Skip to content

Month: July 2025

Published on Leave a comment on Fred Harris: arrangements for his funeral

Dear Friends,

Further to our previous post, Fred’s grand-daughter Debbie has asked us to circulate information about his funeral and to say, on behalf of his family, that all who wish to join them in remembering Fred are very welcome to attend.

Fred’s funeral will be held at Grantham Crematorium on Monday 21st July at 1.30pm, and it will be followed by a wake at the Railway Club.

Details of the venues are as follows:

  • Grantham Crematorium, Harrowby Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 9DT
  • Grantham Railway Club, Huntingtower Road, Grantham, NG31 7AU (parking is available on site)

An obituary notice can be found on the website of Robert Holland Funeral Director here, including contact details for messages, donations etc.

We’ll be grateful if you will forward the above information to anyone you’re aware of who may have known Fred, especially if they are not contactable by Tracks through Grantham.

PS. The date of Fred’s passing was incorrect in some versions of our previous message. It was Thursday 3rd July.

Regards,

Mel & John

Published on Leave a comment on Fred Harris

Dear friends,

We have been very saddened to hear, from his grand-daughter Debbie, the news that Fred Harris passed away on Thursday 3rd July 2025.

When he was able, it was good to see him regularly attending and enjoying our bi-annual gatherings at the Grantham Railway Club. During the lunchtime interval Fred’s beckoning finger would always guarantee a previously unrecorded, often amusing anecdote about his life on the railway. The original foundation stones of our Tracks through Grantham project are built around the many personal railway stories that people like Fred kindly related to us.

Fred’s working life on British Railways began on Monday 15th August 1955 at Grantham, heralding the start of a near 48 year shift and during which he saw many changes.  When he retired in 2004 Fred was qualified for driving and firing steam locomotives on the national network as well as a good range of more modern traction.  He had widespread route knowledge based on Peterborough.  Here is a link to the page on our website where Fred relates the story of that railway life.

Seemingly unaware of the camera, Fred (centre) is captured for posterity in this typical everyday scene at Grantham Loco in the early 1960s.

Thanks for the memories Fred…..