Siggy Cragwell is 83 years old and is not just a station assistant at Elstree & Borehamwood but also the oldest employee of train operator Thameslink. Recently, Siggy recorded some bite-sized memories of his time on the railway which will be used to teach 5 to 7-year-olds how the railway has changed over time.

The educational resource can easily be accessed by teachers and is available via the BBC’s brand-new BBC Teach education series ‘Then and Now’ on the BBC History Key Stage 1 website.

Siggy has worked on the railway for 61 years after coming to the UK as part of the Windrush generation in 1962 and has now chosen to share his railway experiences with children, from the platform of Elstree & Borehamwood.

Siggy tells: “I was born in Barbados in the 1930s. When I was a child, we didn’t have a car or a train and we used the bus or we used the bicycle.

“Trains now are completely different. Trains now have lots of new technologies. Most of the trains that we use are powered by electricity. In those days, we had steam trains, which were very smoky, and when you’re travelling, you have your own compartment.”

Already the winner of two-lifetime achievement awards, Siggy was also a guest of honour at the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at London Waterloo station in 2022 alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Prince William and Kate.

Siggy has reported that he has no plans to retire and currently gets up for work at 4am in order to do the 6 to 11am shift, he then goes to the gym and T’ai Chi in order to keep himself fit for cricket which he is still playing at an international level.

Jenny Saunders, Thameslink’s Customer Services Director said:

“Siggy is an absolute legend and loved by all of us and his customers at Elstree & Borehamwood. It’s typical of his generosity that he should want to share some of his lifetime of memories with the next generation.”

To enjoy Siggys video visit: KS1 History, Changes within living memory: Transport