Walter Hampson

Walter was born 24th April 1864 and for most of his life he worked on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
In 1884 he married Eliza Chapell ( Eliza “Betsy” as she is referred to in many of his works) and initially they lived in Sharlston, Yorkshire where Walter worked in the local colliery.
They then moved to Normanton, when Walter started work for the railway as a cleaner. He soon worked his way up becoming a fireman and then an engine driver. He kept that job for the next 30 years until his retirement at sixty five.
One of his first attempts at writing was an article for the Railway Review. In 1905 he self-published a book of poems entitled "Songs of the Line". This brought him to the attention of publisher W.Nicholson & Sons who were at that time the publishers of “The Old Clock Almanack.”
In 1911, Nicholson published Walter’s best known work. "TYKES’ ABROOAD" (sic) written in full local dialect. This is a fictional account of a journey by 3 Yorkshire men to Normandy in France. It is full of humor, absurdities, political and socially commentary and beautiful poetry.
Following the death of John Hartley in 1917 Walter was invited to take over the editorship of the Clock Almanack. From then until his death in 1932 the title may have still labelled it John Hartley’s Almanack but it was most definitely the brain child of Walter Hamson. He also supported and contributed articles (under the pseudonym "Casey") to the fledgling Labour Party magazine.
Other publications include
"AWHEEL IN WHARFELAND" 1918.
"PRIVATE JOB MUGGLESTONE" 1916
"WONDERING MINSTREL I" (as "Casey")
"ROOMIN I' ROOAM, FLIRTIN I' FLORENCE, VOYIGIN I' VENICE" 1934

He was also an authority on his favourite poet, Robert Burns and was much in demand as a Burns night speaker. He travelled widely at a time when foreign holidays were almost unheard of for the working class. He visited France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy (where he claimed to have had a conversation with the Pope). Only a few weeks before his death plans were well advanced for a trip to Jerusalem.
Walter Hampson died from cancer at the age 67 on the 9th Feb 1932. Mourners ar his funeral included the MP and minister for mines Sir Ben Turner (another noted local poet) and members of The Yorkshire Dialect Association.