The author, Helena Wojtczak (pronounced 'VOYT-CHAK') was born in Sussex and grew up in London. At the age of 19 she became the first woman employed as a guard by British Rail. In connection with this, Helena has written 'The Recruitment and Training of the First Female Guard on British Rail', 'My first few months as BR's first female guard' and 'My Twenty Years as a Guard', which deals in great detail with her experiences in a predominantly male industry permeated at all levels by routine acts of outrageous, blatant and cruel sexism.

However, the tone of her historical and personal reminiscences is both warm about the ordinary women and men who make the railways run and free from the cloying nostalgia for 'the good old days' which can so often be the downfall of social histories of the railway.

Recalling her struggles against the pre-Victorian social attitudes which prevailed on British Rail, she writes:
"When I became a guard in 1978 there were no facilities for women train crew, but to me, the question of where to go to the toilet every day was an urgent one. Being made to wait while a succession of union subcommittees and working parties carried out investigations and produced reports was frustrating. After three years I started private proceedings, beginning with a complaint to the Equal Opportunities Commission, which set in motion a legal action against BR on my behalf.

"My Branch Secretary condemned me for bringing in ?outsiders? to interfere with a union matter. When reminded that three years of complaint to the NUR had got me nowhere, he retorted: ?It took a century for us to get men?s toilets ? you cannot expect things to happen overnight!? "

Working in the industry led her to research and later to write the history of Railwaywomen. Now Britain's foremost authority on the history of women railway workers, she has been consultant historian to the National Railway Museum and a contributor to The Oxford Companion to British Railway History.

Helena's fascinating website includes sections on Railwaywomen Before 1915, Railwaywomen in The First War, Railwaywomen between the wars, Railwaywomen in the Second War, Railwaywomen 1945-1975, One Signalwoman's Career 1941-1980, Railwaywomen After 1975, Women on Preserved Railways, British Transport policewomen, Railwaywomen around the world and Press Cuttings on Railwaywomen.

You can contact Helena via her publisher, Hastings Press and also order a signed copy of her book here as a SPECIAL OFFER FOR RMT MEMBERS ONLY!

To celebrate the author's 21 years' membership of the NUR/RMT, for a limited period RMT members may purchase the book for just £21 (plus P&P £4) OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE - 25th SEPTEMBER PRE-ORDERED BOOKS WILL BE MAILED BETWEEN 27-30th AUGUST.