front of the workforce because Gresley thought that many of his proposals were not feasible. In time, Thompson was to take these rebuffs from Gresley and dish them back to his team with ever-greater severity. A number of Gresley's assistants, such as Spencer, to name one, were dispatched to areas of the LNER considered as backwaters in comparison to Doncaster and Darlington. Men found him notoriously difficult to work with, but the women in his workforce often seemed to be able to get around him. He had an uncanny ability to charm those he wanted to or needed to, but he could also upset matters very quickly too. J.F. Harrison reported that meetings dealing with the railway unions would often have to be repeated after Thompson had left the room, in order to smooth ruffled feathers. His appearance was always immaculate, and his office stationery was all gold plated, a perceived symbol of his wealth. He was said to own a great many suits, shirts and ties, and prided himself on not having a hair out of place. Thompson himself felt that Gresley had deliberately held him back in his career and ignored his advice. He attributed this to the fact that he married the daughter of Sir Vincent Raven for whom Gresley harboured a deep antipathy. In Sir Vincent Raven: North Eastern Railway Locomotive Engineer, Terry L Price writes that Thompson's wife Guen died in 1938, and he was subsequently very lonely after her passing. Standardisation programme When Thompson was appointed CME of the LNER he started a much needed standardisation programme. This programme demonstrated Thompson's dislike for Gresley's engineering practices. Many notable Gresley designs were rebuilt under this practice including the P2 Mikado, V2 Prairie and A1 Pacific locomotives. The A1 chosen for rebuilding was Great Northern, which was the original Gresley prototype for the class. The standardisation was a further reflection on the difference between Gresley and Thompson. The LNER had never been in a position to undergo large-scale re-equipment programmes such as those afforded by the LMS, and for much of its existence, the LNER used a large fleet of pre-grouping locomotives for everything except the very top-flight services. As such, Gresley believed that rebuilding and improving was usually enough in a lot of cases, and where it was not, he designed a locomotive specifically for the job. Examples of each are the D16/3 Claud Hamiltons