The Bass Excursions

The Bass Excursions were a series of works outings laid on for the entire workforce of the Burton-on-Trent brewing firm of Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton. They took place every summer, and ran from the 1860s until 1914. The last one, to Scarborough, took place just weeks before the outbreak of the First World War. The excursions, which were originally just for workers, quickly expanded to include wives and children, along with managers and suppliers. So many townspeople were included that, on the day, the town's population of 50,000 was reduced by nearly a fifth.[1] Workers travelled free - with family members at a greatly reduced rate - and were given their day's wages, plus extra pocket money of a half crown to a guinea, depending on their status.[2][3] Once there, production of their excursion ticket allowed the free entrance to all the resort's attractions.

Organisation

Up to seventeen special trains were engaged to take between 7-10,000 workers and their families. Departures took place every ten to fifteen minutes, with some workers having arrived at their destination while others were still waiting at Burton station to board their allotted train. The 1904 excursion to Liverpool, for instance, consisted of seventeen trains, the first leaving at 4 a.m., the last at 6.50 a.m. By that time those on the 4 a.m. departure had already arrived at Liverpool Central. The last of the departures - composed entirely of first class dining saloons - was reserved for company executives, along with friends and guests.[4]

The Trips
Year Destination Trains Notes
1880
1881 Scarborough 6 London visit cancelled due to smallpox edpidemic
1882
1883
1884
1885 Blackpool 8
1886
1887
1888 Brighton
1889 Blackpool
1890 Scarborough
1891 Liverpool & New Brighton 13
1892 Blackpool 15
1893 Great Yarmouth
1894 Scarborough 15
1895 Liverpool & New Brighton
1896 Blackpool 16
1897 Great Yarmouth 15
1898 Scarborough
1899 Liverpool & New Brighton 16
1900 Blackpool 17
1901 Great Yarmouth
1902 Scarborough
1903 Blackpool 17
1904 Liverpool & New Brighton 17
1905 Great Yarmouth
1906 Scarborough
1907 Blackpool 17
1908 Liverpool & New Brighton
1909 Great Yarmouth
1910 Scarborough
1911 Blackpool 15
1912 Liverpool & New Brighton
1913 Great Yarmouth
1914 Scarborough

Brochures
1904 excursionists' brochure

All excursionists were give an illustrated brochure, some containing up to 96 pages. The contents detailed the attractions of their destination, advice on places to eat (and nannyish reminders about the wisdom of a proper meal) . Discounts were available for the excursionists on presentation of their tickets. Additional outings and cruises were available. In addition there was lots of 'trivia' - a typical excursion could involve up to 250 carriages, for which two miles of sidings would be required at the destination town. There were facts and figures about rolling stock and locomotives, remarks about the stations and sights passed en route.

The brochures also served as a guide on travel etiquette, reminding passengers to travel only on their designated train, to ensure that compartments were fully utilised and not 'hogged'. In 3rd class this meant eight to ten in each compartment. Passengers were reminded not to throw bottles out of the window or to leave orange peel on the platforms.

When all trains had arrived safely at their destination, Bass's Traffic Manager, William Walters, personally sent a telegram to Burton-on-Trent to confirm it.

Culture

Many people, both excursionists and those at their destination, good-humouredly referred to the invasion as 'Bass buying the town.' [5] 'And the town is glad to be bought by such generous people,' said one Yarmouth businessman. 'Hundreds of them will stay for the week and are amongst our most welcome visitors.'[6][7][8][9]

Incidents & Accidents

In 1901 a young maltster employed by Bass was found dead near the tracks just outside Melton Mowbray. After hearing from fellow passengers on the Yarmouth train, an inquest jury agreed that the man's injuries had been consistent with falling from a train, but could not decide whether it had been an accident or something more sinister.[10][11]

Three years earlier, during the Scarborough trip of 1898, a Bass worker was drowned in a freak accident.[12]

Post-1914

The 1915 excursion to Blackpool had to be cancelled. The demands of the war and mobilisation of troops meant that the railway companies were simply unable to handle a non-priority operation requiring the use of twenty trains.[13] The workers were still allowed their holiday and mostly stayed at home in Burton-on-Trent.

William Walters

The man responsible for the Bass excursions retired at the end of 1915 - aged 74. He had overseen the annual trips ever since the first one in 1865, which he organised at the personal behest of William Bass. The first trip - to Liverpool - had been for men and boys only, families not being allowed to go until a later date.[14]

References
  1. "Eight thousand people at Scarborough" Birmingham Daily Gazette 24 July 1914
  2. "Bass Excursion", Derby Mercury, 22 June 1898
  3. Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal 29 July 1910
  4. "Bass's Annual Trip" Sheffield Daily Telegraph 16 July 1904
  5. "Buying A Town" Dundee Evening Post 17 June 1901.
  6. The Bass Railway Trips, Pearson, R, Breedon Books, 1993
  7. The Railways of Burton-on-Trent, Twells, H.N. Challenger Publications, 1997
  8. Excursion to Liverpool & New Brighton, Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton, 1904
  9. Excursion to Scarborough, Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton, 1914
  10. "Strange railway fatality", Grantham Journal 22 June 1901
  11. Peterborough Advertiser, 19 June 1901.
  12. "A Remarkable Death", Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 20 June 1898.
  13. "No Bass Excursion" Evening Despatch 26 July 1915.
  14. "Mr W Walters Retires" Burton Daily Mail 31 December 1915
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