Happy anniversary! Great Western Railway returns wedding cake favour 65 years on

On the eve of her wedding on 5 September 1959, bride-to-be Margaret, with the help of her sister Janet, made a cake which was shared by 300 colleagues of the Western Region of British Railways.

It was a token of thanks for the many hours she had spent waving at the London-Penzance steam trains as they thundered past her home in Wiltshire.

Even on their wedding day, Margaret and George had broken off from their celebrations to wave at the train from the family farm in Easterton, near Devizes, pictured above.

Her donation of cake made national and regional newspaper headlines at the time, featuring in the Daily Mirror, Bristol Post and Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, while nostalgic letters seen by GWR show how the Laira branch secretary of Aslef and a Westbury train driver took time out to say thanks.

As the couple celebrate their 65^th wedding anniversary today, it was only right that GWR returned the compliment by presenting them with a two-tiered cake at Carbis Bay station.

GWR Head of External Communications Dan Panes said:

“This story really has captured our hearts the more we have researched it. Margaret was obviously a real train fanatic as a young girl and built up quite a rapport with the drivers, who would sound the train whistles as they rolled by.

“It’s like something out of The Railway Children. The fact she baked a wedding cake for railway colleagues was a wonderful gesture, so we were determined to mark their 65^th wedding anniversary by returning the favour.”

Aslef General Secretary Mick Whelan added:

“The footplate men obviously took a real shine to Margaret and it’s heartwarming to read how she baked them a special replica cake on the eve of her wedding.

“The letter of thanks from the secretary of our Laira branch, [in which he promised to distribute the cake ‘among the Plymouth men’], shows just how much it was appreciated. Stories like this are a great reminder of the important role the railway has always played in our communities.”

George and Margaret moved to Cornwall following their wedding and, after running a farm and later a B&B, took over Payne’s Picnic Garden in Carbis Bay, which they developed into the highly-successful Cottage Hotel.

In 1989 they moved on to take over Beck’s Fish and Chips, which has been wowing locals and tourists alike for more than 50 years.

The couple have six children – Annette, Nicola, Richard, Robert, Sarah and Rachel – and 18 grandchildren, with a great-grandchild due to arrive next year.

Eldest daughter Annette said:

“We’re so grateful to GWR for taking such an interest in my parents’ story. Mum spent her childhood waving at the trains and it’s charming to see how she developed such a bond with the drivers and firemen.

“65 years of marriage is something truly special to celebrate and today’s presentation really has been the icing on the cake for mum and dad.”