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These are two examples of certificates issued by the NUR, recognising the efforts of those collecting for the Union’s Orphan Fund in the 1920s and 1930s. As well as designs reflecting the style of the period, these certificates allow us to see the personal stories of the railway and the Union.
Phyllis Oddy was born in 1917, making her just 11 years old when the first of her certificates was issued. Her father, Alfred, was a platelayer (track worker) for the Great Eastern Railway, and had joined the NUR in 1915. Presumably it was through her father that Phyllis became aware of railway orphans and the Union fund and wanted to help. She received at least four certificates.
Frustratingly, we haven’t been able to find out any more about Mrs F Foley.
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.