Postcard; photographic postcard showing Walter Barham and three colleagues by a tram at Camberwell depot, 1916-1919

This photo was taken at the Camberwell tram depot between 1916 and 1919. It shows driver Walter Barham posing on the platform of his tram with three colleagues. All four worked for London County Council, which ran its own tram service at that time. The uniform of the man on the left suggests he is an inspector. The man in the middle and the woman are conductors. The leather satchels they wear over their shoulders would have held fare money. Women did not work on the trams before the First World War. By 1916, shortages of male workers forced transport companies to hire women, most of whom were laid-off in 1919 when men returned to take up their old jobs.