BERWICK ADVERTISER, 15TH JULY 1921

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SPITTAL WAR MEMORIAL UNVEILED

STIRRING ADDRESSES BY COLONEL RIDDELL, C.M.G., D.S.O., AND LIEUT.COL. N.I. WRIGHT, D.S.O

Spittal War Memorial shortly after construction 1921. REF: BRO 1895

Unequalled in the district for beauty, simplicity, environment, and chaste design was the memorial unveiled at the Spa Well site, Spittal, on Sunday in commemoration of the sacrifice made by the thirty-seven good men and true who fell during the agonising period of the Great War. The site had, if anything, a sentimental attraction. How many times in the calm and piping days of peace had the children of the township treaded the long path to the Spa well to quench their youthful thirst in the heat of the day. Now, many years afterwards, when the flower of the country’s manhood had been swept away by the devastating tide of modern warfare, on the same old place hallowed in the memory of childhood, a tapering obelisk marks the passing of a land where there is no eventide of many who were daily there in their boyhood days. 

Tropical conditions prevailed during the proceedings, which were characterised by an earnestness which showed that the speakers felt the need for a general resolve to bring the old country into that state of civil and industrial prosperity, so that the ideals for which these men fought and fell might be realised. 

The Mayor of Berwick (Councillor Bolus) attended, and he was accompanied by the Sheriff, (Mr R. Carr), Councillors Hadley and Edminson, Ald. Wilson, Councillor Redpath, Mr Robt. Dickinson, the Town Clerk (Mr D.S. Twigg), and the Revs Fergus Chambers, W. Brown, J. D. Bowman, J. H. Cuthbertson, and Wm. Jardine were also in attendance. Officers present, in addition to those taking part in the ceremony, were; – Col. W. B. Mackay, C.M.G., Major H. R. Smail, Capt. P. W. Maclagan, Capt.D. Hebenton, Capt. E. H. Crow, Lieut. J. P. Huffam, V.C., Lieut. Eric Mackay, and Capt. F. B. Cowen, M.C. 

 A guard of honour was provided by the 7th N.F., and this body, under command of Capt. Cowen, lined up in the street in front of the memorial. They were inspected prior to the ceremony by Col. Commandant Riddell. Crowds lined the street and the high ground behind the memorial, the enclosure being reserved for relatives of the fallen and invited friends. A choir, under Mr John Moffat, led the singing of the fine old hymns chosen, and Mr Nicholson ably presided at the organ. 

LOCAL NEWS

Mr Walter Clarence Holloway, an actor well known in Scottish theatrical circles, is on 2000 miles walking tour through Scotland for a wager. He is expected to arrive in Berwick about the week-end. Mr Holloway set out from Glasgow on 20th April without a copper in his pocket, his only means of subsistence throughout the tour being derived from the sale of water colour paintings, which he executes enroute. He has already covered 1300 miles, passing through the West Highlands, Skye, and John O’Groats, and has only encountered bad weather on one day of his walk, when he walked into a wind and rainstorm at Cape Wrath.

BELFORD DISTRICT COUNCIL

A FIRE ENGINE

Mr James Clark, with a few to ascertaining the feeling of the Council, raised the question of the need for a fire engine in the district. There had been a good many fires in the district and considerable damage had been done to property. He brought forward the subject to have it discussed. He suggested that the Clerk write to the Norham and Islandshires and to the Glendale Councils and ask them to consider the question of a joint fire engine for the three Councils, and that a conference on the question at a future date be held. Sir E. C. Haggerston agreed, and the Council supported the suggestion. 

BELFORD HIGH STREET, 1900S. REF: BRO 1519-007

Mr Johnson thought that as rates were now 200 per cent. Higher than before the war, they should let the mater be, even though there was no doubt a fire engine was needed. If Belford was to faced with a new fire engine as well as a new sewage scheme, the rate would be higher. 

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS’ VISIT TO WOOLER

Members of the Committee of the North of England Commercial Travellers’ Benevolent association thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Wooler by a char-a-banc on Saturday. The arrangements were carried out by Mr Harry J. Welford and Mr James Laing. The luncheon was presided over by Sir Arthur m. Sutherland, Bart., and the vice-chair was occupied by Mr J. Laws, the vice-president. 

Mr E. Taylor, the chairman of the Executive, proposing the health of the President, expressed hearty congratulations to Sir Arthur Sutherland upon the recent honour conferred upon him by the King. 

Sir Arthur Sutherland, replying, thanked the gathering for the reception they had accorded him. Work, he said, was a grand thing, but some of them could get too much of it and too little recreation. Latterly, however, he was afraid that there had been a tendency to have too much recreation and too little work. He hoped that all would make up their minds to do their duty to the country, which at the present time needed work so much. We had had a tremendous set-back with the coal dispute, and it behoved everyone, commercial magnates included, to do all they could to redeem what we had lost, not only in the war, but since the war. We won the war by sacrifice, and we could not win the peace by selfishness, and he hoped that people would recognise that. 

OTTER HUNTING

The otter hounds, which are at present having good sport on Tweed and its tributaries, met at Cornhill on Saturday. There was a very large following, which included Capt. And Mrs Collingwood, Capt. And Mrs Goodson, Mr G. Henderson, Mr J. Robertson, Mrs J. R. C. Cowan, Capt. Blake, Capt. Brummell, and many others. A fine otter was raised in the mill race on the Lees, which made for the river Leet. He was chased up this stream through part of the Hirsel policies. Just below the mansion house, where the overflow from the lake enters the leet through a built conduit, he gave hounds the slip. 

Norham Castle Ref: BRO 515-181

The Northern Counties’ Hounds had a very fine day’s sport at Norham-on-Tweed. Casting off the master drew up the Tweed for a mile and finding the “sport” of an otter pointing downstream, he returned to the bridge and drew down the river. He soon hit off a catchy drag and the hounds carried it forward and below Norham Castle, where Rallywood and Garlie marked at an old weiring. The otter at once swam off and entered the back-water of the Tweed. After being hunted here for nearly an hour, the pace was too hot for the otter and he swam into the Tweed, and for over an hour a rare swimming hunt took place. The hounds had a fine “wash” on the stream and they gave their quarry no rest whatever, driving him from root to root and hover to hover. Eventually they killed a well spent dog otter of 28lbs, after a splendid Tweed hunt of two hours and a quarter. 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 1ST JULY 1921

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PRIVILEGE TICKET ABUSE

BERWICK REFRESHMENT ROOM

MANAGERESS AND HER SISTER

The abuse of privilege tickets granted to servants of the North British railway led to charges at the Newcastle Police Court, on Friday, against two sisters, Catherine and Jennie Chisholme, the latter being charged with having aided and abetted, and Catherine with having travelled between Newcastle and Berwick on May 12th with a privilege ticket.

The front of Berwick Railway Station
An early 20th Century postcard of the front of Berwick Railway Station

Superintendent Rodgers of the N.E.R. Police, stated that Jennie Chisholme was manageress of the North British Railway Company’s refreshment rooms at Berwick station and that, as a servant of the company, she was entitled to privilege ticket orders. On May 2nd she was granted an order for herself for a return ticket from Berwick to Newcastle, and on her own initiative she applied for an order for a Miss Phimister, who was a barmaid in the refreshment room. On May 12th she presented two orders at the booking office, but the clerk refused to issue a ticket for one as it was not signed. She went away and returned with it purporting to have been signed by Miss Phimister, and she was allowed tickets at 4s 11d, whereas the ordinary return far to Newcastle was 17s 2½d. Both sisters travelled to Newcastle and back. When Catherine Chisholme was seen at Berwick on May 27th she said that she knew she had done wrong.

Defendants, who were not present but were represented, entered a plea of guilty, and Jennie was fined 40s, and Catherine 20s and costs.

LOCAL NEWS

The ceremony at which the conferring of the Honorary Freedom of the Borough on ex-Service men who have served overseas, at sea, or in the air during the war, will take place on Monday. As the proceedings are likely to be protracted, there will be no time devoted to speeches, the Mayor simply welcoming the men in the name of the Borough in a short address. The gallery of the Corn Exchange is being reserved for ladies. A lady’s ticket is being issued to each recipient of the Freedom who is attending, and also to members of the Corporation, justices and ministers on the platform. Music will be discoursed by an orchestra during the afternoon.

A meeting of the Freemen’s Guild was held in the Town Hall on Saturday last, the object being to get Freemen who are ex-Service men and who had not made application for admission to the roll of Honorary Freemen, to make application before the ceremony on Monday first.

Berwick Town Hall early 1900’s Ref: BRO 426-294

There was a poor representation of ex-Service men, but a few forms of application were issued to those desirous of enrolling. We understand that the impression has got abroad amongst Freemen that they were not supposed to apply for admission to the Honorary Roll. That, of course, is a misapprehension.

The Sunday School scholars attending St. Aiden’s Church, Berwick, accompanied by their parents and friends to the number of 370, proceeded on their annual picnic in nineteen gaily decorated farm carts to Paxton on Mid-Summer day. A field there was kindly lent by Mr Thorburn, and there the company settled down to a day’s enjoyment. Bright sunshine prevailed, and many of the company made for the Whitadder, where there was a cool breeze blowing. Lunch was served shortly after the company arrived at Paxton, and thereafter a short programme of sports, including a boys’ and girls’ Marathon, was gone through. A rather unfortunate accident took place during the afternoon, a little boy spraining his hand, but attention by Dr Fraser, who was present, soon had the young chap all right and able to continue enjoying himself. Great credit is due to Mr and Mrs Wardhaugh, Mrs Taylor and Mr T. Evans for the splendid manner in which the whole day’s enjoyment was organised. The company returned to Berwick about 8.30, thoroughly satisfied with the day’s outing.

FARM WORKERS’ GALA DAY

The annual Gala of the Workers’ Union took place on the Football Field, Wooler, on Saturday under ideal weather conditions. From early morn the sun shone brightly and though the heat was a little uncomfortable, especially for those who had to cycle from a distance, a cooling breeze at intervals crept down from amongst the hills, and tempered what would otherwise have been sweltering conditions.

The restricted railway service, owing to the coal crisis cut off this means of transit to the gala to some extent but ways and means of getting to Wooler were found by the workers, by bringing into use farm carts, cycles, and other means of wheel conveyance. In the early forenoon there was little evidence in Wooler that any event out of the ordinary was about to take place but by mid-day the streets began to be busy and hourly the throng was augmented. Visitors who are packed like sardines in the many pretty little villa residences clustering on the hillside were greatly interested in the event of the day, which has come to be looked upon as a red letter day in the life of Wooler.

Main Street, Wooler Ref: BRO 426-1228

Mr Geo. Blyth, the energetic joint secretary, was busy from early morning laying out the running tracks and wrestling wrings. He was ably assisted by a small committee who deserve to be congratulated on the huge step taken forward this year in organising the sports. A large wired ring was provided for the wrestling bouts, a great improvement on the crowd condition of affairs which prevailed in previous years, and everyone could watch the bouts with an uninterrupted view. The course for the flat racing was lined off and the marks clearly indicated, everything  being provided to ensure the smooth working of the events. Another good feature this year was the means taken to ensure that there would be no congestion at the gates trough people requiring change. A “change box” was provided on the other side of the road to the entrance of the field where change was given to anyone requiring it, and the gate keepers were therefore not bothered. Increased prize money for the sports was another good draw, and with the staging of a few side shows and shooting galleries near the entrance the setting of the field was a credit to the ability of Mr Blyth as an organiser.

At two o’clock Kelso Pipe Band swung into the field playing the “Blue Bonnets” and with them came a seemingly never ending stream of people in holiday attire. Some 2500 had passed through the gates by another hour and the field presented an animated appearance. Lemonade and ice-cream vendors did a roaring trade, being sold out of large stocks very quickly. The heat at times was almost unbearable and it was no wonder that Mr A. D. Morton’s cool tea tent should prove one of the busiest centres on the field.

Northumberland Voices: A Reay of Sunshine

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Bob Reay was a retired miner from Coxlodge, Newcastle upon Tyne. He was 78 years old when he was interviewed by Northumberland Archives in 1971. Bob was born in Seaton Terrace, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, around 1894. He spent some of his early years at Seghill, Northumberland before moving to Dinnington at the age of 15 years and finally to Coxlodge, Newcastle upon Tyne (then Northumberland) where he lived for 63 years. He spent over 50 years working at the Hazelrigg mine, retiring in 1958. The mine closed in 1964.

In her podcast, Archives Assistant Suzanne, talks about working on Bob Reay’s oral history and a surprise connection.

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