L Heath Humphrys
| L Heath Humphrys | |
| FR Soc. Post | Founder FRS |
| FR Soc. Post | Former President LAG |
As a seventeen year old schoolboy Leonard Heath Humphrys called a meeting at Bristol on 8th September 1951, which led ultimately to the formation of the Festiniog Railway Society. Because of this initiative he is generally regarded as the founder of the movement which ultimately led to the revival of the Festiniog Railway.
Prior to this a number of individuals had made tentative enquiries into the possibility of bringing the railway back to life, including James Boyd, Patrick Whitehouse and Bill Broadbent, but the complications of the Festiniog Railway Company's share ownership proved a major obstacle. A meeting called by Portmadoc Urban District Council on 20th April 1951, attended by both James Boyd and Leonard, led to the formation of a committee which failed to make any progress. Leonard therefore started writing to the railway press and also to the then FR Company Chairman Cynon Evan Davies. Receiving some measure of support he called the Bristol Meeting. Among the thirteen who attended that meeting (and were somewhat surprised to discover that Leonard was only seventeen years old!) were Allan Garraway, John Bate, Fred Gilbert, Bill Winter and Vic Mitchell.
A provisional committee was formed with Leonard as secretary but he was shortly afterwards called up for National Service. Following his National Service he became Assistant Secretary to the then unincorporated Society and later Secretary and a founder Director of the Festiniog Railway Society Limited. He was also a founding member of the Society's London Area Group and subsequently its President, an honorary life member and a Vice-President of the Society and a Patron of the Festiniog Railway Company. Leonard died, aged 66, on 22nd December 2000.[1]
Leonard wrote his own account of the early moves to restore the railway[2][3], and was the subject of two Portraits [4][5]
- ^ Ffestiniog Railway Magazine - Society House Magazine Issue No: 172 , page(s): 149 , Obituary
- ^ Ffestiniog Railway Magazine - Society House Magazine Issue No: 011 , page(s): 013 , Recollections I
- ^ Ffestiniog Railway Magazine - Society House Magazine Issue No: 012 , page(s): 010 , Recollections II
- ^ Ffestiniog Railway Magazine - Society House Magazine Issue No: 004 , page(s): 002 , Personal Portrait
- ^ Ffestiniog Railway Magazine - Society House Magazine Issue No: 091 , page(s): 028 , Personal Portrait
