All reports available seem to indicate that the participators in the great August Holiday Exodus were as numerous as ever, and so far as road travel was concerned, the week-end bookings to all parts of the country constituted a record for this area. Services were run in duplicate over the week-end. By rail, too, many holiday makers found their way to seaside resorts, particularly on the East Coast, which was extremely popular this year.

Those who stayed at home had one advantage, however; they were nearer shelter when the torrential rainstorms fell on Monday, though the one after dinner damped the ardour of many who had arranged an afternoon excursion.

How did local holiday makers spend their well-earned vacation? The most obvious answer would be that after enduring the heat of Saturday afternoon, which was totally unexpected, when they were speeding to their destination, they spent the subsequent week-end playing hide and seek with the torrential rain which fell everywhere at intervals.

Nowhere seemed immune from the intermittent rain which spoilt the Bank Holiday itself for both those who were at the seaside and also those who had determined upon a quieter time at home.

Whether there were more away from Rushden than those who were left to guard their homes is a moot point. Reports seem to indicate that the travel bookings, both by road and rail, were very heavy indeed, and certainly, so far as the motor coaches to various parts were concerned, the number travelling from Rushden and Higham Ferrers constituted a record.

Road Travel Figures
Record Local Bookings

Mr. W. J. Neville, the Rushden travel agent, of High-street, informed the “Echo and Argus” that nearly all the road services had been run in duplicate over the holiday period, and that the numbers travelling by road were considerably up on any previous year. To London especially, the bookings had been particularly heavy, and on one service only the local passengers were 200 per cent up on last year. Not bad for a time of trade depression!

In addition to the services to London, the coaches running to seaside resorts, particularly on the East Coast, were heavily patronised over the week-end. On Tuesday morning well over one hundred local “trippers” journeyed to Skegness by road, and other day excursions have been equally popular.

Those who have chosen to stay at home have patronised these day trips in very large numbers, and they have certainly provided a cheap and pleasant holiday. Provided, of course, that you weren’t drenched through!

Railway Traffic
Blackpool and Yarmouth Excursions

While perhaps it would not be entirely accurate to say that the volume of railway passenger traffic broke local records, it is quite certain that the figures of last year were, roughly speaking, well maintained.

Mr. Cleaver, the Rushden Stationmaster, expressed satisfaction at the number of railway bookings, which, he said, were exceedingly good, in view of the general depression.

The exodus of holidaymakers by rail commenced on Friday evening, and the largest batch on that day journeyed on the special train to Blackpool, which left Higham Ferrers at five minutes past eleven. Both from Rushden and Higham there were very heavy bookings for this excursion train and several hundred settled themselves for an all-night journey.

On Saturday morning there was a “special” to Great Yarmouth, which left Irthlingborough Station at 6.50 a.m., and a large number of Rushden and Higham passengers travelled by this train.

Bookings by rail to the South Coast were also exceedingly heavy, but it seems that on the whole the East Coast resorts were again in favour.

Those who travelled by train on Saturday to the South Coast experienced a great rush of holiday crowds at the London stations, while at Wellingborough the trains leaving early in the morning were especially crowded and a number experienced that doubtful pleasure of “waiting for the next,” with the probability of missing the connection in London.

National Figures
South Coast Specials

Taking the country as a whole, it has been stated that something like ten million passengers are carried by the main line railways over the Bank Holiday week-end.

The transport out and home of holiday-makers at this period of the summer calls for the biggest effort the railway companies have to make during the year, and it is estimated that on Friday and Saturday of last week more than 22,000 steam, petrol, and electric locomotives and about 50,000 passenger vehicles were brought into service to cope with the traffic. Departures from London were particularly numerous to the Kent resorts, and South Coast, to Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. The Southern Railway during the two days ran 31 additional trains to Brighton, 15 to Folkestone and Dover, 24 to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, 19 to Bournemouth, 31 to the Thanet resorts, 10 to Devon and Cornwall, and 46 to various places along the South Coast. More travellers than usual had reserved seats in advance for their journeys, but the company had also to plan for the large numbers who had given no indication of their holiday intentions.

There were exceptionally busy scenes on Saturday at Waterloo station.

For Those At Home
Monday’s “Damping” Rain

There were few holiday attractions in Rushden itself for those who stayed at home. The town appeared largely deserted on Monday, but that there were still some people who had not gone away was shown by the attendance at the Hall on Sunday, where two concerts, one in the afternoon and the other in the evening, were given by the Rushden Temperance Band.

The ardour of those who had aimed at a half-day’s outing on Monday afternoon, and they were probably many received a severe damping by the heavy storm which occurred shortly after half-past one, and which lasted well into the afternoon, sufficiently long, unfortunately, to spoil many carefully made plans.

The Olde English Fayre at Bedford, organised to help the Mayor of Bedford’s Help and Self-help Fund for the unemployed of the Bedford district, would probably have been a great attraction for local holiday enthusiasts had it not been for this afternoon downpour, but the number at the Fayre was undoubtedly affected by the few visitors from the surrounding district. The prospects of a soaking were too much for the summer frocks!

Cricket enthusiasts, too, were restricted. On Saturday Harrold were the visitors to the Town ground, but on Monday there was no play there (it is doubtful if there could have been in any case!) and holiday fixtures were rather few and far between.

It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good, however, and the lack of summer weather did a good turn for the local theatres, there being crowded houses at both places of entertainment in Rushden on the first nights of this week. Anxiety to book seats was the feature of the lull between the storms.”