Mr Henry Thomas White was the first stationmaster at Mortlake when it opened on 22 July 1846.  He figured prominently in the place for nearly 40 years and was universally liked not only by the inhabitants but by visitors and others with whom he came into contact. He was the same to all, civil, polite and obliging.

On reading that you will no doubt have thought about the similar traits of the present incumbent, Daniel Opoku, who started work at the Station on 7 June 1998. Having heard of his predecessor’s longevity, Daniel plans to beat his record. He is pictured holding the Olympic Flame, which he carried in London.

The following biographical notes about Mr Henry White are taken from “Rambles of Old Waxam (The Cobbler)”. The book is written in the first person by John Eustace Anderson in 1898, under the guise of an old man who has lived all his life in Mortlake. The publisher notes that it had a print run of 500 copies. Several pages are devoted to Mr Henry White.

His hair was quite white and he wore whiskers and latterly a short beard. His father was gardener to the Marquis of Ailesbury of Sheen House (1816-1830) and lived in a small house in the garden opposite the Hare and Hounds. He had three sons Thomas, Henry Thomas and Robert. His son Henry was taught by the old Squire, Parish Clerk and schoolmaster who kept a large private school on the south side of the (Mortlake) High Street teaching about 40 boys. At one time Henry was in the Yeomanry with old Colonel Ommanney, he of the Funding Committee for Christ Church, East Sheen.

When the railway was made, he applied for the stationmaster’s berth and got it in 1846. Only about six years after his appointment, he was presented with a testimonial in the form of a purse containing £35. The subscription list was headed by HRH the Duchess of Gloucester then residing at the White Lodge Richmond Park. The inscription read: “This purse containing £35 subscribed by residents in the vicinity of Mortlake and other passengers by the Richmond Railway was presented to Mr White on 25 December 1852 as a testimonial for his uniform attention and civility in discharge of his duties as stationmaster at the Mortlake Station.”

One distinguishing characteristic was that he always wore a tall white hat summer and winter. When the company made all their stationmasters wear caps with gold braided peaks ‘how sheepish poor Mr White looked when he gave up his white hat. A number of the parishioners condoled with him on the loss he had sustained and declared the company had made him look like a schoolboy by giving him a cap like that’.

He literally lived on the platform, morning noon and night, never absent from his post. Only once can I recall to mind his taking a holiday. No one ever saw him walking more than half a mile from the station and the only Sunday I can recollect his going to Mortlake Church and leaving his duties to do so was the Sunday after he had buried his father.

His house joined the platform and had a very pretty garden in front with rose trees and a beautiful grape bearing vine growing in the front of the house. He also had a vegetable garden. His father used to live with him and many a time on a fine day have I seen the old man taking a constitutional on the platform of the station as he was walking up and down with his stick.

In March 1880, he suffered the severe loss in the death of his wife Mary Ann White who died age 82. He did not survive her many years. In winter time he used to suffer severely with the fog and cold weather but worked up to the last. On hearing of his death, I could fancy I saw him as in his active days when standing on the platform as a train was coming in and you used to hear his cry of ‘look up there, stand back’.

He lies buried in the cemetery, still within sound of the passing trains. If you go and look on the tombstone erected to his memory, you will find these words. “This stone has been placed to the memory of Mr Henry White the first railway station master at Mortlake by some of the parishioners as a public recognition of the faithful and obliging manner in which he discharged his duties for 38 years.”

His son Harry White who lived with his aunt in Sheen Lane was appointed booking office clerk to issue tickets. At one time Henry had to do this himself. His son held the post for about 30 years.