The men from the ministry: 100 years of the ministry of transport

Shortly after the First World War, the ministry of transport was created. In the 100 years since, it has had many leaders and seen many names pass through. But without it, society wouldn't function, says Godfrey Holmes

Golders Green, north London, 1919 – the year the ministry of transport was formed (Getty)

The First World War saw useful advances in every form of military transport, from troop train to armoured tank, from motor ambulance to fighter airplane. Out of the ashes of that war emerged a primitive ministry of transport – the precursor to today’s Department for Transport – now celebrating its 100th year.

It was – and is – primarily a ministry of roads, charged with finishing a pre-war classification of highways and funding road maintenance. Roads had to be its preoccupation. After all, the wildly popular internal-combustion engine was only around 40 years old – and the ministry’s old name was the Roads Board.

Add the peculiarity that this new ministry created roadside “lie-bays”, quickly corrupted to lay-bys, and it seems apt that many an eminent politician has been parked in the lay-by on the way out and, less often, on the way up. But why has transport seen such a phenomenal turnover of ministers? Chris Grayling is the current secretary of state for transport... for the time being, at least. His latest “Grayling failing”, allegedly ignoring “crucial facts” regarding the third runway at Heathrow, could mean that even this most mystifyingly bulletproof of minister’s days are numbered.