In part one of this blog, we met PC 148 of Northumberland Constabulary. He joined in 1930 and was posted to Wallsend, then he has subsequently worked at Lynemouth. We rejoin the story in the early 50’s and he is now based at Kirkwhelpington.
PC 148 attended another Refresher Course (number 25) in 1952, which was held in Yorkshire, as the paperwork is headed Northallerton, North Riding Constabulary. He is complimented as having been a good influence, due to being one of the senior members of the course.
In early 1956, reports record that PC 148 was stationed at Amble, but on 20th July that same year he was posted to Berwick Upon Tweed and he and his family occupied a house in Castlegate.
BRO 1250/43- Castlegate, Berwick, with the Free Trade in the foreground, 1959
By October 1962, PC 148 was approaching his 55th birthday, which was retirement age for constables. He submitted a report requesting to extend his service past the age of 55. He was asked to attend Morpeth to be medically examined by the Constabulary Surgeon at a surgery on Bridge Street. The request to extend his service was authorised, but PC 148 only served an extra few months before retiring in November of 1963 – which also required another trip to Morpeth for yet another medical examination.
Ten days before the retirement date, the Chief Inspector at Berwick submitted a report to the Chief Constable, asking for permission to carry out a collection from staff at the station. Naturally, this was approved, but there is no record of what retirement gift was purchased.
There are documents recording the process by which PC 148 applied for his pension. He was entitled to the sum of £660 8s 2d per annum, but as is frequent practice today, he chose to commute (give up) 1/6 of his full pension to give him an immediate lump sum payment. By choosing this option, upon retirement, PC 148 received a deposit into his account at the Berwick and Tweedmouth Savings Bank of £1309 7s and 4 pence.
BA/C/PL/2/94 – Original plans for Berwick station from 1899
One of the final documents in the file is a record of sickness. In 33 years of service, this officer had only six periods of sick leave, totalling 64 days off work and his character was described as Exemplary.
NRO 3822/2/170
The answers to the two example questions in the first part of this blog are as follows:
The fraction of the book remaining to be read is 13/60ths
The time taken to walk the 16 miles from Rothbury to Morpeth is 5 hours, 7 minutes, and 12 seconds.
Northumberland Archives hold police records for Northumberland but please note that they are subject to a 100 year closure period.
On Tuesday evening, after the Town Council meeting, Mr Ralph Skelly, aged 86, the oldest Freeman of the Borough, was presented privately with the gold-headed staff of office by the Mayor, in the presence of the Sheriff.
Mr Robertson, the esteemed and highly respected Sub-Postmaster at Horncliffe, is resigning after holding the post for a number of years. Mr Robertson is one of the oldest and best-known regular visitors to Berwick Market every Saturday.
Inquirer- The match between Celtic and Newcastle United was played in Berwick Cricket Field on March 13, 1902. The event was to celebrate the coming of age of the Rangers’ Club. Celtic won by 4 goals to 2.
Owing to scarcity of fish Holy Island fishermen have had to put in their creels and start crab and lobster fishing.
Holy Island Castle and the Ouse
Messrs Jas. McDougle and Sons, Bamburgh, are appointed Berwick to Alnmouth Distributing Agents for Alladin Lamps.
Belford Hall is to be sold in March by Belford and District Farmers’ Auction Mart, Ltd., instructed by T. Place, Esq.
BERWICK CASTLE EXCAVATIONS
Following upon excavations at Water Tower, at river-side end of Western Flanking Wall of Berwick Castle, work has been proceeding at and near the Tower higher up, also on westside, which adjoins Western Wall before it begins to descend to Tweed. This Tower is the Buttress Tower, which was of great strength built probably about 1280, in Reign of Edward I., when Berwick Castle was made impregnable.
REF: BRO 426/37
Excavations at Water Tower have laid bare solid foundations, the facing stones, of which the upper part of the Tower is destitute, being of fine quality. A fair amount of work has been done on the Buttress Tower, a narrow trench some 2 feet deep having been dug round the wall. Nothing, however, has as yet been disclosed except the important fact that the original facing stones are still intact below the surface of the ground. Work is proceeding and some more men may be detailed to Berwick from Norham.
TWEEDMOUTH NOTES
In conversation with a railwayman, a few days ago, I was told of one particular instance of how motor cars are nibbling at traffic over which the railway held a complete monopoly since the Wooler Branch opened up. Traffic in rabbits, eggs, and other farm produce, was collected at all stations, large 5-ton vans being on the passenger trains for the purpose of conveying these food stuffs to southern markets. Those days are gone. A fleet of large motors visit the farms daily and collect what formerly had to be carted to the sometimes far-off stations and placed in the vans provided. The cars take full loads to Newcastle, and return with empty hampers, etc., much time and unnecessary labour being saved by the motor service now firmly established. The railway company in consequence has lost a fruitful source of revenue by the innovation, for where they used to carry hundreds of hampers weekly at one time, they scarcely carry dozens now.
Tweedmouth Burns’ Club Supper was held in the headquarters, Union Hotel, on Thursday night, 24th Jan., a day before the actual anniversary, this being to accommodate some who had a wish to attend other Club suppers, which were to be held on the 25th. There was an attendance of 60 members and friends, the spacious upstairs room being comfortably seated. The hour for starting was 6pm and by that time the room was showing signs of animation, while the savoury aroma floating upstairs told that the host and hostess, together with their staff of assistants, were doing their share. It may be safely stated that Tweedmouth Burns Club is keeping up its fine reputation, and maintaining its high standard of intellectual efficiency, whereby the annual gatherings are made a success.
THE NEW BRIDGE: A PETITION
The Mayor announced that he had just received a petition regarding the proposed new bridge, and he was of the opinion that the Council should send it to the Bridge Committee for consideration.
Coun. Dickinson seconded the Mayor’s motion that the matter be sent to the Bridge Committee and this was agreed upon.
The petition read as follows:
To His Worship the Mayor and the Members of the Town Council of Berwick -upon-Tweed.
The owners of property in and adjacent to the main throughfares leading from the Old Bridge through Bridge Street and Hide Hill and those conducting business in that district have become greatly concerned regarding the position involved by the construction of a new bridge, and recent reports of the County and Local Authorities have not dispelled the uncertainty prevailing in their minds.
View of Royal Border Bridge and The Old Bridge
So far us can be ascertained from the two routes which are now engaging the attention of the Town Council, both of which emerge directly into High Street, no provision is made for direct access to Bridge Street or its vicinity. Unless, therefore, the Old Bridge continues to be an inlet and outlet of traffic, the immediate effect of carrying out such a proposal would be the isolation of a large and important part of the town frm a great volume of traffic, and, in the opinion of the parties concerned, have the following results:-
A loss of business now on the main route in that area.
The depreciation of the value of the property therein.
An increase in the cost of haulage and transit.
In view of such opinions those who are commercially and financially interested or otherwise connected with the question of the new bridge, so far as the south eastern area of the town in concerned, are desirous that these matters shall receive adequate considerate.
Informal, but representative meetings have been held to consider the position, but, at the suggestion of his Worship the Mayor, the parties who thus met, readily acquiesced in the view that the immediate moment is perhaps inauspicious for laying the whole of the facts before the public at large.
At such a meeting held on the 18th January, 1924 the situation was reviewed and it was unanimously resolved as follows: –
“That urgent representation be immediately made to the Town Council when considering the route of the new bridge to give earnest consideration to the special and peculiar position of the southeastern area of the Town of Berwick, and to preserve, as far as possible its present trade facilities so as to mitigate any hardship which might be inflicted upon those connected with this area.” (signed,) J.W. Blench, Chairman. H.M. Young, Secretary.
Have you ever been filling in an application for a new job and had to decide who you should ask to give a character reference? To apply to join Northumberland Constabulary in 1930, you were required to give the names of five persons who would testify that you were a “sober, honest and good-tempered person, who would be likely to make an efficient police officer”
One of our Archives Assistants found his grandfather’s file [the gentleman is now deceased] in our records from Northumberland Constabulary. All prospective applicants were asked to attend the Chief Constable’s Office in Morpeth, where they were tested on dictation (spelling) and arithmetic. Some of the arithmetic questions certainly look difficult to us now because they involve pounds, shillings, and pence.
Things seem to have been very efficient in the past, when there were not any large HR departments – this candidate did his tests on the 7th June 1930, and was invited to take up his new appointment five days later, on 12th June where he was allocated his collar number and became PC 148.
The next document in the file is a year later in 1931 when PC 148 is back at Morpeth for his probationer’s course. He was tested on knowledge of the law, geography & general knowledge and finally some more arithmetic. Here are a couple of sample questions for you to try:
1. A person reads 1/5 of a book in one day, 1/3 the next and ¼ on the third day. What fraction of the book remains to be read?
2. A person takes 110 steps every minute, each step is 2 ½ feet long. How long will it take to walk the 16 miles from Rothbury to Morpeth?
In 1936 the records show that PC 148 wished to get married, and therefore submitted a report to his Superintendent. The Supt subsequently sent a report to his opposite number across in Gateshead, asking if enquiries could be made as to the character and antecedents of the young woman and whether “she was considered to be a suitable person to become the wife of a police constable.” Fortunately, the reply confirmed that the lady was “of good character and her parents and associates were all very respectable people.”
After the couple married, PC 148 was posted to Lynemouth where he set about getting to grips with the local thieves. In 1940 he received a Chief Constable’s Commendation for the investigation into crimes of shop-breaking and larceny which resulted in six arrests and both crimes being detected. He was also commended by the Ashington Justices in 1941 for the part he played in handling a case of indecent assault at Newbiggin which resulted in the conviction of a Cresswell man.
NRO 6649/2/9/2/9
The next record in the file shows that in 1946 PC 148 was at a joint training school for Newcastle City, Northumberland, and Tynemouth Borough. This was refresher course number 11. He passed the course and the remarks from the Inspector described him as “keen and steady.”
In April 1947, the Chief’s office sent a report to the Chief Inspector at Morpeth, requesting him to arrange for PC 148 to receive instruction on the riding of a motorcycle and the driving of a car. So, this officer had to wait 17 years for his driving course!
PC 148 was transferred to Kirkwhelpington sometime in 1947. In the October of that year, there is a memorandum to remind the officer to cease the practice of soliciting lifts from local Magistrates when proceeding to court as it “may lead to adverse comment in certain circumstances”
NRO 2409/178
In part two of this blog, we will follow PC 148 in the second half of his career, and we will give the answers to the sample questions.
Northumberland Archives hold police records for the county but please note that they are subject to a 100 year closure period. Permission to publish this blog was granted by Northumbria Police.
