Banbury Train Station: Canteen and Rest Station

Available for over a year

During World War One, Banbury Station was the location of a truly remarkable “rest station and canteen”. On 10 September 1914, an article was published in the Banbury Guardian that included a letter from an unnamed correspondent. It pointed out that a huge amount of military traffic was passing through Banbury Railway Station, which was at a strategically important point on the national network. The author wrote that “yesterday the occupants of one train were reduced to drinking the water out of the station fire buckets, an incident not perhaps very creditable to local hospitality”. Jane Cotter, author of ‘Oxfordshire: Remembering 1914-1918’, tells the story of what followed. A “rest station and canteen” were swiftly set up, that soon evolved into a sophisticated operation providing food, drinks, cigarettes, matches, and even stamped stationary - and was run entirely by volunteers and funded by civilian donations. It ran for four years and nine months. Location: Banbury Train Station, Station Approach, Banbury OX16 5AB Readings by Roger Trafford, Alexander Jeans, Sue Rae Image: Banbury ‘Rest’ Station, courtesy of IWM