Catalogue description British Railways Board: Members' Papers

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Details of AN 18
Reference: AN 18
Title: British Railways Board: Members' Papers
Description:

These British Railways Board members' papers include mainly drafts of speeches, of Dr, later Baron, Beeching as chairman of the board, 1962-1965. Also included are newspaper cuttings and a final printed edition of The Reshaping of British Railways.
Date: 1961-2000
Arrangement:

AN 18/1-4 are listed in the order of the reference given them by the former British Transport Historical Records Office. Other pieces are listed as they are transferred to the Public Record Office.

Drafts of Dr Beeching's speeches to various organisations are listed in the numerical order in which Dr Beeching filed them.
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Physical description: 2311 files and volumes
Access conditions: Open unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

1979-2011 British Railways Board
Accruals: No further accruals expected
Administrative / biographical background:

Dr Richard Beeching (1913-1985) was Chairman of the British Railways Board (BRB) from December 1962 until May 1965 although he had earlier associations with British Railways. He was appointed by the Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples, as a member of the Stedeford Group in March 1960. This group had been set up to examine the working of British Railways and its outcome was the 1962 Transport Act which disbanded the British Transport Commission (BTC) and formed the BRB. In June 1961 Dr Beeching was appointed as a part-time Board Member of the BTC. His previous career had been in industry and he was a director of Imperial Chemical Industries when he was seconded from ICI to be chairman of the BRB. Although his appointment as chairman was until May 1966, he returned to ICI in 1965, becoming deputy chairman from 1966 to 1968.

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