Saturday June 27th Armed Forces Day

Our resident locomotive Axe was built in 1915 in Stoke-on-Trent and delivered to the  French Army and handed over to the British for service during the Great War. Axe served on the front for over four years.

On Armed Forces Day, Saturday June 27, AXE will celebrate its centenary by making a special 'coming home' journey at the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (L&BR) and we have marked the day by linking up with the armed forces fundraiser Coming Home which is part of the Haig Housing Trust charity.

The beautifully restored loco will haul equally beautiful L&B heritage carriages on the day and all ticket receipts and cash collections will be donated to the Coming Home appeal.

Coming Home raises vital funds to buy and adapt houses for wounded servicemen and women returning from war, in particular Afghanistan. The charity made worldwide news last year after it was part of the team that organised the Poppies in The Moat appeal at the iconic Tower of London.

L&BR Trust and Company Chairman Peter Miles said: "We are proud to support Coming Home and raise much needed for wounded personnel on this special day, Armed Forces Day.

"This year sees the 100th anniversary of the delivery of our locomotive ‘Axe’ to the French Army for service in the Great War. In 1916 the railway lines around the Somme were taken over by the British Army, this included all the 60cm narrow gauge lines where Axe and her sisters ran. The Army continued to use these lines into 1919 after which the French took over and used them for reparation of the battle fields and other areas.

"Many years later five of the Kerr Stuart ‘Joffre’ class engines – including Axe – were discovered in a quarry in Boulogne and repatriated. They ‘came home’ and ‘Axe’ was the first to be rebuilt and restored to running order, it was a mainstay on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway until larger steam engines entered service and is still a powerful and useful engine.

"It seemed appropriate that given the incredible military history of our engine Axe that we should recognise Armed Forces Day by linking up with Coming Home."

Chief Executive of the Haig Housing Trust, Brigadier James Richardson MBE, said: "We are very grateful to Lynton and Barnstaple Railway for supporting our charity during Armed Forces Day. "The history of this railway and in particular the engine Axe has a lot in common with the roots of our trust which helped wounded soldiers returning from the Great War. I wish them well for Armed Forces Day and look forward to a lasting relationship with the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway."