Talk:Richard Beeching

message: I've always thought this chap was called Thomas, not Richard, so it took me a while to find this article. A quick google, whilst showing far more Richards than Thomases (that both refer to this guy), shows that I'm at least not the only one. What's the story here, has he been known by both names? Is one name a common misconception or what? It appears there was "another" Thomas Beeching also born in Maidstone in 1900 who became a cricketer, could this be the source of the confusion? Does a "Not to be confused with Thomas Beeching the cricketer" (or whatever the reason is) line need to be inserted? Cheers. --Benjitz 02:22, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: No, not really!  Google "Thomas Beeching" reveals Thomas Beeching the cricketer, who only played 10 first class matches for Kent in the 1920 and 1921 seasons and isn't really notable enough for inclusion here, and various genealogy websites for completely random people who did nothing more than contribute to the next generation's gene pool.  It seems no-one else has thought that Richard Beeching was called Thomas Beeching at all! Dunc|☺ 13:00, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Yeh, since yesterday, the first "erroneously credited" Thomas Beeching has slipped off the first page of google it seems (was 10th result, today 11th). Check the second page, as i write, 5 of the 10 results seem to be referring to a "sir thomas beeching" who axed the rail network. Anyway a search for "thomas beeching" rail shows that there are only a handful of these, and maybe not a big a problem as i thought. --Benjitz 17:55, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

text: Quite possibly. My mum used to refer to a "Thomas Beecham" who axed the trains and trams. This is before the days of the net, so this could be a common mistake, or i might have misheard her. I guess her and these websites are confusing her with the conductor. --Benjitz 17:55, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Should there be an article about his "Reshaping the Railways" report, which is a seminal work in the modern history of the British Railways? Dunstan 18:44, 20 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  There is.  Its called the 'Beeching Axe' or similar.  (And what a total mash up was made of the UK's railways..!!)  Marcus22 14:56, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Thomas Beeching? 

message: A much greater contribution by Beeching to life as it is lived today was arguably his Chairmanship of the Royal Commission on the organisation of the criminal justice system in England and Wales.  Set up after the new Crown Courts were established in Liverpool and Manchester in the mid-Sixties, the task of the Royal Commission was to investigate the system of Assizes and Quarter Sessions which dealt with serious criminal trials.  The system was archaic, and not delivering either particularly good justice, or value for money.  The recommendations were largely adopted in the early 1970s, as a result the old order was swept away and the current system of Crown Courts was established across the country (Courts Act 1971).  Worth a mention in the article surely?  Guy 21:16, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: On that note of retrenchment and reorganisation, my late father recalled that after Beeching launched his railway cuts plan there was speculation he might be offered the chairmanship of the Conservative Party organisation, giving rise to quips he would cut the Conservative clubs in Labour heartlands like the North East! (Such an appointment would not have been without precedent - a businessman and non-career politician, Lord Woolton, served for a time as chairman of the party after WWII.)Cloptonson (talk) 17:00, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Assizes and Quarter Sessions 

message: This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as start, and the rating on other projects was brought up to start class. BetacommandBot 10:02, 10 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  WikiProject class rating

message: Will find the references to Beeching's actual take-home pay in The Times shortly - is there a useful link to taxation rates at various times?  Having nearly 3/4 of the stated pay being taken in tax does seem rather excessive.(Though there may well have been allowances) Jackiespeel (talk) 16:03, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: I have difficulty in understanding the relevance of the reference to tax which has been recently added to the article, except insofar as it tries to justify his gigantesque salary. I would also be interested in your source for this "fact", which I haven't seen reported elsewhere. What I have seen, and what I think would be more relevant, is the comparison between a railwayman's average pay and that of Beeching. Lamberhurst (talk) 18:46, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

text: The article would seem to be referring to this debate in Parliament: . Although this proves the assertion, I don't believe it is notable enough to be included in the main text of the article (perhaps a footnote), given that everyone earning that salary would have paid the same tax. Furthermore, this does nothing to change the fact that he was earning a salary higher than that of the PM. Lamberhurst (talk) 20:40, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Dr Beeching's take home pay

message: I notice this article has been moved to Richard Beeching a couple of times and moved back again. Is it worth discussing this? The Baron Beeching seems unnecessary to me. No doubt there is a manual of style that will help us out! — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 18:21, 2 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, I think so. The current title is a bit odd as he is mostly known as Richard Beeching or Dr Beeching. WP:NCPEER is relevant here; there would seem to be a parallel with the Bertrand Russell example mentioned on that page. Lamberhurst (talk) 21:56, 2 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: I've moved it back — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 08:22, 30 May 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Hang on. He is certainly best known as Dr Beeching, but I think Lord Beeching (he is frequently referred to by his title) is actually far more common than Richard Beeching, so it seems we are following WP:NCPEER by titling the article Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching. -- Necrothesp (talk) 13:36, 1 June 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Name of article 

message: Is there a link with this series(?):
Oh,_Doctor_Beeching!
:nl:Oh,_Doctor_Beeching!
De serie gaat over het kleine (fictieve) station Hatley, in de Midlands, gelegen aan zo'n bedreigde spoorlijn. De leiding van deze operatie was in handen van Richard Beeching, die door de Britse Conservatieve Partij benoemd was tot directeur van het Britse spoor. Hoewel de BBC-reeks vernoemd is naar Beeching en in de komedie voortdurend zijn naam valt, komt de overheidssaneerder als personage zèlf totaal niet in de televisieserie voor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.64.83.71 (talk) 09:51, 22 August 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Oh, dr beeching! 

message: It would be helpful if this article states when he was awarded his PhD, as it only refers to him studying and researching for it. This would date his entitlement to be addressed Dr Beeching prior to his ennoblement. Some faculties (like medicine, which he certainly wasn't in) jealously guard the title.Cloptonson (talk) 06:39, 8 April 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: 1937 apparently. His thesis is open access via Imperial College London https://doi.org/10.25560/98448 2A02:C7E:4D80:2B00:A84C:B56E:5A63:9BA1 (talk) 15:16, 27 October 2022 (UTC)
thread_title: Doctorate - when awarded?