no reliable information to tap.

Joyce had two cousins: Ronald Frederick Sandeman, who married Elsie Louise Docking, and Barbara Clare Sandeman who married Cecil George Hine. All of these relatives died in the 1970s or 1980s.

Although I have no public access to this family via the ancestry website, it would appear that there were children who could possibly still be alive and a source of information. It would be lovely to hear from anyone who really knows something about Joyce herself.

I have, however, been speculating a little. I asked myself: 'If I had a steam locomotive where I was chairman of the company, what would be the likely age of my child for me to honour by using their name for the loco?'. In the range 5-15 maybe?

Joyce, being born in 1902, would have been 26 when 7109 arrived at Croydon Gas works in 1928. Seemingly, Joyce was an only child so maybe this could make sense but I'm not convinced this was the reason.

The 1939 census shows Joyce to be in the Cedar Grange Nursing Home in Caterham and described as 'incapacitated'. In that context, 'incapacitated' suggests that she may have been an invalid either from birth or through the consequences of WW1. The incapacity may have meant that she was cared for by her parents and was so dear to them that 7109 was honoured with her name.

This is of course purely speculation. If anyone can shine a light on Joyce, I would be grateful for any information - please leave me a comment to this posting. And, of course, be my guest and come to visit 7109.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Andy,

    Following a brief chat yesterday with my cousin about our great aunty Joyce Sandeman and 'HER train', I decided to google her, whereupon I found your wonderful Sentinel 7109 blog.

    My email is ianhocken@gmail.com and I would be very happy to verify any information with you (courtesy of my mother, Joyce's 2nd cousin). Your above speculations, are however, remarkably accurate. I am Ronald and Elsie's grandson and knowing what I've learnt in the last 24 hours, I now cannot wait to come and visit you and Joyce!

    Thank you so much for taking such good care of her.
    Kind regards from Ian.
    (a fellow Bachelor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

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  2. Thank you so very much for getting in touch. I'd been wondering for some years if there were any distant relatives of Joyce still about and had spent much time searching via ancestry.co.uk.
    I'd got to the stage of deciding to contact local Croydon newspapers but you rang me before I'd begun.
    I'm really looking forward to meeting you and hopefully finding out more about Joyce. If you can find me a photo, I think it would be fitting to use it with some background info as a tribute to the lady who provided the name which still lives on in her honour.
    Kind regards
    Andy

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  3. I first met Joyce (the loco, I mean) when a scholar at a school near the Croydon Gas Works. I often went, at lunch time, to 'watch trains'. I had the choice of electrics on the SR line West Croydon - Wimbledon, the Croydon B power station or the gas works. (Later, I found the little electric loco at the old Croydon A power station.) Coal trains came to the gas and electricity stations. One lunch time, Joyce appeared. In my ignorance, I hed never seen a Sentinel before and I was fascinated. I never saw her again and was amazed to hear that she was alive and well in Somerset. Thanks for looking after her!!!

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  4. I'll never forget the first time I met Joyce.

    I was a naïve schoolboy of 12. I went to the little station near our school one lunch time as I often did; .. .. and there she was, looking smart in her coat of mid-green. What did I know or care that she was so much older than me. She simmered there .. .. an object of mystery .. .. and those curves .. .. ! I had never seen anything like her before. I wondered what was there, within that sleek, curvaceous body. She was indeed Super.

    I asked the driver for her number and he wrote one on her cab in chalk. After a few minutes, she sidled away, and I had never seen such smooth, graceful movement from a locomotive as she left, almost silently. But then I had to leave as well, to get back to school.

    I often went to that little station afterwards, but, although I looked, I never saw Joyce again .. .. ; but, even though I grew older, I continued to remember that 'brief encounter' and often wondered what became of her.

    I understand she is now no longer called Joyce, but that she lives in Somerset under an alias. Perhaps one day I shall see her again. If I do, I wonder if she'll remember that young lad, who looked at her and marvelled that sunny day, all those years ago, when we were both so much younger .. .. and, although he grew older, who never forgot her and the time they first met.

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