This Week in World War One, 10 September 1915

Berwick Advertiser title 1915

 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 10 SEPTEMBER 1915

 

PILGRIMAGE TO LINDISFARNE

 

On the anniversary of the death of Saint Aidan a party of pilgrims, mainly composed of clergymen from Newcastle, visited Holy Island to attend a service of Holy Communion in the Old Priory of Aidan. The pilgrimage was organised by the Rev. Finkay Sanderson. The party travelled by train to Beal, and crossed to the island – some by conveyances, and others by “plodging” over the sands. At the ringing of the “Peace Bell” at noon calling all people on the island to pray for our soldiers and sailors and all in peril or mourning during the war, the service commenced.

The officiating clergy were Bishop Ormsby, assisted by the Rev. Irvine Crawshaw, Vicar of

The Old Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland. © Christine Matthews - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
The Old Priory, Holy Island, Northumberland. © Christine Matthews – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Holy Island. The service opened with the hymn, “O God of Bethel.” Then followed a portion of Psalm 44 and Psalm 61. These were followed by the service of Holy Communion, taken by the Bishop, who gave his address on the text, “He being dead yet speaketh.” Bishop Ormsby pointed out that 1,264 years had passed since Aidan breathed his last. During this period two voices and been continually heard; one calling us to remember the days that are past, the other exhorting us to listen to the lessons which Aidan would teach. The offertory was given to the Holy Island medicine chest.

The pilgrims had lunch on the links, and tea at the Northumberland Arms. A visit was later paid to Bamburgh. Some of the pilgrims availed themselves of a motor boat, and crossed over to the “Beacons,” walking thence to Bamburgh, where evensong was held in St. Aidan’s Church.

BELFORD

 

On Thursday morning, while the eight-year-old son of Mr Pascoe, coastguard, Ross, was cycling out of Nursery Lane, Belford, he came in collision with a motor car. The boy’s leg was broken below the knee, and he was taken into the house of Dr Macdonald near by, who conveyed him home in his motor car.

Circus – On Monday night, Pinder and Ord’s Circus visited Belford and gave a performance in a field at the top of West Street. Several of the turns were really good, in particular the performances of the elephant. No bright lights were allowed outside the show by order of the military authorities, but inside all was bright as usual

 Image of Pinders Big Top 1890s © George Pinder
Image of Pinders Big Top 1890s © George Pinder

 

GIFT JUMBLE SALE

 

As will be seen from our advertising columns, Mr A. L. Miller will sell in the Corn Exchange, on Wednesday next, a quantity of miscellaneous effects, the proceeds of which will be applied to the British Red Cross Society. The Auctioneers and Estate Agents Institute has purchased the famous “Star and Garter” Hotel on Richmond Hill, and presented it to Her Majesty the Queen, who has graciously accepted the same, to be used as a permanent home for paralysed and totally disabled soldiers and sailors. The members of the Institute have contributed liberally to the purchase money (£21500), and

Image from the Berwick Advertiser 4 December 1858, opening of the newly erected Corn Exchange, Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Image from the Berwick Advertiser 4 December 1858, opening of the newly erected Corn Exchange, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

 

any sum received in excess of the purchase money will be given to the Red Cross Society, which has undertaken the necessary alterations, equipment, and maintenance of the Home. Mr Miller has received a large number of articles for the sale, including some good household furniture, electro-plated goods and china, some fine old cut glass, 100 volumes of books, poultry, fat lambs, tea, flour, rolled oats, a waggonette, and a number of sundries, which will yield an acceptable contribution to the Fund, if the sale receives the measure of public support which the good cause it seeks to promote fully entitles it.

The 1915 Zeppelin Raid & 1940 Blitz, through the eyes of one London resident.

I hope you as the reader will enjoy this blog. This is in Jean’s own words and retells the story of her family in 1915 & 1940, both dates that are remembered by Londoners.

I was born in London and lived there throughout the Second World War. My most vivid memory was of 7th September, 1940.

Our family were in Hackney, East London that Saturday for the wedding of my mother’s youngest sister. The bride and groom had both been born in Bartrip Street on 7th September, 1915. He, Fred, had been born in the early morning during a Zeppelin raid, my Aunt Doll was born that night during another Zeppelin raid. Fred’s father was later to be killed in France, while Doll’s father, my grandfather, was gassed in France, but came home to die. On their wedding day (and 25th birthday) we had the wedding reception between two air raids, for this was the day that the Blitz started.

My parents, brother and I were each in different air raid shelters during the air raids, but saw and heard wave after wave of German bombers, accompanied by Messerschmitt’s heading for the Docks a few miles away, and being chased by Hurricanes and Spitfires, but these were very much out-numbered. The drone of the aircraft engines, the sound of bullets, the thuds of the bombs and the crashing bangs from the anti-aircraft guns – my first experience of warfare. At 12 years, I was old enough to understand what was happening and I remember feeling my heart beating hard in my chest. It was frightening.

Eventually, we made our way home to Edmonton, North London some 20 miles as the crow flies from the now blazing docks. The huge ball of red fire on the horizon made a mockery of the blackout. As my Dad remarked at the time, you could almost read a newspaper in the street where we lived. I cannot describe nor can you imagine just how big a fire that was.

That of course, was only the first of many bombing raids. The City, the East End, Coventry, Cardiff, Liverpool and many, many other cities in Great Britain were to face heavy bombing.

P.S.
Fred joined the R.A.F. and was eventually shipped out to Northern India, stationed near Karachi in what is today, Pakistan. On his embarkation leave they realised that Doll was pregnant. It transpired she was having twins due on the 5th September – we all hoped they would be two days late! However, due to medical reasons they, Frederick and Patricia, were actually born on 5th August, 1942. Their Dad had to make do with photographs until he actually saw them on his return to the U.K. after VE Day.

BULLETS AND A RAT

I have many memories of events during WW2. One of them is the day Mum & I went shopping to the main shopping area, Fore Street, Edmonton. The “take cover” siren had gone, but frankly, you ignored that until the anti-aircraft guns started blazing or the German planes could be heard coming. One thing we all quickly learnt was to recognise engines – I could tell you whether it was a German bomber, Messerschmitt, Hurricane or Spitfire overhead even if I couldn’t see the plane. So when the “activity” started just before we got to the shopping thoroughfare, we went into Pymmes Park taking the path alongside the small brook that ran through the park and where there were many trees.

We found this huge oak tree and kept our eyes on the planes above keeping the tree between us and the bullets. Unfortunately, for us, there were several stone statues on plinths in that part of the park and the bullets were ricocheting off them making it even more difficult for us to avoid them! So there we were, circling the oak with eyes looking heavenwards and occasionally looking down to avoid the tree roots when we saw this huge white water rat come out of the brook and into a hole at the base of “our” tree!! We were devastated – a rat! Although, we had to keep going round the tree when we got to the hole – we ran!

Watching the planes – the Messerschmitt’s, Spitfires & Hurricanes weaving, diving and twisting while firing tracer bullets and the heavily laden bombers who were not so agile – it was really quite exciting and, to be honest, the really frightening – no terrifying – thing was that rat! We never did see it again and eventually the planes had passed over, we had not been hit (not even a near miss) so we were able to do our shopping and then go home.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Jean Wilkinson one of the Northumberland At War volunteers for writing this blog.

This Week in World War One, 3 September 1915

Berwick Advertiser title 1915

 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 3 SEPTEMBER 1915

 

MARRIAGE OF CAPTAIN P. W. MACLAGAN

 

Marriage of Captain P.W.Maclagan. – The numerous friends of Captain Philip Whiteside Maclagan, R.A.M.C., son of Dr C.G.Maclagan, Ravensdowne, will be interested to learn of his marriage, which took place on Wednesday in the Erskine U.F.Church, Annan, the bride being Miss Jane Scott, second daughter of the late Mr William John Robinson and of Mrs Robinson, Cluden, well-known and much esteemed citizens of Annan.

 Annan Free Church
Annan Free Church

The bridegroom, who has been acting as assistant to Dr. Hunter, Annan, joined the R.A.M.C. at the beginning of the war. Dr Maclagan has been much thought of during his stay in Annan, and has made a large circle of friends and acquaintances. The presents were numerous and costly. There was a large attendance of personal friends at the wedding, the interior of the church being adorned with many pretty floral decorations. The officiating clergyman was the Rev. Archibald A. Campbell, and the bride was given away by her grandfather. Miss Robinson, the bride’s sister, acted as bridesmaid, and Dr Hunter officiated as the best man. At the conclusion of the marriage the happy couple left on their honeymoon per motor car.

A TWEED ANGLING STORY

 

The autumn season of salmon angling in the Tweed properly begins in the middle of September, when the nets are taken off at Berwick, according to law, as the phrase goes. Last year the stretches of the river belonging to the riparian properties were poorly let. The war called away many potential lessees, and those who remained did not care to enter on the sport. This year (writes a correspondent of the Glasgow Bulletin) there is an improvement. How the season will turn out nobody can tell. The weather is a great factor – a big flood in September or October being absolutely necessary to bring up the fish from the sea. But the more important question of supply arises. A venerable and experienced angler informed me that salmon are very scarce at Berwick this year up till now. I asked the reason, and added, half jocularly, “Owing to the war?” he replied in all gravity: “Weel, that might be sae. Thae submarines an’ torpedoes an’ other things mann hae had an unusual effeck. The sea about the East Coast has been greatly disturbit, an’ it’s juist possible it mav hae changed the coorse o’ the fish. Mind ye’ salmon’s queer beese.”

Salmon net fishing Paxton House, 2013
Salmon net fishing on the River Tweed below Paxton House, 2013. Copyright: Les Hull, Creative Commons Licence.

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST

 

Forbidden Postal Packets – The Press Bureau issues the following:- Attention is called to the fact that it is a punishable offence to send through the post any explosive substance or any article or thing likely to injure other postal packets or officers of the postal service. Cases have recently occurred of shells, pieces of shells, fuses, and cartridges being sent through the post. This dangerous practice has already caused loss of life, and has been forbidden by the military authorities.

 

LOCAL NEWS

 

The Last of an Old Spittal Family – Mrs G. Forsyth, late of 20 West Street, Spittal, died last week, in her eighty-fourth year; the last of a generation of a long lived family named Richardson. Nine of them reached maturity, and their ages when added together amounted to 726 years. We noted, some time ago, that one of them, Elizabeth Richardson, married to Thomas Elliot, fisherman, Spittal, who died aged 94, had 222 descendants, children, grand-children, and great-grand-children. The country which has most of that kind of citizen will quickest and best get over the ravages of the war.

 

SALE OF WORK AT CORNHILL

Sum of £43 Realised

 

The interior of Cornhill Schoolroom on Saturday afternoon wore a bright and fascinating appearance – just the very opposite to the rainy weather outside – for it was arrayed in all the splendour of an eastern bungalow, and it certainly well maintained the reputation to the title of an Oriental bazaar.  The various stalls were laden with a most artistic selection of all kinds of fancy and embroidery work, worthily sustaining the labours of Mrs Holland, of the Rectory, and the other ladies in the district who were responsible for the effort. There was a beautiful display of embroidered and decorative napery, Chinese and Japanese tables, Chinese lacker tables, Thibet and Lhassa tables, Indian rugs, Chinese, Venitian, and Jerusalem jewellery, besides Indian chutney, Java jelly, foreign stamps.

Lhasa style antique Tibetan Buddhist Altar table
Lhasa style antique Tibetan Buddhist Altar table

 

A feature was the Sowers’ Band Stall, the labours of the Cornhill  children, which was devoted to  the Cornhill Cot in Quetta hospital. The remainder of the sale was for the benefit of the Church Army Ambulance Fund, and Foreign Missions. Mrs Holland, the respected mother of the Rev. Mr Holland, and the several ladies who assisted her certainly deserve all credit for the splendid result of their labours as was witnessed in the display on the various stalls. A refreshment and tea stall was also tastefully arranged at the end of the schoolroom for those who wished to have a quiet cup and friendly crack.

Among those who assisted at the various stalls were Miss Low, Mrs Collingwood, Mrs H, St. B. Holland, Miss Rand, Mrs. J. Logan, Miss Murkin, Mrs Matthewson, Miss Hoyle, Mrs Fleming, Miss Tristram, Misses Collingwood, Fenwick, and Fleming, and Messrs Blake, Collingwood, and Fleming.

During the afternoon the sale was visited by a considerable number of representative ladies and gentlemen and among those present and who kindly sent donations were :- The Countess of Home; Sir Francis Blake, the Honourable Mrs Baillie Hamilton, the Hon. M. Joicey, the Misses Milne Home, Mr and Misses Selby, Mrs Neligan and party, Mrs Rea, Miss Fleming and party. Mrs Little, Mrs Maling, Mrs Swan, Mrs Shotton, Mrs Mackay, Mrs R. Carmichael, Mrs Mangin, Miss Baker Cresswell, Miss Sellar, Rev. W. I. Moran, Mr Swanston, Mrs Bell, Mrs Dickson, Misses Raines, Mr H.J. Swanston, Marshall Meadows, etc.

During the evening patriotic and other glees were well rendered by members of the choir, and Miss R. Jeffrey’s solos were much appreciated.

The proceeds amounted to over £43.