Herbert Potts

From the Archives: NarrowBoat, Summer 2015

Joseph Boughey

Many documents in archives have been preserved and placed there as a deliberate act; indeed, modern records management practice is based on the explicit archiving of much material. Others have survived by chance, and in the case of private collections, merely because their owner decided to record and retain items. This article considers the collections of Herbert Potts, which relate to the canals of the London & North Eastern Railway Company. These are held in the Waterways Archive, under reference BW184/1. Much of this comprises Potts’ diaries between 1930 and 1952, along with photographs and other papers. Herbert Potts (1892–1978) was a canal maintenance worker; diaries of canal staff are rare, and, as in his case, many entries are not very informative. What does prove interesting are the notes recorded within the diaries and the odd hint, sometimes enigmatic, that the entries offer. Potts’ other documents clearly set out his working life. He started work in J…