Margaret Harris recalls hilarious journeys of friendship and fun that were anything but tedious or monotonous
‘By the time we got to Victoria we would have drunk coffees, smoked two or three cigarettes, and laughed so much our mascara used to be on our chins,’ writes Margaret Harris.
Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
The impression that John Harris gives in his article (The commuter is an English archetype – but for how much longer?, 6 September) is of the tedious monotony of daily travel to work. However, in 1965 my friend and I just lived for those journeys to London from Kent. In the morning we would all gather in the buffet car, more joining us at each station. By the time we got to Victoria we would have drunk coffees, smoked two or three cigarettes, and laughed so much our mascara used to be on our chins. Coming home on the 5.45, up to 17 of us would cram into the same carriage – eight on seats, eight on laps and one on the little window table! We were “the train gang”, and I’ll never forget those incredible, hilarious journeys.
Margaret Harris
Isleworth, London
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