Family members of Joyce Helen Sandeman, the young lady after whom the station’s locomotive was named in 1927, were reunited with Joyce for the first time in at least half-a-century.

Andy Chapman, owner of the Sentinel Loco, Joyce, discovered that Joyce Helen was the daughter of William James Sandeman OBE, Chairman of Croydon Gasworks where Joyce the locomotive worked, as well as being Joyce Helen’s father.

Andy realised there must be distant relatives of Joyce Helen somewhere to be found, and had been trying to find them for years, but had drawn a blank. However, in January this year, he received an unexpected phone call.

Andy says: “The call was from Ian Hocken, who told me that Joyce Helen Sandeman was his great-aunt!

“At a family get-together last Christmas, the subject of what had happened to Joyce Helen’s steam locomotive had arisen, and they decided to do an internet search for it. Not expecting anything, they were gobsmacked to find my blog about the restoration and YouTube videos galore of Joyce in action. Ian then made efforts to make contact.”

Joyce Helen Sandeman was born in 1902 in Brighton, the only child of William James and Annie Charlotte Sandeman. Sadly, Joyce suffered a tragedy at a young age that left her incapacitated until her death in 1974.

The tragic effect on his daughter’s health is thought to have been the inspiration for the bestowing of Joyce’s name on the locomotive, 7109.

The engine was used at Croydon Gas Works until 1960, being saved for preservation in 1968 and coming to Midsomer Norton in December 2004.

Ian Hocken and his family travelled over from Reigate in Surrey to meet ‘Joyce’.

Two of the family members, Jenna and Elizabeth, have Joyce’s family name of Sandeman. They all met up with Andy at Midsomer Norton station and were treated to a ride up the line behind ‘Joyce’ in the Queen Mary Brake van.

Station volunteers were there to make the occasion one to be remembered, and the family were treated to tea in the buffet car and another ride up the line before they left. Andy said they were more than thrilled to see ‘Joyce’ in such a splendid condition, and the ride up the line lived up to expectation.

Visitors can see ‘Joyce’, the Sentinel locomotive, on event days at the station. The next one is the Family Fun Day on 11th August. Joyce will be hauling the restored, authentic British Rail coaches to take people for a ride nearly a mile up the restored Somerset and Dorset track.

Gail Coleshill