This blog was written by a young student named Kaila Karino.
Who are these men wearing gas masks? And what are they doing?
While I was looking through the Ashington Collieries Magazine Vols. 14 and 15, I repeatedly came across articles from Ashington Coal Co. Limited with the subheading “A.R.P.” – the A.R.P stands for air raid precautions, an organisation that protects civilians from air raids when they occur.
It is apparent throughout the article how dedicated the men were to their jobs the articles stating that the men “Pledged themselves to turn out for the siren and buzzer for air raid warning” and that they would come out to protect whether they were at “work or at home”
In many of the articles there are pictures of the men in the A.R.P training relentlessly with stretchers on their backs and going in and out of shelters fully dressed with gasmasks on, truly illustrating their dedication to their work.
Another interesting article from the collection is one published in January 1940, which is a very detailed account on how the A.R.P. were to treat a casualty that had been gas contaminated.
The article outlines the positions of the nine men working at Ashington Colliery: one superintendent and clerk, one air lock attendant, two undressers, two washers, two first aid operators, and one dresser.
Here are a team of first aid servicemen from the A.R.P.
These magazines have been very interesting to look at, many of the other articles also reflect the lives that people lived throughout the war period, and if this post has interested you, you should definitely check out the Ashington collieries magazine articles and volumes as well.
This blog has been researched and written as part of Northumberland Archives Heritage Lottery funded ‘At War and In Peace …’ project. The project allows us to explore sources relating to the Second World War Home Front in Northumberland and societal reconstruction in the county in the period immediately after the War. The research undertaken within the project will inform a programme of related exhibitions, outreach and schools education activity that will be hosted at venues across Northumberland.
This is our second blog about Mitford Welcome Home Fund 1944-1946. In our first blog northumberlandarchives.com/2025/09/05/mitford-welcome-home-fund-1944-1946/ we wrote about the establishment of the Fund, the fundraising efforts of the Committee and monies raised and distributed. Our research has been based largely on papers of the Fund found amongst the personal papers of Mitford resident George Brown (ref: NRO 02965/2) deposited with Northumberland Archives in 1983. As part of our project, we will catalogue the records of the Welcome Home Fund in more detail.
Within the Mitford Welcome Home Fund papers in this collection are 26 thank you letters written by recipients of the monies distributed by the Fund and their families. Letters were received from:
Mary Brewis (WAAF)
Mrs. Brewis of Whalton Mill (mother of Richard Brewis who lost his life)
R.W. Brewis, T.S. Brewis of Benridge Hall
Margaret Clark of Heighley Wood Cottage
R.E. Clark of Ashington (Army)
Joan Dargie (ATS)
Mrs. Dodds of Abbey Mills, Morpeth, on behalf of her son, Leslie (Navy)
Dora Elliott of West Woodburn, possibly mother of George Elliott (killed)
John Elliott of Heighley (Army)
Desmond Ellis (RAF)
Norman Hood (Army)
Mag. Hornsby of Glororum Farm, writing on behalf of her sister, C. Hornsby (ATS)
C. Hornsby of Glororum Farm, (ATS)
Mr. & Mrs. Little of Mitford (parents of James Little who lost his life)
Thomas Lowthian of Fairmoor (Army)
Hester Speke of Aydon, (ATS)
Meriel Speke (British Red Cross Ambulance Driver)
Neil Speke (Army)
Thomas Taylor of Page Bank, Spennymoor (Army)
John Tweedle of Spital Hill, (Army)
Interestingly, the bundle of letters appears to include two from persons whose families do not appear to be referred to in the list of recipients listed in Morpeth Herald – H. Gray of Lough House Lodge and Franklin Murphy of Southern Wood, Morpeth.
The letters from those who lost loved ones are particularly poignant – Mrs. Brewis writes “… and the dearest wish of our own hearts today is that he had come back & received it himself …” As would be expected the letters vary in length and content. Some are straightforward – for example, T.S. Brewis writes “I am very sorry I have been so long in writing to thank you for the very generous “Welcome Home” gift. Will you please thank the people of Mitford for me”. Others are more effusive. For example, Desmond Ellis writes “I thank you for the bottom of my heart, for the kindness you have shown, by including me in the “Welcome Home Fund” but I assure you, that any sacrifice that I may have made was simply repaid, by the knowledge, that Mitford would never experience the miseries that various of the occupied countries have had to undergo”.
The bundle includes thank you letter from three siblings – Hester (ATS), Meriel (Red Cross) and Neil Speke (Army). At the beginning of the War the family were living at Pigdon Hall. Their father, Herbert, was a stockbroker and a Special Constable. The 1939 Register records Hester Speke living at 20 The Grove, Gosforth, a property occupied by the Women’s Transport Service. Neil Speke was to have a distinguished military career reaching the rank of colonel. An article in The Morpeth Herald of April 1943 provides an account of (then) Major Speke’s involvement in an incident on the Gafsa road forty miles from Gabes in Tunisia. Major Speke, a member of the Royal Lancers, was commanding a squadron of scout cars when his car was hit by a shell from a German tank. The account records the meeting of British and American forces.
Hester Speke’s letter, dated 31 January 1946 and written from the family’s new home at Aydon, near Corbridge reads, “I feel rather unworthy, having spent the whole six years service in England and have been in no more peril than the civilian population but I am honoured to be included with all those others who have made the greater sacrifices”. The letter goes on to say that Neil Speke was at that time in the Middle East and Meriel serving in Belgium. Neil Speke’s letter thanks the people of Mitford for “the annual presents of the past …” suggesting that regular collections may have been held throughout the period of the war. Meriel Speke’s letter suggests that, “It is far more difficult to stay at home and wait, and worry, and struggle with the meagre rations so that everything will be the same when your families come home”.
The small bundle of thank you letters demonstrate the spirit and resolve shown by the people of Mitford parish and their appreciation for the efforts of the Mitford parishioners to provide a modest thank you for their war effort.
NRO 2695/8/12
Letter from Norman Hood thanking the people of Mitford for their Welcome Home Fund gift, 8 Dec, 1945.
This blog has been researched and written as part of Northumberland Archives Heritage Lottery funded ‘At War and In Peace …’ project. The project allows us to explore sources relating to the Second World War Home Front in Northumberland and societal reconstruction in the county in the period immediately after the War. The research undertaken within the project will inform a programme of related exhibitions, outreach and schools education activity that will be hosted at venues across Northumberland.
As it became apparent that the Second World War was drawing to a close, many local communities established Welcome Home Funds to raise monies to thank those from their communities who had served. One such community was Mitford, a village two miles west of Morpeth, Northumberland. Papers held by Northumberland Archives (ref: NRO 02695/2) tell the story of the efforts made by members of the one Northumberland community to fundraise and provide information about some of the recipients of the Fund.
The first meeting of the Mitford Welcome Home Fund was held at Mitford School on 20 September 1944. The meeting was convened by Rev. John D. Caldwell, Vicar of the parish. John Caldwell had been appointed Vicar of Mitford in 1934 and was to serve the parish until 1948. The Fund was established to serve the ecclesiastical parish of Mitford meaning that committee members and recipients of the monies collected by the Fund lived not just in Mitford village but in the wider, largely agricultural area. Thomas Gibson, schoolmaster & ARP Warden was appointed secretary of the fund and James Stephenson appointed Treasurer.
NRO 2695/2/3
The minute book does not provide indication of addresses and occupations of committee members, but we have used the 1939 Register to attempt to identify them. It seems likely that James Stephenson lived at Newton Red House and worked on the family farm. Other Committee members appointed at the first meeting were:
· L. Appleby – possibly member of Appleby family of West High House, farmers
· George Brown of Mitford, timber merchant
· Mrs. W. Brown
· Edith Caldwell, vicar’s wife
· Winfred Cameron, wife of John Cameron, lorry driver and member of Police War Reserve
· Sydney Dunn, platelayer and his wife Lilian
· Joseph Fraser, Head Woodsman, and his wife Annie, of Middle Coldside
· Edward Gill, farmer of Newton Mill, J. Gill
· Eleanor Huddleston, milkmaid, Newton Red House
· Thomas Marshall, head gardener
· D. Potts, Olga Potts, daughter of farmer, Matthew Potts, of East Molesden
· James Renton of Garden House, Molesden
· Thomas Renton, gamekeeper and Special Constable and his wife Margaret
· Miss Walker – possibly Winifred Walker of Highford and Alice Walton, stonemason’s daughter of Newton Underwood
Unsurprisingly, several members of the Committee worked on the Mitford estate, owned by the Mitford family for centuries.
At the second meeting of the Fund Committee held on 22 September 1944 it was agreed how members would raise funds – via house-to-house collections, whist drives, dances and raffles. One of the first actions of the Committee was to apply to the local police force for permission to undertake door to door collections. This was necessary under the terms of The War Charities Act of 1940 – an attempt to regulate charitable collections linked to the War. The Committee also agreed to hold monthly whist drives in the school with whist commencing at 7.30 p.m. followed by a dance at 10 p.m. The first of these events was held on 29 September 1944 and was advertised in the local newspaper, The Morpeth Herald. Charges were set at whist & supper 1/6d (7.5p), dance 1/6d (7.5p) and both events 2/6d (12.5p). Members of the Forces to be charged 1s (5p) for each event. The Committee also agreed on the persons to be welcomed home – ‘those who joined from Mitford Parish any of the following ‘Royal Navy, Air Force, ATS, WRNS, WAAF and military nurses’. It was agreed that the target figure of £300 be raised (equivalent to £11.5k today) and that a bank account be opened with Martins Bank.
The first event was clearly a success and at the next committee meeting of 18 October 1944 it was agreed that the next whist drive/dance be held on 10 November 1944 and another one on 1 December 1944. Mrs. Marshall (likely Isobel Marshall, wife of Committee member Thomas) offered a pig as a raffle prize and those collecting door to door were asked to collect the names of likely recipients of the Welcome Home Fund donations. This matter was picked up at the next meeting of 15 November 1944 when consideration was given to the list drawn up to date. The consensus was that the list was not comprehensive and a sub-committee of three was appointed to work on this task. The Committee agreed that the next whist drive would be a ‘Fur and Feather Whist Drive’ with chickens and rabbits offered as prizes. The offering of meat as prizes reflected rationing and wartime shortages.
Fundraising success was reported at the next meeting of 17 January 1945 when it was agreed that £100 be invested in 500 War Savings Certificates. War Savings were a government initiative to raise monies for the war effort. This blog published by The National Archives tells some of the history of War Savings – Every little helps: The history of the National Savings movement – The National Archives blog.
Work was still underway compiling a list of Fund recipients with a request that lists of potential recipients be submitted to Committee with a view to drawing up a final list. Discussions about recipients of monies raised and arrangements for distribution continued over the following months. It was agreed that a cash gift be given to all recipients and that monies raised be shared equally. At the meeting of 19 March 1945, it was agreed that no monies be distributed until the war with Germany was over.
By August 1945 a total of £576 0 8 had been raised (equivalent to about £21.5k today). By this point a final list of 62 recipients had been drawn up. There was some discussion about two persons whose names had been on the list but had subsequently lost their lives. It was agreed that something be given to the next of kin, ‘perhaps from money raised independently of the WHF’. The final list was published in The Morpeth Herald of 12 October 1945 and comprised 62 names including 11 women. The list included the names of five who had lost their lives – Harry Dunbar, George Elliott, James Little, Richard Brewis and Frank Reed. Others listed were:
NAVY
John Clelland, Thomas Harland, George Hood, James Hood, Alec. Swinhoe, Leslie Dodds, Robert Dodds and George Clelland
ARMY
Robert Anderson, Richard Blenkinsop, Ian Blenkinsop, Thomas S. Bruce, Edward Clark, Lancelot Clark, Norman Clark, John Elliott, Alan Gibson, William Gill, Norman Hood, Thomas G. Lothian, Joseph Reid, G. Wrangdale Rutherford, William S. Sanderson, Neil Speke, Neil Severs, Vivian Swinhoe, Thomas Taylor, William E. Thompson, Albert Tweddle, John Tweddle, A. L. Witt, Peter Walton, George G. Bainbridge, George G. Watson
R.A.F.
Robert F. Blair, Ralph G. Brewis, Richard Common, Wilfred Coulson, Desmond Ellis, John Hood, William A. Lee, Robert Walton, William D Morton, Ronald Welch
Q.A.N.S.
Violet Fraser
W.R.N.S.
Muriel Hine
A.T.S.
Joan Dargie, Edith Dunbar, Isabel Harland, Irene Murphy, Hester Speke, C. Hornsby
W.A.A.F.
Mary Clark, Lilian Clark, Margaret Lee, Mary Brewis
