This page is one of a series introducing railway staff who worked on the south coast of England before 1939. They’ve been researched as part of the ‘Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts’ project – which you can read more about here, including accessing details of the other railway workers featured.
Research was undertaken from November 2024-July 2025, by a small group of volunteers from the Havant Local History Group, working with the University of Portsmouth’s History team. The work was funded by the University of Portsmouth’s Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation.
The workers featured were selected from staff who appear in the Railway Work, Life & Death project database of accidents to pre-1939 British and Irish railway workers.
*** This page is under development – the full life story will be updated as soon as possible.
The London and South Western Railway company worked porter Harry Kendell, 50, hard. On 12 July 1912, he booked on for a 12-hour shift at Cosham, starting at 6pm.
At least he didn’t have far to come: he lived at No. 6, Railway Cottages, Port Creek Junction – in the triangle of land enclosed by railway lines where they cross to Portsea Island, about a mile from Cosham station.
Four hours into his shift, at 10pm, Harry was controlling shunting (moving wagons around, including coupling and uncoupling them).
He heard the Cosham yard telephone ring. He hurried to answer the call, but got his left foot stuck in a pair of points. He suffered a twisted knee, but nothing else.
*** Further details of Harry’s life will be added as soon as possible.