Northumberland Archives Most of the documents we take in here at Northumberland Archives are small enough to fit into one of our archive boxes, sometimes we get slightly larger items. This recently re-housed item might be our biggest yet?
And here we are putting it in its new home!
A two person job, but if anyone wants to have a look at this particular poster it is available for download via our shop, head to our website shop, or just click this link Search Results
Sensational rumours ran wildly round Berwick on Friday morning when it was learned that the body of the late Mr John Rogerson had been exhumed from the Tweedmouth Cemetery during the night and that the formal opening of a Coroner’s inquiry was to take place later that morning. It was timed to commence at 11.15, but a delay was caused by waiting for arrivals on Newcastle train. Proceedings were entirely formal, and beyond those necessary to the business, no one was present.
Mr Blakely read the appointment of Mr H. J. Percy as Deputy Coroner by Mr H. R. Peters, the Coroner for Berwick, who, it was said, might be called upon to give evidence. The certificate of the Justices for the inquest was also read.
The jury, compose of Messrs James Richardson, John Smith, Adam Winlaw, John Anderson, James B. Jobson, Peter Mason, J. H. Abbott, W. E. Rutherford and H. Stephenson, elected Mr P. Mason as their foreman.
Mr Percy then addressed the jury. They had been summoned there, he said, to perform a public duty which, he feared must have been a rather an unpleasant nature to them. But it as a legal essential that the Coroner and jury should view the body in order to give complete validity to any Coroner’s proceedings. All that it was necessary to do that day was that they should hear formal evidence of identification and to receive on oath such particulars as were necessary for the correct registration of the death and the re-burial of the body. He did not propose to say any more to t hem about the case at that juncture except one thing. An adjournment was necessary to enable certain medical examinations to be completed. Whether further evidence would have to be laid before them would, to a certain extent, depend upon the result of the medical examination. He then cautioned them not to speak of the case in the meantime. No charge, no suspicion was cast upon any man or woman in connection with the death. They were simply called upon owing to special circumstances which had arisen to inquire into and record the cause of death as soon as evidence as regards the death could be given them.
Giving the formal evidence required, Sergt. Barclay, of Spittal, said he identified the body of the deceased, who was for some time personally known to him, as John Rogerson, late of 14 Dock Road, Tweedmouth, aged 77. He was a retired wheelwright and had died at that address on March 18, 1926.
Mr Percy thereupon said he would issue his order for re-burial which would be out into operation at the time the postmortem was completed.
He then informed the jurymen that he would require seven, including the foreman, at the adjourned inquest, but would welcome them all if they could be present. He then bound them over to appear at the resumption of the proceedings in the sum of £50. The adjourned proceedings were then fixed to take place at 11.15 a.m. at Berwick Court House on Wednesday, May 26.
The postmortem was conducted by Professor Macdonald pathologist, of Newcastle, and Dr J. C. Mackay.
The exhumation was left until the night before the inquest, and then, soon after midnight, Supt. Shell, Sergt. Barclay, Dr Maclagan, and sexton and gravediggers made their way to Tweedmouth Cemetery. The grave is situated on the side farthest from the main road and is not overlooked by any house, so that there was not much likelihood of the proceedings being observed. All the light used was from a pocket electric torch, and this was flashed intermittently until the coffin was uncovered. AS there had been two previous burials in the grave, the coffin was not very deep down, and the work was finished comparatively quickly.
The postmortem examination commenced next morning soon after 11pm. A Police Constable must always be present at such an examination, and the duty on this occasion fell to Sergt. Barclay. The postmortem took some time, Drs Mackay, Maclagan and Caverhill being present in addition to the Newcastle pathologist, Prof. Macdonald. The body was again conveyed t the Cemetery and about midnight the re-burial took place, Supt. Shell again being present.
Next morning it is understood, Sergt. Barclay was dispatched to London with the organs to be examined.
Linton School celebrates its centenary this year and we have previously looked back over the school’s eventful first year which coincided with the General Strike of 1926.
Now we have moved forward to the 1930’s and the build up to World War II. Selected entries from the school log book read as follows:
May 12th 1937 – (coronation of King George VI) The following programme of events was followed today.
10am – 12 noon: Broadcast of Coronation procession and service listened to by children in school hall.
1pm: Procession of children, boy scouts etc. round village.
1.30pm: Children’s sports on the Welfare Field, followed by tea in the Welfare Institute.
Children under 5 received Coronation mugs.
June 12th 1937 – A combined sundial/birdbath was handed over by Mrs Gustard of the Women’s Institute as a Coronation memorial.
June 23rd 1937 – The headmaster was absent today, attending a conference on Air Raid Precautions in Ashington.
Nov. 11th 1937 – A short Armistice Service was held in the school hall this morning, which was open to the public. A fair number attended.
Jan. 28th 1938 – Mr Tait left today to accompany the East Northumberland Schools football team which plays Manchester Boys tomorrow, in the fifth round of the English Schools’ Shield. Two boys from this school, Joshua Gray and Ronald Mitchell travelled to play on the team.
June 16th 1938 – School will be closed tomorrow to allow a party going to the Glasgow Exhibition. 30 scholars and 7 adults will be travelling. (June 20th – This was an enjoyable day with excellent weather).
July 1938 – the first indication of tensions in Europe cause by Hitler’s Germany is shown by the following memorandum concerning air raid precautions which is inserted into the school log book at this point.
Sept. 27th 1938 – The children of the school were fitted with respirators today.
March 1st 1939 – Joshua Gray travelled to London to play in an International Trial match, North v. South.
May 17th 1939 – a party of children took part in the North of England Musical Tournament. Infants and juniors were successful for the third year in succession, winning trophies and banners.
Aug. 31st 1939 – Instructions were transmitted by wireless that the school should be ready to receive children being evacuated from Newcastle and Gateshead tomorrow. Ordinary timetable was abandoned.
Sept. 1st 1939 – A party of approximately 73 children, 3 teachers and 6 helpers arrived at noon from St. Lawrence’s Roman Catholic School in Newcastle. They were given a warm drink and assigned to billets in Linton, Ellington Village and Ellington Colliery.
Sept. 2nd 1939 – A further party of mothers and children arrived and all were assigned to billets.
Sept. 6th 1939 – A party of 120 children, headmaster Mr. Nichols and staff arrived from St. Columba’s Roman Catholic School in Wallsend. They were also found accommodation in Linton, Ellington Village and Ellington Colliery.
Sept. 11th 1939 – School reopened today on a ‘two shift’ system. Linton children were accommodated between 9am and 12:30pm and evacuated children from 1:30pm until 5pm. An evening play centre was also instituted from 6-8pm with a rota of home and visiting teachers being arranged to supervise.
Sept. 15th 1939 – Mr. Nichols, the head of St. Columba’s was compelled to leave this afternoon, suffering from a nervous breakdown.
Sept 18th 1939 – The second week of the two shift system which was switched around, the evacuated children attending in the morning this week.
Sept. 20th 1939 – The Roman Catholic Bishop of Newcastle & Hexham, Dr. MacCormack visited school this morning and expressed his keen appreciation of the way the children from Newcastle and Wallsend are being provided for.
Oct. 17th 1939 – The air raid siren at the colliery sounded at 1:57pm today. Children who live in Linton were dispersed to their homes, while those who live at a distance were taken down into the cellar until the all clear signal was given at 3:25pm. School was abandoned for the day.
Nov. 8th 1939 – A further party of 34 children and 3 staff were evacuated from Tynemouth and arrived today. 20 were found billets in Linton and 14 over at Ellington Village.
Dec. 18th – 20th 1939 – Christmas parties held for all local and evacuated children.
Jan. 3rd 1940 – School opened after the Christmas holidays with 101 present out of 121 in the County school and 38 of 60 evacuees.
Jan. 8th 1940 – More evacuees have returned home, so that there are now 56 in the school.
It is interesting to note that the school log book details that over 220 children were evacuated to Linton in 1939, but by 8th January1940, that number was down to 56. No other comments were made regarding the reasons for children returning to Tyneside, and by October 1940, only 17 evacuated children remained at the school.
However, with lower numbers of evacuees, the school days then seemed to settle down to a little more like normality with very few mentions of the War (apart from air raid warnings), indeed the next few entries for the January and February of 1940 were all about the weather and the massive snowfalls of that winter.
This particular log book continues with entries regarding noteworthy events up until 1953 and can be viewed in our search room – Ref. CES 176/1/2
Linton School in 1962. Photo Ref. CES/176/5/17