AWARDS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2020 :: RMTnews 29 R MT general secretary Mick Cash did the honours at Wolverhampton branch recently and presented 40-year, 25-year and 10-year badges to Alan Hooper, Julie smith, Farakh Yasin, Karen Bannister, Joanna blackburn, Paul Hamer and Ant Biring. L ondon Underground Fleet branch presented Daniel D'Cunha and Muzammil Hussain (last two on the right) with their long service awards recently with Mick Cash, branch chair Tony Carter-Leay, secretary Neil Atkinson, regional organiser John Leach, guest FBU London Region NEC member Dave Shek and assistant general secretary Mick Lynch. T hree Bridges branch celebrated Martin Bartlett’s over 50 years as an RMT member recently by presenting him with a belated 50-year medallion. On July 29 1965, after leaving school, Martin joined the railway at the age of 15 years old when his passion for trains drove him to Three Bridges station where he sought employment with Mr Bennett the then Three Bridges Station Master. Martin got a job as a box boy in the Three Bridges signal box which involved keeping data entries/logs of the trains running between Balcombe Junction, Gatwick and Crawley. In July 1968, the then area inspector, George Lloyd, offered Martin a job as a signaller at Merstham Station and attended the signalling school at Beckenham Junction. In 1971, Martin got a job in the Gatwick signal box, and worked there diligently until 1978, when the signal panel to control Gatwick, was installed at the Three Bridges Signal Box where he formerly served as box boy. The Gatwick Signal Box was closed, then in 1983 the Three Bridges Signal Box was also sadly closed and he was transferred to the Three Bridges area signalling centre (ASC) where he worked for the next36 years. Even now he remains a passionate train enthusiast and Martin's colleagues say that he had a good work ethic which allowed him to move through the ranks while remaining an active trade union member. Between the year 1980 to 2007, Martin also served as a special constable with the Sussex Police force but left the post at the age of 60 years. The people he worked with over the years described Martin as a quiet, caring, observant and a positive influence within his workplace. One colleague said, “he is a jolly good fellow”. May 31 2019 was the last date brother Martin worked on the railway but be ready to offer him a well-deserved brew because you may bump into this historical railway man holding his camera ready to take a picture of one of the many vintage trains or the new contemporary trains on the network. 50 NOT OUT AT THREE BRIDGES WOLVES AWARDS LU FLEET AWARDS