Harry Saward was still in his 20s when he beat more than 100 applicants to the coveted post of station master at Wolferton on the Sandringham estate.
Serving Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V between 1884 and 1924, he met monarchs from across Europe, plus every British prime minister of his time at the station.
“He greeted hundreds of royal visits and welcomed leading political figures of the day at this tiny rural Norfolk station and it is a story that excited me, as it had never been told before,” said Ellee Seymour, who was so intrigued by the royal station master that she is writing a trilogy of novels about him and his family.
She came across Harry’s story while researching the history of families left behind after the tragedy of the Sandringham Company, wiped out in Gallipoli in 1915. She asked EDP readers for help as she researched the history of the royal estate and was thrilled to be put in touch with Harry’s great grandson Brian Heath.
“He was very keen for Harry’s unique story to be told,” said Ellee. “No other station master has welcomed three generations of monarchy as Harry did.”
As well as getting know British royals Harry also welcomed their friends and relations from across Europe including the King and Queen of Denmark, two Empresses and an Emperor of Germany, the King and Queen of Portugal, the King and Queen of Spain, the King of Belgium, and a Dowager Empress and a future Emperor of Russia. He is even said to have sent Rasputin packing when he arrived at Wolferton asking to see King George V.
Harry’s wife Sarah worked as waiting room attendant and was also Wolferton postmistress.
“It’s a very special feeling to stand on the platform and imagine the royal goings on and fanfare, all the stops pulled out for special celebrations, how prettily the station would have been decorated and to imagine Harry and his family greeting royal and distinguished visits,” said Ellee.
At least one elephant arrived at Wolferton Station too – and was reluctant to get back into the circus train at the end of festivities to celebrate the coming of age of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Albert Victor.
When it could not be persuaded into its carriage it was temporarily chained to a nearby lamp-post – which it promptly uprooted. “He then proceeded to demolish the station gates which he threw into the middle of the road,” wrote Harry.
Brian, whose family emigrated to Australia in 1961 told Ellee: “We are all so immensely proud to have Harry in our family tree. He is a great role model for success in work, life and recreation, and setting a good moral and ethical standard, whilst being able to mix with all walks of life, from royalty, politicians and ordinary folk.
“Harry was rewarded for his loyalty and social skills by being invited to state dinners where he mingled with crowned heads of state and distinguished guests. He would have been invited along with a handful of local people to these occasions, and Harry would dress formally, his medals pinned proudly on his dinner jacket.
“It was amazing to learn how my family roots were from such a historic place on the royal estate, and to see the church where my great grandparents were married and are now buried next to each other. I was really moved.”
As a child, Brian’s father, Leslie, used to play with tragic Prince John, son of George V, who died from epilepsy in 1919, aged just 13. “My father used to go to Wood Farm where he lived, and Prince John used to like watching the trains," said Brian.
The royal retiring rooms and other station buildings are now private homes but Ellee said the owners had been very helpful. “They still exist today, the only ones in the country to exist, and were used by Kings and Queens throughout Europe,” she said.
Harry knew how special his station was and his love for Wolferton shines through an article he wrote for The Great Eastern Railway magazine.
“How many heads of state, how many men, and women too, of light and leading in statecraft, literature, science, art, religion, war and social life have stepped upon its platform?” he asks. “I doubt whether there is a prettier station in the United Kingdom at the present time than Wolferton.”
Ellee first visited the station as a child, when it was a museum, and said: “I remember staring into glass cabinets that contained precious royal relics, seeing the original toilet in the royal retiring rooms that the King used and being fascinated by it!”
Brian still treasures Harry’s retirement gift from George V. The first printed copy of a book called Imperial Cricket, covered in vellum and gold leaf, is signed and dedicated to Harry by the King. As well as his duties as station master Harry was captain of the Wolferton cricket team for more than 30 years.
Other tokens of appreciation given to Harry by illustrious passengers included a Faberge pin from Tzar Nicholas II of Russia which is now believed to belong to a member of British royal family
Harry proudly called the line the most punctual in England. When he retired in 1924 King George V gave him the use of Church Farmhouse in Wolferton.
Ellee, of Ely, who lived and worked in King’s Lynn in the 1980s, decided to tell Harry’s story as a novel. “I wanted Harry’s story to appeal to as wide a readership as possible,” she said.
Melding fact and fiction, her trilogy begins with The Royal Station Masters’ Daughters, set in 1915. The second book, The Royal Station Master’s Daughters at War, will take up the story in 1917, and the third will focus on Sandringham in the aftermath of Gallipoli.
"I would very much welcome hearing from families who can share with me stories of their ancestors’ lives on the Sandringham estate during this time, and I would like to thank all those who have contacted me so far," said Ellee. “I had some fantastic responses.” She also enjoyed using the EDP's newspaper archives and Local Recall research tool. She can be contacted via her website elleeseymour.com which includes background stories about Harry, his family and his beloved Wolferton Station. The Royal Station Master’s Daughters by Ellee Seymour is published by Bonnier Zaffre.
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