A Glance from a Train

Brad Bradstock

A Glance from A Train was Brad’s show with Eric Thompson about Wolverton. This also toured the UK and told the story of ‘the coming of the railway to a sleepy North Buckinghamshire village and its subsequent effect on the people who lived and worked there.’

Eric and Di Thompson remember:

"‘Brad and I (Eric) first met in the Stantonbury Campus / Living Archive documentary plays of the early 1980s. We got on so well together, we decided in 1995 to put together a show telling a story of Wolverton and the railway, A Glance from a Train, drawing on the songs and dialogue in the plays. Over the next five years we performed the show at a number of venues around the country - many great memories of working with Brad on this."

The songs were written for the series of documentary plays which have been presented since 1976 by Stantonbury Campus Theatre Company & The Living Archive Project devised by Roy Nevitt & Roger Kitchen.

Track list:

Side One: 
       1. Sheltered Lives (Paul Clark)
       2. The Wolverton Refreshment Room ('J' Cunningham)
       3. McConnells Song (Paul Clark)
       4. Stantonbury Village ('J' Cunningham)
       5. The Shrimp King ('J' Cunningham)
       6. The Ballad of Joey Guest (Paul Clark)
       7. This Auspicious Day ('J' Cunningham)
       8. Song of the Recruits ('J' Cunningham)

Side Two: 

       1. No Heroes - No Cowards (Paul Clark)
       2. The Parapet song (Paul Clark)
       3. In Memorium (Paul Clark)
       4. The Khaki Train Song ('J' Cunningham)
       5. Letters Home (Paul Clark)
       6. There's A War On (John Close)
       7. The Works Song (Kevin Adams)
       8. It's Dirty, It's Dusty, It's Noisy (Paul Clark)

Credits:

Vocal and acoustic guitar - Brad Bradstock

Recorded at The Point Studio in Dunstable, UK

Engineered and produced by Brian Heywood

Originally released on Compact Cassette in the mid 1990s

"a big thank you to the song writers, Paul Clark, 'J' Cunningham, Kevin Adams& John Close for giving me the opportunity to sing their wonderful songs" - Brad Vocal and Guitar - Brad Bradstock

Funny and poignant, A Glance from a Train is a very different kind of show. It tells the true story of a community faced with traumatic upheaval including two World Wars. And just when they think that the battle has been won, the world turns on its head and nobody wants their hard-won skills any more!

It’s a story that mirrors similar struggles in any number of villages all over the country.

Creator: Brad Bradstock & Eric Thompson
Date of coverage: 1900 - 1940s
Place: Wolverton