About the railway cards
For employees born pre-1900
This series (NRS 12922) shows details relating to an individual's employment e.g. name, date of birth, educational qualifications and details of service.
These cards detail the service history of State Rail employees born prior to 1900, and were kept by the Finance Branch to record rates of pay, leave, and superannuation entitlements. Most cards relate to permanent employees, but some cards for construction and casual employees are also included. The cards do not provide details of persons whose employment had ceased prior to the introduction of the Railway Service Superannuation Act, effective from 1 October 1910.
Personal history cards and the Strike
The samples below show personal history cards of some employess during the 1917 Railway Strike.
Ben Chifley, later Prime Minister of Australia, started work with the railways in 1903 and worked his way up to train driver by 1917. Chifley's personal history card reflects his participation in the Strike and his eventual return to work as a driver and a fireman on reduced wages. In reality though, the job of fireman was a loss of seniority and when he started driving trains again he was only a junior driver. Chifley was later to recall the Strike and its aftermath as "a legacy of bitterness and a trial of hate."[1]
[1] Brian Carroll, Australia's Railway Days: Milestones in railway history, Macmillan, 1976, p.70.
Joe Cahill, later Labor Premier of New South Wales, started work as an apprentice fitter and turner at the Eveleigh Workshops in 1907. Cahill was an active unionist [1] and his personal history card may reflect that with the notation under the 'Dismissed by Proclamation' stamp with the word "Agitator" in red ink. Cahill found work elsewhere before returning as a fitter and turner in 1922. He remained with the railways until 1925 when he was elected to Parliament as the Member for St George.
[1] Brian Carroll, Australia's Railway Days: Milestones in railway history, Macmillan, 1976, p.70.
- George Welsh. This card contains blue inked stamp of loyalty near top of card, the most commonly found indication of loyalty during the Strike
- William Sampson worked for the railways for forty years, starting as a Porter in Junee. The stamp used to indicate loyalty on this card is rarely found on other personal history cards
- Charles Sankey. This rarely found notation indicates that Sankey was a strike breaker who resumed work early on 11 August 1917 and avoided the dismissal by proclamation.
- William Sanderson. According to the red ink comment on Sanderson's card, during the Strike he used insulting language to those rail workers still on active service, in other words, strike breakers or scab labour. He was re-remployed after the Strike
- Alfred Leslie was a Head Porter before the Strike and when he returned to work it was as a Parcels Porter. He did not regain his position as Head Porter until 1924
- Ernest Sargent. This card contains a handwritten notation of Sargent joining the Strike and being dismissed by proclamation.
