John Elliot (railway manager) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Elliot
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| Born | 6 May 1898 |
| Died | 18 September 1988 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Railway manager, author, journalist |
| Years active | 1925–1969 |
Sir John Elliot (born John Elliot Blumenfeld, 6 May 1898 – 18 September 1988) was a British manager who worked with railways and other types of transport. He changed his last name to Elliot (his mother's name) in 1923. This was suggested by Lord Beaverbrook, a famous newspaper owner.
Contents
A Look at John Elliot's Life
Early Years and First Jobs
John Elliot went to Marlborough School. After that, he trained to be an officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before World War I began. During the war, he served as an officer in France.
After the war, he followed his father into journalism. He worked in New York for three years. Then, he came back to London to become an assistant editor at the Evening Standard newspaper from 1922 to 1925.
Working with Railways
In 1925, Elliot started working for the Southern Railway. He was an assistant to the General Manager, Sir Herbert Walker, helping with public relations. Under Elliot's guidance, the Southern Railway became well-known for its simple and clear advertising posters.
One very famous poster showed a small boy talking to the driver of a "King Arthur" train at Waterloo station. This poster became famous around the world. The idea of naming these trains after characters from Arthurian legend was a brilliant way to get people interested.
In 1930, Elliot became the assistant traffic manager for the railway. In 1938, he was made assistant general manager. During World War II, he became the acting General Manager.
In late 1948, the Southern Railway, along with all other railways in Britain, became owned by the government. This was called nationalisation. The railways were then known as British Railways. Elliot became the Chief Regional Officer for the Southern region of British Railways. Later, he moved to the London Midland region. In 1951, he became the Chairman of the Railway Executive, which was in charge of all British Railways. In 1949, Elliot also spent time in Australia. He helped the Victorian Railways system there and suggested they get a lot of new equipment.
Leading London Transport
In 1953, Elliot was chosen to be the Chairman of London Transport. He held this important job until 1959. He was a strong supporter of building the Victoria line, a new underground train line. He even oversaw the first digging tests for it in the late 1950s. However, the Victoria line didn't open until many years after he left London Transport.
After the Railways
After leaving British Railways, Elliot became the Chairman of Thomas Cook & Son Ltd, a travel company. He worked there from 1959 to 1967. He was given a knighthood in 1954, which meant he could be called "Sir John Elliot." From 1965 to 1969, he was also a director for the British Airports Authority.
Elliot wrote a book about his life called On and Off the Rails, which came out in 1982. He also wrote books about the French Revolution and World War I.
Family Life
John Elliot's son, David, was born in 1927. David loved railways and took many photos of the Talyllyn Railway before it was saved and preserved. Later, David worked at the Trinity College of Music in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986, David hosted a funny radio show on BBC Radio 3. He joked that the composer Anton Bruckner was influenced by his love of railways. This show brought together David's two passions: music and trains!
Images for kids
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A Southern Railway poster made when Elliot was in charge.
