TRIBUTES have been paid to Tim Godfrey, the eldest grandson of Sir Nigel Gresley, who has died at the age of 79, ending a link between the golden age of steam and today.
Tim, one of the Gresley Society Trust’s vice-presidents, died on December 7 after a short illness.
He was born Timothy Dan Godfrey on January 13, 1938, the first child of Violet and Geoffrey Godfrey.
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Violet was Sir Nigel’s eldest daughter and had taken care of her father after the premature death of her mother.
Not wishing to live alone, when the Godfreys set up home at Watton-at-Stone after their marriage, Sir Nigel joined them.
Therefore Tim lived with his grandfather in the family home until the LNER chief mechanical engineer’s own untimely death in 1941.
Gresley’s biggest rival, LMS CME
Sir William Stanier, was Tim’s godfather – highlighting the closeness of the two families.
As a direct descendant of the man hailed by many as Britain’s greatest steam engineer, who designed the great East Coast Main Line Pacifics including world record holder Mallard and Flying Scotsman, Tim carried on the great family tradition by starting the cutting of the frames of two new-build Gresley locomotives.
Read more in Issue 237 of HR – on sale now!
