We have written quite a bit about the collection of Connie Leathart over the last few years. Again, we are delving into her collection, but this time looking more at aviation rather than Connie herself.
Whilst reading a book on Lady Lucy Houston DBE by Miles Macnair, my interest was piqued. Lucy was a philanthropist and political activist, who developed an interest in aviation in the 1930s, when the British government withdrew support for the British entrants of the Schneider Trophy Race. My mind started to whirr, and I wondered if the indomitable Lucy had ever crossed paths with our own Connie Leathart. Lucy’s interest came at roughly the same time as Connie gained her pilot’s licence and began her career within that world.
The Schneider Race was founded in 1912 by Jacques Schneider, a balloonist and keen aviator, and the International Sporting Club of France. Schneider believed an international air race would speed up the development of aircraft engines and aeroplanes. In later years, it became a contest focussed on speed, but it remained important in advancing aeroplane design, and heavily influenced many Second World War aircraft designs. The races were tremendously popular in their day, sometimes attracting more than 200,000 spectators.
NRO 9332/2/6/135 Photograph of a speed boat on the sea, Schneider Trophy Contest, location unknown, Sept. 1929
Rules of the race included that it must take place over open sea, and that the distance must be at least 150 nautical miles around a triangular course. The winning country would host the next event, and if a country ever won the race three times in a row, they would be crowned overall winners of the Trophy.
Connie’s collection contains some fabulous photograph albums which cover the first few decades of her life. After conducting a search on our catalogue, I found that there were references to the Schneider Trophy within the albums, mainly of the 1929 Schneider Race which took place at Calshot in Hampshire. As these photographs are within Connie’s albums, it is reasonable to assume that she was there at the event. The British Supermarine S.6 won the 1929 race, piloted by Flying Officer H.R. Waghorn. This would be the second consecutive British win, as they had achieved first place in the 1927 Race in Venice.
NRO 9332/2/6/131 Photograph of the ship S.S Orford, Schneider Trophy Contest, location unknown, 1929.
We also know that Connie must have been at the 1931 Schneider contest, as again there are photographs within her albums that show the event. The Air Ministry refused to grant funds to the Royal Aero Club to enter the contest, R.A.F. involvement was vetoed in the Race and in the policing of the racecourse on the Solent, and the aircraft used in the 1929 Race were forbidden from being flown again.
Lady Lucy gave a private donation of £100,000 to The Royal Aero Club to help finance the 1931 entry, the Supermarine. The British team ended up flying the course alone, as the German, French and Italian teams failed to have their aircraft ready in time to compete. The race, which took place on the 13 September, was therefore won by the British, and as this was the third time they had won the Race, they were overall winners of the Schneider Trophy.
NRO 9332/2/7/13 Photograph of Constance Leathart, The Solent at Schneider Time, 1931
Without Lady Lucy Houston’s donation, the Supermarine Spitfire may never have been designed, or at least not in time to take the stage in the Second World War. The Schneider Trophy seaplanes designed by R.J. Mitchell at Supermarine led to the development of the airframe which was the prototype for the Spitfire, not to mention the Merlin engine that was developed, and would power British fighter planes. Planes that Connie would fly in her role as a Flight Captain in the Air Transport Auxiliary.
Two extraordinary women, linked by a love of aviation and their country.
Berwick Bridge, or the Old Bridge as it is known by local people, is an impressive structure which spans the River Tweed. Built of sandstone, it consists of 15 arches, is 355 metres long and the 6th pier from the Berwick side originally formed the border between Berwick and North Durham/ Northumberland. Why was the bridge built and what is its history ?
The Old Bridge
Whilst travelling south in 1603 to be crowned King of England, King James VI of Scotland, passed through Berwick and crossed Berwick Bridge. At that time it was a wooden structure, slightly further upstream to the present one and he wasn’t impressed. These wooden bridges were liable to damage and total destruction by floods on the river which had happened on a number of occasions. Following various petitions by the town and the intervention of George Home, Earl of Dunbar, it was finally agreed that a new permanent stone structure, funded by the Crown, would be built at Berwick. This bridge was a necessity for the town but for James, it was also a permanent and visible symbol of the link between his two kingdoms.
Work began on the bridge’s construction on 19 June 1611 and it is fitting that just over 410 years later, it has been re-opened to pedestrians and traffic again, a vital link across the lower reaches of the River Tweed. As the building of the bridge was to be funded by the Crown – £8000 was offered – but the expenditure was to be initially incurred by the town, it was important to keep detailed and accurate accounts. Amazingly these accounts still survive within the town’s Borough Archives kept at the Berwick Record Office. They provide a unique record and insight into who was employed and what materials were used to build such a structure in the days before mass mechanisation.
From these records, it is possible to glean some wonderful details which show how labour intensive the project was and also where the materials came from. All those employed are listed on a weekly basis, including their occupation, daily rate of pay and how many days they worked. The highest paid was James Burrell, the Surveyor of the Works (2 s 6d per day ) followed by John Shell (16d per day) Normally the men worked 6 days a week and there were different rates of pay depending on their seniority within their trade. For example, in the week starting 7 September 1611, a master mason was paid 20 d (18p) per day whilst an apprentice was only paid 6d.
Other trades employed that week included carpenters, smiths, quarrymen, labourers and boys. It’s not clear what the 8 boys had to do but they were paid 4d per day. In addition money was paid out to carry stones by water from the quarry in Tweedmouth to the bridge as well as for coals and oyster shells. The latter were used as the basis for lime mortar. In total. £25 14s 11 ¾ d was spent that week equivalent to about £7000 today. Other trades found in the accounts were lightermen, shipwrights and sawyers.
Berwick Bridge account book reference to oyster shells , 13 Sept. 1611. (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258 )
Not all the supplies used in the construction were sourced locally. Timber was made available from the Royal Forest in Chopwell, transported down the River Tyne from Blaydon to Newcastle and then brought by ship to Berwick.
Cost of transporting timber from Chopwell to Newcastle and then Berwick, 1611. (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258).
Coal, iron and lead were also shipped to Berwick and in March 1612 , a ship carrying them developed a leak and grounded on the sands entering the channel at the mouth of the River Tweed. Labourers were employed to remove the cargo and then transport it by horse to the storehouse.
Costs for labourers and mariners assisting the ship, March 1612 (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258).
By May 1617, the town had spent the initial £8000 but the Bridge still wasn’t finished. They petitioned the King for additional funds and an extra £5000 was granted. Work on the Bridge was going so slowly that by 1620, the Bishop of Durham got involved. It was agreed that the remaining work would be undertaken by contract for a set sum. This led to an agreement , signed on 12 October 1620 by the Bishop of Durham and amongst others, James Burrell and Lancelot Branxton, the master mason, agreeing to make the bridge passable to traffic by the summer of 1621. Work continued and progress was made but unfortunately in October 1621 disaster struck. The river flooded so badly that it destroyed all the work undertaken in the previous year and they were back to square one. Work started again in the following spring and by 1625/6 much of it had been completed and the bridge could be used. However, there were still bits and pieces to do because the final accounts and the work were not signed off until 24 October 1634. In the end, the final cost of the structure was almost £15,000, a huge amount for the time.
Etching of Berwick Bridge, 19th century
Since then the bridge has not only been a vital link between the communities of Berwick and Tweedmouth but also until 1928, part of the main road link between London and Edinburgh, forming part of the Great North Road (A1). As time went on, the bridge became less suitable for the traffic using it on a daily basis. By 1896, the Town Council had received petitions requesting it to be widened – market days were particularly difficult with people bringing their cattle into town from the south or trying to take them out again. They said – “We think the Bridge could be widened sufficiently to provide footpaths that would obviate the necessity of persons walking in the Roadway and at the same time, perhaps widen the Roadway too”
Petition from farmers for widening of Bridge, 1896 Ref : BA/C/SA
The thought of destroying the ancient structure resulted in a counter petition from the Conservationists – “Berwick Bridge is without doubt the most interesting structure of its kind and date in Great Britain, not only from its antiquity and historical importance, though in these respects it is remarkable – but on account of its picturesque position and extreme beauty from every point of view. Any alteration such as is proposed would in our opinion fatally destroy the appearance and greatly injure the character of this unique Bridge which is such an ornament to your ancient town of Berwick and which we all feel to be a national inheritance.”
Petition from the Conservationists, 1896 . Ref : BA/C/SA
Altering the bridge was continually discussed in the early 1900s and by 1914, there was interest in building a new replacement bridge over the River Tweed. However, the First World War put paid to those plans. The question was revived again in 1924 when Berwick Town Council, Northumberland County Council and the Ministry of Transport finally agreed that a new bridge was a necessity not only for Berwick but for ease of transport on a national road. This led to the construction of the Royal Tweed Bridge which was finally opened in May 1928 by Edward, Prince of Wales. This Bridge was to take the main bulk of the traffic and became the A1 until the early 1980s when the Berwick by-pass was opened. However, the Old Bridge as it became known could still be used by vehicles and pedestrians.
Postcard of Old Bridge and Royal Tweed Bridge, post 1928. Ref : BRO 426/93
The Old Bridge continued to take two way traffic but it was dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. I well remember driving across the bridge, meeting a car coming in the opposite direction and wondering if there was enough room for both of us. After an experiment in the late 1990s/early 2000s the Bridge was made one way, only taking traffic out of Berwick.
It’s a testament to its construction that the Bridge has been in use for nearly 400 years. However, over time, it has needed repairs and the most recent ones have just been completed. In late 2020 to mid 2021, Northumberland County Council have undertaken the first phase of ongoing repair work on this Jacobean structure. The Bridge has been closed to traffic and work has been carried out on waterproofing the bridge deck, re-laying the road surface and pedestrian footpaths, repairing some of the masonry parapets and installing new LED lights. The second and third phases will involve work on the arches and piers.
Work on the carriageway, 7 May 2021. Credit : Kevin Graham
Berwick’s Bridges are iconic and very much a feature of its landscape and its heritage. It’s fitting that Berwick Bridge , the oldest bridge on the Lower Tweed is being repaired to ensure it longevity for future generations.
Cllr Catherine Seymour, Berwick Archivist, Friends and volunteers of the Berwick Archives and Ross Straughan, Northumberland County Council apprentice mark the 410th anniversary of starting work on the Bridge, 19 June 2021
Before the Mayor, D. H. W. Askew, Charles Forsyth, P.P. Boston, and R. Boston Esqs., and Miss Henderson.
THIRSTY MAN SENDS GIRL FOR DRINK
James Wilson, hawker, 25 Walkergate, was charged with sending Mary Miller, a girl under 14 years of age, to the Miner’s Arms, Tweedmouth, on 6th June, for beer against the regulations, which are that it is to be sold in a corked and sealed vessel in quantity not less than a reputed pint for consumption off the premises. He pleaded not guilty.
Miner’s Arms, Scremerston 1900- Ref: BRO 1613/18
Mary Miller said she was 14 years come November, and on the day in question she was out at the coal heap at Scremerston, when the defendant asked her to get him a pint of beer. He handed her a bottle but she told him she would not be served as she was not the age. He said, “You might have a try as I am very thirsty.” Witness went and got the beer. When she came out she was met by the police. P.C. Lindsay and P.C. Pike, who took the bottle.
P.C. Lindsay gave evidence of stopping the girl. From what the girl said he saw Wilson who admitted sending the girl, but said he did not think he had done wrong.
Defendant said he only asked the girl to call and leave the bottle, to be filled at the “Miners” and he would call as he went past, as it was a difficult matter to get a horse to stop on the hill.
The Superintendent said it was a serious case, for they had the evidence of the girl that she had told Wilson she was not of age. The Bench retired, and on their return the Mayor said children must be protected, but as this was the first case which the Bench had had to deal with of this nature this year they would impose the modified fine of 10s of 7 days.
LICENSE HOLDER’S GOOD RECORD
Janet Cuthbert, licence holder, Miners’ Arms, Tweedmouth, was charged in connection with the above offence with selling the liquor to the said Mary Miller on 6th June. She pleaded guilty.
Mary Miller again gave evidence in a clear and distinct manner, saying she rapped on the door which was shut and, when Mrs Cuthbert opened it, she said, “Please will you give me a pint of beer?” Mrs Cuthbert said “Yes” and, taking the bottle, she filled it and brought it back.
Mrs Cuthbert said the child was speaking the truth, but she had omitted to say that she said “the beer is for a man who is working on the coal heap.” She was quite aware that she should have asked the child her age, but it never struck her at the time. She had no questions to ask the little girl, who had been very truthful as to what had happened.
The Superintendent- I do not wish to press this case as Mrs Cuthbert has conducted her business very respectably in the past, and we have never had complaints. Still, I wish licence holders to be made to exercise more care when selling drink to children.
Before the little girl Miller left the witness box, the Mayor said the Bench wished to congratulate her on the clear and straightforward way she had given her evidence. “You are a clever little girl,” he concluded, and Miss Miller, who had been on the verge of tears, brightened up.
The bench decided to dismiss the case in view of the respectable way the house had been conducted by Mrs Cuthbert, but issued a warning that publicans must exercise greater care in supplying children with intoxicating liquor. The defendant must pay the costs of the Court, 4s, and witness’s expenses, 6s.
BAD SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Sarah Matthews, widow, Tweedmouth, was charged with failing to send her child, James Matthews, aged 13, to school at Tweedmouth on 21st May. She pleaded not guilty.
Mr Barker, Attendance Officer, said the boy between 2nd May and 3rd June, out of a possible attendance of 46 only attended 30 times. He was now 14 years of age, but under the Act he could not be allowed to leave school until the end of the term. Witness had told Mrs Matthews this, but she refused to send the boy.
Mrs Matthews said the boy had been bringing coals from the heap at Scremerston to make a fire to heat the other four children. He had no father and witness had to go out and work, leaving the children at home. Fined 2s 6d.
A MORE SERIOUS CASE
Mary Wilson, married woman, Spittal, was charged with failing to send Mary Swinney, 6 years, and Elizabeth Swinney, 13 years, to school at Spittal on the 3rd June. She did not appear.
Mr Baker said the child Mary between 4th April and 3rd June had made no attendances at school, and in the case of the girl Elizabeth over the same period 35 attendances had only been made out of 88. It was a very bad case.
The Bench considered this the most serious case they had been called upon to deal with for some time, and gave out the warning that future punishment would be more severe.
Fined 10s in each case.
BERWICK-ON-TWEED HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
On Tuesday afternoon the Chairman of the Governing Body (Dr C. G. Maclagan) presented the medals, prizes and certificates for the sessions ending 1919 and 1920 to the pupils of the High School for Girls.
Owing to the limited accommodation of the School Hall, which the pupils themselves practically fill by their numbers, the members of the Governing Body alone were invited. There were present Dr C. G. Maclagan, Mrs Holland, Mrs J. M. Miller, the Rev. P. G. Peacocke, Mr W. J. Dixon, and Mr Brewis, Miss Nancy Jackson, on behalf of the pupils, presented to Miss Tasker a most beautiful bouquet of shell-pink and cream roses as a token of their affection and gratitude.
Dr Maclagan, after distributing the medals, prizes and certificates, addressed the pupils, reminding them that, although all profession now-a- days were open to women (or soon would be), so that the education of girls was every bit as essential as that of boys. The girls who were destined for home life were fulfilling the most important duty of all, and that their education in teaching them to think, was the most valuable preparation for such a future.
Miss Agnes Armstrong moved a vote of thanks to Dr Maclagan for his speech, and this was heartily given. Mr Peacocke congratulated the girls on their rendering of the three songs, and said that the more music there was, the happier the world would be. The songs were: “Folk song, “Now, Robin, Lend me thy bow” (16th Century); part song, “The Angelus”; and “Heroes” (Farmer).
SURRENDERED GERMAN STEAMER
ARRIVES AT BERWICK
SHORT OF COAL AND PROVISIONS
On Friday evening the German steamer “Alsen” (659 tons net register, Capt. Hilderbrandt) from Hamburgh to Leith, where she was to be surrendered under the terms of the Treaty, arrived off Berwick and signalled that she was short of steam coal and provisions and wished to enter the port. The vessel was a large one and some difficulty was experienced in getting her up the river, but she was ultimately berthed in Tweed Dock.
Tweed Dock N.D. Ref: BRO 1736/13
The vessel carried a crew of 22, and had only about half-a ton of coal left when she was docked. The provisions would not have lasted another day. The crew had no money and seemed anxious to be discharged and sent home to their own country. No coal was available to take the ship on to Leith, and it was decided to let her remain at Berwick until the Naval Authorities at Leith decided whether they would make arrangements for her to proceed there, or for the ship to be taken over at Berwick. The crew were allowed ashore from 12 to 5 on Saturday.
The crew of the steamer were allowed to leave for Grimsby on Monday night. There they will be repatriated as early as possible.
