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In the 19th century, railway work opened doors. For Adolphus Beaver, it took him and his family from London to Buenos Aires, Argentina – but only his family returned.
Adolphus was born and raised in London, starting work with the Midland Railway in the 1860s as an engine cleaner. He joined the ASRS in 1885, by which time he was an engine driver. Adolphus took part in the 1887 Midland Railway strike – for which he was sacked.
Unable to find work in the UK, his skills were in demand elsewhere. Adolphus and his family moved to Argentina, where he worked as an engine driver. Unfortunately he died of typhoid in 1889, leaving his wife and 4 children stranded.
The ASRS gave its usual £5 (around £3,400 today) death grant; the Orphan Fund provided 5 shillings and 6 pence per week to support Adolphus’s children. By 1901 his family had returned to the UK.
This account is one of over 20 life stories featured in the Railway Work, Life & Death project’s ‘Lives on the Line: Railway Workers, Accidents & Union Action’ exhibition at project partner the Modern Records Centre, from October 2026 until mid-January 2027.