In the
Campbelltown Ingleburn News of April 30th, 1968, it was reported
that Frederick Harmon of Campbelltown would drive the inaugural electric train
to Campbelltown on May 4th. It was also reported that he was a
grandson of William Harmon, a crew member of the first train to run to
Campbelltown in 1858. Whilst this is a great story, some research revealed it
was not entirely true!
William
Henry Harmon was born in 1853. He married wife Jessie Maria Lovett in Sydney in
1878 before settling in Liverpool. They had a large family of seven children. William
joined the Railway Department and became a locomotive engine driver. He retired
in 1913, and died in 1933 at the age of 80. It would seem that Mr Harmon would
have been far too young to drive or crew the first train to Campbelltown, and
indeed it was reported in the SMH that the Chief Engineer, Mr Whitton, drove
the train in 1858.
Percy
Harmon was born to William and Jessie Harmon in 1887. He played football as a
youngster. Percy volunteered for the Navy at the age of eighteen for five
years. After his stint in the Navy, Percy joined the Railways Department as a
cleaner, but when war broke out, he resigned and rejoined the Navy from 3rd
July 1915 til March 1919, serving as a Captain’s valet on the HMAS Fantome.
During this time he married Maria Baskerville. On his return he rejoined the
railways, where he became a locomotive fireman. Percy and Maria had 8 children.
Percy was a locomotive fireman until his retirement. He died in 1972.
Frederick
Harmon was born to Percy and Maria in 1926. He married Betty Gloria Lidden of
Campbelltown, a graduate of the Conservatorium of Music, in 1951. They lived in
Sturt Street Campbelltown. Frederick was the driver of the inaugural electric
train to Campbelltown on Saturday May 4th. The most recent information I could find out
about Fred Harmon was that he was still living in Campbelltown in 1980 and was
still a locomotive driver. Apparently he was a bit of a character, and when he
and Betty divorced, he stayed on in Sturt Street.
 |
| Fred Harmon at left (in white shirt and hat) at the accident at Menangle Station in 1963. Photo - Norm Campbell Collection |
Whilst the
idea that a grandfather and grandson drove the first train and the first
electric train into Campbelltown was a great one, the real story of the train
driving Harmons is equally interesting.
Written by Claire Lynch
Sources
“Parramatta District Soldiers in the Great War”
Trove
Ancestry
Sources
“Parramatta District Soldiers in the Great War”
Trove
Ancestry
Dear ‘History Buff’
ReplyDeleteThank you for your article. It has certainly got us Harmons thinking about our family history; at least as we remember it. Families are full of unreliable memoirs and it is nice to at least try to get things sorted. I just hope, given the complexity, that I have explained myself well enough in what follows.
I refer you to the above quote (The railway Harmons; Thursday, 18 April 2019) viz- “It was … reported that he (i.e. Frederick Harmon) was a grandson of William Harmon, a crew member of the first train to run to Campbelltown in 1858. Whilst this is a great story, some research revealed it was not entirely true!”
“It would seem that Mr Harmon” (i.e. William Henry Harmon, my great grandfather: born 1853) “would have been far too young to drive or crew the first train to Campbelltown, and indeed it was reported in the SMH that the Chief Engineer, Mr Whitton, drove the train in 1858.”
What you have written is, of course, mostly correct. However the story, as I remember it, was that it was my great, great grandfather (also named William Harmon) who was a part of the crew on the first steam train to Campbelltown in 1858. I will admit that my recollection of the story is quite foggy given that I have not heard it for many years. However I found this little gem (Campbelltown: yesterday, today and tomorrow- see web address below) in which my grandfather, Percy Harmon, clearly agrees with the narrator that it was his (i.e. Percy’s) grandfather who was a part of the engine crew in 1858. Moreover Percy also states that his grandfather’s name was William Harmon (i.e. there is no middle name; or, as Percy says, there was “… only one name”).
So, basically, it would appear that you have quite possibly missed something in your research for your story. It would seem probable that a William Harmon did crew the first train in 1858- but that he was William Henry’s Harmon father.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Y9EKPqmxQ&t=2s
I would be interested in your comments.
Regards
Charles Harmon