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corporation employer / tram car repairer

  • Thread starter Thread starter kathryn
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K

kathryn

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my nans dad was listed as a tram car repairer in 1911 on my nans birth cert. in 1915 he enlisted in handsworth and died 1917 tanzania. in 1934 my nan married and her dad was listed as corporation employer (deceased). would tram cars be included as "corporation" or does anyone know what a corporation employer actually meant? or is it just another vaguerie of the world of certificates
kath
 
He could have worked in one of the tram depots, or the overhaul and main repair works at Kyotts Lake Road, just off Stratford Road. Birmingham Corporation took over the private tram companies that ran in the city between 1904 and 1912, as the leases expired. That is the most likely way he became a 'Corporation employee', which I think is what the certificate should say.
 
when my nan was born they lived at bellefield ave bellefield rd (1911)
when my nans dad died in ww1 (1917) the family home was listed as marroway st.
do you know if there were any depots in that area?
thanks
kath
 
The nearest depot to Bellefield Rd or Marroway St. was Rosebery Street, at the far end of College street from Spring Hill.
 
Kathryn, both those addresses would be a ten-minute walk from Rosebery Street tram depot, built for the Lodge Road route which opened on 14/04/1906, followed by the electrification of the former steam trams to Bearwood, run by the Birmingham & Midland Tramways Company, but with the Corporation running local services to new extensions to Bearwood and Soho Station from 01/07/1906, and the new route from Navigation Street to Five Ways, Ladywood and Icknield Port Road, junction of Dudley Road.
So I would guess he worked there, doing day-to-day maintenance of what would have been new trams in those days, so they should not have needed much repair. It was a long way from the big repair works at Kyotts Lake Road in Sparkbrook, which did the bigger jobs - more alterations and rebuildings.
Peter
 
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