BERWICK ADVERTISER, 25 APRIL 1919

26/04/2019 by Northumberland Archives

D.C.M Award

R.S.M. Robert Swanston, 7th (Indian) Division, M.G. Corps, son of Mr and Mrs R. Swanston, Woolmarket, Berwick, has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry in the field, and has been mentioned in despatches. He was mobilised with the local territorials in 1914, and after training at Cambois was unable to proceed to France in 1915 with his regiment owing to an attack of pneumonia. He was very quickly promoted Sergeant, and later was transferred from the 7th N.F. to the Machine Gun Corps. He was in Dublin in an armoured car during the Rebellion in 1916.

In July, 1916, he was made Company Sergeant Major, and as such proceeded to Mesopotamia in charge of his corps. He has been through the whole of the campaign in Mesopotamia with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force under General Allenby from July, 1917, to October, 1918. After winning the D.C.M., he was promoted Regiment Sergeant Major.

No particulars are as yet to hand as to the deed for which he was awarded this high honour, but it must have been some specially brave action as his Company Officer was awarded the V.C. in the same engagement.

R.S.M. Swanston, who has not been home for over three years, enjoys the life out East. He is at present stationed at Tripoli, in the Syrian Hills, where he has been acting as demobilisation officer, and has passed well over 1000 men through his hands.

His father has also been with the Army in France, where he served for three years as a private with the Army Service Corps. He was demobilised this year, and has now returned to his work with Messes Elder and Sons, Castlegate, where his son also worked before the war.

LOCAL NEWS

Easter Monday was celebrated quietly in the town, and there was no excessive travelling, even on the Branch lines. Pic-nic parties round the locality had a good time, and the beach at Spittal, and at the Greens had its votaries.

Youngsters enjoy the pony rides at Spittal beach in this early 20th century image. Similar scenes would be seen on the beach on Easter Monday, 1919. BRO 1887-34-2.

On the Whitadder many anglers were out, but the younger generation of Waltonains saw to it that few likely holes in the river remained unwhipped. Towards evening large crowds were about the street, and the presentation to Lieut. Huffam, V.C. made a suitable ending to a perfect day. The weather was on its best behaviour, which is something to be thankful for nowadays.

We referred last week to the fact that premises in Love Lane, Berwick, had been taken over by a firm interested in the wool industry, and we are now in a position to state that the premises were acquired by Messrs J. Sanderson and Son, skin and wool merchants, Tweedmouth, on behalf of the “Border Counties” Wool Sales Limited,” a company in which Messrs H. Bell and Sons, Ltd., Hexham; Messrs Elliot Maetaggart and Co., Ltd., Mr Woodman, Gallowgate, Newcastle; and other firms are associated. A wool warehouse will be set up, and there will be periodical sales of wool by public auction. In view of the large fleece producing area covered, it is anticipated that a considerable business will be done, not without some advantage to the town and district.

QUEENS ROOMS

There have been splendid audiences at the Queens Rooms Theatre during the week where Royal Raceford the Britian American Wonder in his great magical production has been seen. This turn is well worthy of the “Queens” known record and the audience nightly shows its appreciation. There is also the all popular “Go as you please competition” where several local stars are doing their “stunts.” The final will take place on Friday, and none should miss it.

BELFORD AND DISTRICT

BELFORD

MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT

On Monday afternoon Mr James Johnson, Headmaster, Tomlinson’s School, Rothbury, leader of the Rothbury Fife and Drum band, visited Belford and gave selections of music, which were greatly appreciated by all who gathered round to listen to the gladdening strains. The artistes are all boys of Mr Johnson’s school, and great credit it due to him for the excellent way each one performed his part.

Mr Johnson is a native of Belford, and 50 years ago was a member of the Belford Fife and Drum band. Mr Dan Joyce is the only other surviving member of that famous band of fifty years ago.

A silver collection was taken to defray expenses, and any surplus was to be handed to the Blinded Soldiers’ Fund.

Learning to read old handwriting at the Berwick Archives (Twixt Thistle & Rose)

25/04/201916/04/2019 by Northumberland Archives

The volunteers got to grips with some fascinating documents this week from an eighteenth century Guild Book entry detailing the carving of the coat of arms by a stonemason who had been working at Alnwick Castle, to a pair of letters written in the same hand but with different signatures, complaining about life in the Berwick Workhouse.

There was one letter that was with the Tweedmouth Parish Records by an anonymous writer who was informing them about ‘a grat Blagard a Margaret Haberon that moment she gittes her the Prish money she goes to a wiske shop and spends it’. He claims that she isn’t caring for her children and wouldn’t be given any money if she had applied to Berwick for assistance.

Some research has been done on poor Margaret and she had rather a sad life. It is thought that her name was actually Hepburn and there are records of three baptisms of children born to William and Margaret Hepburn, David in 1818 in Tweedmouth who died aged 2 1/2 years old, Jane in 1820 also in Tweedmouth, and then after the family moved to Berwick, another David in 1822. Her husband was a cabinet maker who died at the age of 35 in the 1832 Cholera epidemic. This would explain why she was in receipt of Poor Relief from the parish.

The author of the original complaint was in fear of her burning down his house if she found out who had complained about her, obviously she was quite a formidable character! We assume that the letter was written by a man, as although the spelling is erratic it puts over its point forcibly, and the level of education for boys at the time would have been better than that on offer to girls.

So much to find out around one letter!

The other document that we looked at was ‘To Make Sirip of Turnips’ (used to treat ‘Conscumpsion or cough of the Lungs’) which was a mixture of sliced turnips, sugar, Hyssop Water, Aniseed, and liquorish root. I’m not sure if anyone went home to try it!

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 11 APRIL 1919

12/04/2019 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK PETTY SESSIONS

Before the Mayor (Ald. Plenderleith), A. L. Miller, and A. J. Dodds, Esqs

CHILDRENS’ COURT

A Berwick message boy and three school children, one of whom was a girl, appeared on a charge of having discharged missiles on the New Road, Berwick, to the danger of passengers, on the 3rd April, 1919. They pleaded not guilty.

The Chief Constable said this was one of the cases they were obliged to bring before the Bench, in consequence of the enormous amount of complaints which had been coming in. People using the road near the Old Castle were frequently annoyed by boys throwing stones and bottles down on to the road. He wishes it to be known that if this case was found proven that in future he would ask for a heavy penalty. He was sorry to have to bring these cases forward, but it was necessary for the safety of the public.

Complaints had also been received of damage done to the Old Castle, and no less than 25 boys had to be cautioned last week. The four children charged were on the night in question on the embankment near the Railway Bridge, where they had been in the habit on gathering pieces of coal thrown over by the railwaymen. They were raking amongst the stones for the coal, and dropping stones, which rolled down the bank on to the New Road. The fact was they had no business to be there at all, for it was a case of trespass, and they had no business to dislodge the coal or stone.

P.C. Spiers said he saw the four children kicking at the rubble in their search for coal and stones were falling down the embankment and bouncing on the footpath. If anyone had been passing they would certainly have been hit. As he was taking the names of the children a lady and gentleman came up and said it was a disgrace that such thing were going on.

Mr Miller – Is this the first case brought here?

The Chief Constable – Yes. I don’t think the children went deliberately to throw stones, but they had no right to be there at all.

P.C. Cruikshanks generally corroborated the previous witness.

All the children adhered to a statement that another boy had been there sliding down the bank on a carpet, and dislodging the stones, but he had bolted when the police came.

The mayor said the ends of justice would be made by the payment of half costs – 2s 6d in each case- but if the defendants should come back again they would not get off so easily.

SPITTAL NOTES

Whippet racing appears to be coming to the front in the village, as we hear it rumoured that another handicap is shortly to take place in the Side Cutting. On this occasion it is expected that dogs will be forward from the mining villages of South Northumberland. Some good straight-out racing may therefore be expected.

TWEEDMOUTH JOTTINGS

Welcome home to Church Road, Tweedmouth, Trooper Tom Brown, son of the late Mr Alex. Brown, passenger guard, who was killed accidentally at Berwick Station a few years ago. Trooper Brown, who joined the army in 1910, has almost nine years’ service to his credit, seven years of which he has spent in India. Tom took part in some very strenuous fighting in Mesopotamia, and was present at the capture of Bagdad. He was also in the heavy fighting around the neighbourhood of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. He returns to his regiment, (14th King’s Hussars) on the expiration of his furlough, and as he is on the Reserve for another four years, we trust that he may enjoy the best of good luck, in whatever part of the world he is destined to travel.

LOCAL NEWS

Having once decided to re-open the course the committee of the Magdalene Fields Golf Club are not losing any time in getting started. As will be seen from an advertisement in our columns, play will commence on Good Friday, April 18th, with a stroke competition for gentlemen in the morning, followed by a Mixed Foursome in the afternoon, when tea will be served in the clubhouse. With the exception of the first hole, the course to be played over is practically the same as the “old nine” before its extension to 18 holes in 1915. Meanwhile, of an evening, a good many of the old enthusiasts are to be seen on the course trying to recover their former skill. It is wonderful how easily it all comes back, though judging from the amount of turf removed already the shots have not all been “clean hits.” The Course which was originally opened in June 1903 when the Mayor, Mr A. J. Dodds drove the first ball, was successfully carried on until 1917 when owing to wartime conditions it was thought advisable to close down.

LOWICK

The Parish Council at its meeting on Friday last agreed to reply to a communication from Glendale Rural District Council, that in their opinion more houses for the working classes were required in the village.

We are pleased to see home discharged Cpl. J. Ord, Isley Hill Cottages, Beal, and Pte. J. Black, Berryburn Mill, Ancroft.

The weather has been good of late and garden work is now in full swing.

The “flue” [sic] seems to be abating in our village, and we hope there will be no more cases.

One of the largest aeroplanes which has been seen in the neighbourhood came down at the New Haggerston Aerodrome, owing to some engine trouble. This being repaired, the machine continued her journey southward on Thursday, April 3rd. Her weight, it is said, was something like 13 tons. Rumour has it that this was one of the aeroplanes to be used in the forthcoming attempt to cross the Atlantic.

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