Northumberland Archives

The 20^th March 1969 ‘The Berwick Advertiser’ ran the following story:-

Today was the day RAF Acklington was to send helicopters up the Ingram Valley and small hamlets along Coquetdale to drop fodder to the starving sheep. Plans had been made to drop fodder to High and Low Blakehope Farm in the Cheviots, but these were cancelled due to low cloud and snow showers.

Mr Harry Rutherford of High Blakehope and Mr R. T. Elliot of Kalemouth, Kelso who have some 1300 sheep on the two farms, had arranged for the helicopter to carry hay that had been brought in by road from Kelso to Hartside, but due to the weather the drop was shelved. Both farmers yesterday confirmed that the position was ‘Grim’ it could be desperate if today’s drop is binned as the sheep only have fodder for another day. A blizzard on Friday blocked roads, cut off electricity, closed schools and kept the North Northumberland fishing fleet in port.

The Primary schools at Milfield and Branton were closed because of the snow and lack of power. Pupils could get in, but there were no facilities to provide a hot midday meal. Only 13 of the 23 pupils made it in to Glanton School as the snow as 5 inches deep in the village. The 300 pupils at Glendale School also had the day off to play in the snow due to the conditions.

The weather affected the bus services on both sides of the border, a spokesman for United Automobile Service Ltd said that the Wooler – Newcastle bus route was blocked by snow at Longframlington Moor and buses could only get as far as Whittingham. A bus driver, conductor and passenger had to walk 2 miles to Coldingham village on Thursday night as the Berwick to Edinburgh bus got stuck in snow. Mountainous seas battered to coast and the seas at Eyemouth were said to be the worst in living history. At Berwick the water broke high over the pier and the lighthouse and this was the same story further down the coast at Seahouses.

Coastguards and Police were asked to keep a look out for 220 cases of gunpowder jettisoned in the sea 10 miles east of Longstone by the Dutch Coaster ‘Harry’. The crew dumped the cases when the deck cargo began to shift. It was the high winds which did most of the damage for; although it snowed on Thursday morning and again on Friday the majority of it turned to slush, but with the easterly gale came the drifts. In many parts of North Northumberland the drifts were 10 to 12 feet deep. The snowploughs and blowers were out for more than 24 hours, with men working shifts to keep the roads open.

The electricity cuts suffered by many were caused by clinging wet snow to the conductors. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday strong winds from the south east and with heavy showers of snow and sleet meant the temperature barely rose above freezing. On Tuesday as the region began to shake itself free of the weekend conditions blizzards swept in from the east and by lunchtime the workmen from Berwickshire and Northumberland County Council were once again working in a full scale battle against the snow. Swept in by the wind in clouds so thick visibility was only 10-15 yards in places and the snow piled up on the roadsides. Around Alnwick the snowfall was the heaviest of the entire winter.

A Greek cargo ship fell into difficulties off Longstone Lighthouse on Sunday and the crew had to be lifted to safety by a Danish Air Force helicopter. The 13 men and one woman from the ‘Kadiani’ were landed at RAF Leuchars. She was bound from Aalborg to Benghazi with a cargo of cement. She battled against the gale force winds in the North Sea for 3 days before the Captain radioed for help. At one time the English tug ‘Yorkshireman’ attempted to take the stricken ship under tow, but the tow rope broke.

Within the Berwick Advertiser story there was mention of John Russell. He was also mentioned in the Northumberland Gazette published 21^st March 1969. With the headline “Unlucky 13^th for Bus Crew from Wooler.” John Russell, was my grandad and 49 years today he was involved in the storm. He was the driver of the Wooler bus which was stranded in deep snow on the Wooler to Newcastle road. It was the first time in 25 years’ service, that United Bus Company driver John Russell of Oliver Road, Wooler, had been forced to sleep in a bus an experience also shared by his conductress Miss Esther Speirs of Milfield.

“It was without doubt the coldest and most uncomfortable sleep I’ve ever had” said John after his bus got back to Wooler depot on the Friday morning. Some 12 hours after setting off from Newcastle. He set off at 7.38pm from Tyneside, a blizzard was blowing, but conditions were not bad. They got the empty bus as far as New Moor House crossroads west of Alnwick then was turned back. Mr Russell said “I started back to Wooler and after about half a mile the bus got stuck. Just before Miss Spiers, saw a figure coming towards us from a stranded lorry. Suddenly, the man fell down and then got up again and came towards the bus. It was a Mr Alan Easton.” We got him inside and dried him down then he and Miss Speirs set off walking toward New Moor House to use the telephone. Miss Speirs later returned with Mr Mossman the occupant who brought sandwiches and blankets which were most welcome. A snowplough arrived and offered to pull the bus out, but Mr Russell lacked the necessary equipment for the tow. Later Police Sergeant Nairn from Wooler Station who had previously visited the bus returned with a tow ring.

Sergeant R. Nairn and PC A. Chicken had started looking for the bus after Morpeth reported that it had not got through. They found the bus and 2 cars as well as the lorry stuck near Moor House. The occupants of one of the cars Mr & Mrs Philip Malthouse of Wooler were brought back to Wooler by the Police and the occupant of the other car was an Australian who got a lift back to Glanton where he lived. The lorry was dug out, but the bus was stuck.

Mr Russell had only just received his Kings Medal for Loyal Service in the 1939 -45 War, that Monday, 26 years after serving with the Royal Air Force. The family story has it; Grandad didn’t leave the bus because he was carrying the mail. I’m proud to say that this was my grandad as are other members of the family and I welcome the opportunity to write this article and make people aware of what he did. I remember fondly, the time I spent with him in Wooler on my holidays, playing in the buses parked up in the depot as well as going down the inspection pit. Happy days! We still have the newspaper clipping of the event as well as his long service certificate, save driving bus medals and his Kings Medal.

In November 2018 the village of Stannington will be holding a four-day event to commemorate 100 years since the end of WW1. The project which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery is designed to educate and inform all parts of Stannington Parish and the wider community about the experiences of Stannington residents, and that of the Parish service personnel in the First World War.

The project has turned up many interesting facts. It has been discovered that a tradition used to exist, whereby the children of the Stannington Village School received a gift from Lady Ridley every year around Christmas. The girls received a red cloak, and the boys a red scarf. Records show that the first mention of the Stannington red cloaks and scarves, was in March 1885. Lady Ridley, who later became the 1^st Viscountess, instigated the presentation, which became a distinguishing and conspicuous feature of the children of Stannington School. The tradition was continued by the 2^nd Viscountess Ridley, and appears in the school log throughout the years of the First World War.

The cloaks and scarves were worn on special occasions such as Harvest Festival and Christmas services in the church. They were also worn at Viscountess Ridley’s funeral.

The tradition only ended in 1924 when the 3^rd Viscountess Ridley, discovered that the cloaks were being issued so often “they were being made into rag rugs”. She also thought they smacked too much of “charity and institutionalism”. It was recently discovered that an original cloak still existed, and was in the possession of Stannington resident Doreen Robson. The cloak had belonged to Ella Brewis, a relative of Doreen and had been issued in the first few years of the 20^th century.

The cloaks were produced by Pryce Pryce-Jones, who was born in 1834 in Newtown, Wales. He became an apprentice to a local draper, took over the business and in 1859 started trading under his own name. In 1861 he took advantage of the national postage service and began the first ever mail order business.

 During the 1870s Pryce-Jones took part in exhibitions all over the world, winning several medals and becoming world famous. In 1879 he opened the Royal Welsh Warehouse and expanded his sales of flannel and clothes way beyond Newtown. In the 1880s his patrons included the royal houses of Austria, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Hanover, Italy, Naples and Russia. At the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 he was knighted as Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones.

It has now also been discovered that the red scarves were also issued to the boys of Netherton Training School, at the same time of year. This event was recorded in the Superintendent’s Log Book. Sadly, no original scarf survives, though the design was possibly the same red colour of the cloaks with grey bands at the ends similar to the Pryce-Jones sample below.

The Heritage Lottery has funded thirty six cloaks to be reproduced with each cloak being individually named to honour a man from the Parish who lost his life in the war. The school will then use these for special events in the future. The Stannington Parish Centenary Festival of Remembrance  opens on Thursday 8^th November with a spectacular flower festival in St Marys Church this will be followed on Friday 9^th November by a re-enactment of the victory parade held by the school children in 1918 with the girls marching proudly around the village wearing their red cloaks, the boys wearing their red scarves and will be followed by a peace tea held in the Village Hall.

You will also have an opportunity to see the children wearing the red cloaks and scarves again  on Saturday  10^th November when the Village will feature a WW1 living experience where “Frank”  a WW1 replica tank ( as featured in the films Wonder Woman & Transformers The last Knight) alongside   Ridley’s Aeroplane the Morane Type N “Bullet” monoplane ( courtesy of North East Air Museum) will be on display along with other re-enactment troops to act as a fantastic educational attraction for children and WW1 enthusiasts alike. The event concludes on Sunday 11^th November where the children will attend St Mary’s Church Stannington for a special Remembrance service. If anyone reading this article has any photographs of the children wearing the red cloaks and scarves we would be most grateful to see them.