Berwick Advertiser – 100 years ago

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 14TH OCTOBER 1921

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HORNCLIFFE MEMORIAL HALL

OPENING CEREMONY

What may be termed as Horncliffe’s completion of her memorial schemes to her fallen sons was the opening of the Memorial Hall on Thursday. Favoured by delightful weather, there was a crowded attendance within the building when Mr Alec. Ritson, Thornton, declared it open in fitting terms.

There still remained a debt of £200 to be cleared off, however, and immediately after a sale of work, for which preparations have been going on for many months, followed. Business was very brisk during the afternoon, which augured well for the effort being successful.

Horncliffe War Memorial © Eric Musgrave (WMR-33471)

THE OPENING CEREMONY

Capt. F. C. H. Allenby, R. N., presided, and in calling upon Mr Thornton to declare the hut open, made fitting reference to those who had returned after enduring hardships for the sake of those at home. He mentioned that they had collected the sum of £583 to date for the Memorial and the Hut, and he hoped that at the end of the day they would be able to raise the greater part of the £200 to clear off the debt still standing on the building. They could not, he proceeded, have selected one more fitting than Mr Ritson to declare the Hall open. He was always willing to help and serve the community. He much regretted that he suffered from ill-health, but he had served his country to the best of his ability in the War. He knew he felt deeply he was unable to serve in the trenches. He remembered a service friend of his telling him that he wished all men would only do their duty in the sphere they were told off for, and Mr Ritson had always done his duty in his own sphere, rather than call on other people to do it. (Applause).

VISCOUNT GREY AT BERWICK

A LONG AND THOUGHTFUL SPEECH

For some weeks Berwick has been a centre of political interest, on account of Viscount Grey’s return to active politics in support of Mr Walter Runciman in his candidature for the Berwick-upon-Tweed Division, and on Monday night the Corn Exchange was filled with an audience drawn from all classes of opinion in the constituency. The daily and Sunday newspapers have been prophesying that Viscount Grey was to assume the leadership of the Independent Liberals, and again that he was to announce an alliance with Lord Robert Cecil. Neither of these things came off. The meeting was arranged in support of Mr Runciman, and the main thing that came out of Viscount Grey’s speech was that he was in entire sympathy with the Independent Liberals and Mr Runciman. Whether he will be able to remain in the background time will show. There was a large gathering on the platform, and the list we give of those present will also be interesting for its omission of some who have been prominent Liberals in the past, but who are not at the moment “Independents.” In addition to the two prominent speakers there were: – Mr. R. C. Bosanquet, president of the Berwick-upon-Tweed Liberal Association ( in the chair) and Mrs Bosanquet; Mrs Runciman; Sir Walter and Lady Runciman; Mr G. W. Hindmarsh, chairman of the Executive; Ald. T. Wilson. J. P.; Messrs Gerald France, M.P.; Wm. Macdonald, Rock; Rutherford, Seahouses; A. Mitchie, Alnwick; J. Clark, Belford; the Rev. C. L. Stowe, Berwick; D. Elliot, Belford; Mrs Richardson, Berwick; Messrs R. Boston, Spittal; J. Boston, Spittal; Ald. P. Boston, Spittal; W. Nelson, Lowick; J. H. Culley, Kirknewton; T. L. McAndrews, Amble; Miss Boston, Spittal; Messrs F. R. Padley, Wooler; J. Seals, Berwick; A. Younger, Allerdean; Councillor Dudgeon, Berwick; T. Elder, Berwick; Ald. J. Elder, Berwick; Miss Hume, Alnwick; Messrs H. Dowsett, Northern Liberal Federation; D. Elliot, Alnwick; C. Hindmarsh, Alnwick; H. W. Willits, Berwick; J. Cleghorn, Wooler; F. Hindmarsh, Alnwick; J. B. Beveridge, Tweedmouth; T. Morrison, Berwick; J. J. Simmen, Berwick; lady Robson; Miss Gregson, secretary Women’s Liberal Association; Mr W. A. Edwards, secretary Berwick Divisional Liberal Association, and Mrs Edwards; Mr J. Macnab, Beal.

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

When the party filed onto the platform, amid cheers, there was a pause for a flashlight photograph, and then Mr Bosanquet welcomed Viscount Grey on his return to the constituency from which he had been taken during the war, assuring him that their love and pride and confidence in him were unabated. A rapturous welcome greeted Viscount Grey when he rose. There was a marked improvement in his appearance since he last spoke in Berwick at the War Memorial Meeting. He was more vigorous in his gestures, and had much less difficulty in referring to his notes, which were brief. At one point he was speaking with uplifted arm, and there was another disturbing flash from the camera, which should never have been allowed. We give below a full report of the speech. There was no lack of ability in the Government, he said, but great ability was combined with extreme instability of policy, which had shaken the confidence of people both at home and abroad. We saw it in their treatment of Russia, Mesopotamia, the French Government and the Labour Party, with whom they had played fast and loose over Nationalisation. His most important remarks were on Ireland, and it is a pity that they were not made months ago. We should clear our minds, he said, of sentiment and gush and face the facts of the situation, instead of pretending to be generous after our policy of reprisals had failed. His only reservation to admitting Ireland as a full partner to Dominion partnership was that the naval defence of both islands should be under one naval authority. His last topic was unemployment, and the only permanent remedy in his opinion was good trade. Nationalisation was not the remedy but labour should have its share in the management of industry- an important admission. The speech was well received. There was silence while Lord Grey spoke of nationalisation, loud applause when he said that time had shown the South Africans that in negotiating with them we had been speaking in good faith and that what we had promised had come true. References to Mr Gladstone and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman were also cheered. Indeed one felt that at the back of Viscount’s Grey’s mind was the thought of what a difference it would have made if Home Rule had been accepted, as it was first offered by the great leaders he had a served under.

TWEEDMOUTH RATEPAYERS’ MEETING

In the absence of Alderman Elder, Councillor Brewis presided over a large and orderly meeting of Tweedmouth ratepayers in the Mitchell memorial Hall on Wednesday night. Supporting him were Councillor Watt, Mr T. Douglas, Mr D. Watson, Mr Eales, and Mr Bradford. Apologies were sent by Councillor Lockhart and Mr Trainer.

Councillor Brewis, in his opening address, touched on various topics. With regards to the Glasgow Steel Company he thought the non-Freemen were wrong in commencing their activities when the negotiations with the Council were at a critical stage. He thought it was only when the Company saw that the Freemen and non-Freemen could not agree among themselves that they decided to go elsewhere. He could assure any industrial company that wanted to establish themselves in their neighbourhood that Tweedmouth could supply them with a site and equal railway facilities.

The opening of the housing scheme on Monday was a great event for Tweedmouth. The cost to Tweedmouth was a penny in the pound, and the income taxpayers in the country found the rest. They welcomed the new residents. Unfortunately they would not see the whole scheme carried out; in fact, full consent had not yet been obtained for the present addition of twenty-four.

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 30TH SEPTEMBER 1921

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BERWICK LICENSE HOLDERS WANT AN

8 HOUR DAY

Mr P. M. Henderson appeared on behalf of the majority of the members of the Licensed Victualers’ Association and made proposals for the consideration of the Bench in regard to the fixing of what is known as “permitted hours” under the new Act of 1921. The Act fixed these hours temporarily until things were brought into working order. On 17th August these orders were put in force in the Borough. Under the old Ac of 1910 the hours were from 8 o’clock in the morning to 10 o’clock at night. In many cases, of course, license holders did not take advantage of these hours. The new Act recommended the hours per week-day at 8½, but the license holders in the Borough proposed 8 hours day. The Act recommended that the sale of intoxicating liquor should take place between the hours of 11.30 and 3pm, and 5.30 and 10pm on week days and what the license holders proposed as reasonable hours from 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm. This of course, only affected week days. The license holders did say that they found the hour of 9 o’clock in the evening was late enough to keep open, and it was not an unreasonable closing hour either for the public.

Now, in regard to Sunday, continued Mr Henderson, the hours now in force are from12.30 to 2.30 in the afternoon, and from 7 to 10 in the evening. The license holders ask that the opening hour be 12.30 to 2.30 as at present, but that instead of from 7 to 10pm the hours should be from 6 to 9. At a recent meeting of the Licensed Victualers’ Association these were the hours agreed to by 38 out of 42 who attended the meeting. A Committee had been appointed, members of which would be prepared to give their views to the Bench and to say that 9 o’clock closing did not only meet their own views, but the reasonable requirements of the public.

ANOTHER VIEW

Mr H. R. Peters appeared for Mr Jas. Grey, wine merchant and said with the hours proposed his client could not agree. He was quite agreeable that the week day hours should be eight, and the Sunday hours as suggested, but he felt that in saying what these hours should be, a large part of the public had never been taken into consideration. There were the workers and visitor to the town and those who came into the town with the forenoon trains to do their shopping.

Hide Hill, showing the King’s Arms Hotel, Berwick-upon-Tweed. Ref: BRO 0426-355

To start at 10 o’clock was an hour lost to the license holder, as large numbers of men were at work then and did not need refreshment; while the morning trains had not arrived. He suggested that the hours his client proposed were the best to meet the needs of everybody. The hours he proposed on week days were from 11 am to 4pm and from 6pm to 9pm. That he held gave reasonable time for refreshment, and in fixing the hours the Bench should consider the reasonable wants of the steady man, not he man whose idea of a reasonable amount of drink was a full skin (Laughter)

Mr Scott, proprietor of the King’s Arms, was of the opinion that the hours recommended by the Act should be adhered to. He also mentioned he was applying under Section 3 of the Act for all the privileges extended to caterers and hotel keepers, to sell drink with food with the evening meal. This meant that if the ten o’clock closing remained in force anyone arriving in the hotel could have a drink with their food between 10 and 11, but no drink unless they were having food.

Ultimately, Mr Scott agreed to fall in with the proposals of the License Victuallers’ Association, letting his application under Section 3 go forward separately.

High Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed showing the Salmon Hotel Ref: BRO 318

The bench retired and on their return the Mayor announced that they had decided to fix the hours from 11 to 3pm and from 5 to 9pm on week days, with Sunday as suggested, 12.30 to 2.30 and 6 to 9. The Bench agreed to grant the application of Mr Scott under Section 3, he also having appeared for Mr Evans, of the Salmon Hotel.

GYMKHANA AND SPORTS AT SCREMERSTON

On Monday, Berwick’s Autumn Holiday, a gymkhana, arranged by members of Berwick Motor Club, and cycling sports, arranged by members of Tweedside Cycling Club, took place at Scremerston Institute track. The proceeds were in aid of the track fund and the gate amounted to £25, and there might have been far more people present had the char-a-bancs been running as advertised. The weather was ideal.

Those who did attend had a capital afternoon’s sport and amusement. The Tweedside members provided the serious racing and put up some good finished, too, while the Motor Club provided the thrills and fun. It was a “day out” for the motor cyclists, who did anything , at times, up to 60 miles per hour, while the “limb of the law” appeared to enjoy the sport as much as anyone.

The most interesting events were the lemon-slicing, especially when speed was introduced, the variety race, in which the passenger on the carrier had to dismount and pick up an apple in his teeth, and the “T.T.” race. This latter was a burlesque of the famous motor cycle trials in the Isle of Man. There were four competitors and the prize at stake was the handsome Cooper Eye Cup, a massive “carbon” trophy on which “diamonds” from Scremerston’s famous seam glittered. The first holder was W. Rowley, the Club’s Vice-Captain, who, on a small push-bike with miniature gear got up no end of a pace. In what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to knock him off, T. Lilburn, on his giant prehistoric cycle, had a spill himself, causing no end of laughter. He, however, pluckly remounted and at the finish forged ahead of the “lady” competitor (Mr A. Fish, jun.) and took second place. We understand some of the Scremerston fair sex condemned the “lady” as “a brazen huzzy” for smoking on the field!

There was only one spill in the cycling events, and this was not due to the condition of the track, Purves accidently touching Coulthard’s pedal and bringing both to ground, Purves being much bruised and shaken, and Coulthard’s front wheel beyond repair.

At the close, Capt Carr presented the Cooper Eye Cup to Mr Rowley and, on behalf of Scremerston, thanked the members of the Motor and Tweedside Clubs for the excellent afternoon’s entertainment they provided.

Scremertson Band, which had played selections all afternoon, then played “God Save the King.”

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 16TH SEPTEMBER 1921

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ANOTHER FIRE AT JOHNSON & DARLING’S BREWERY

Maltings, Stores and Kiln Gutted.

Heavy Damage

Within three months from the last outbreak the Tweed Brewery, Berwick, was again the scene of a startling fire on Tuesday morning. The blaze was the biggest, and most appalling that has been seen in Berwick for many a long day, while the damage wrought in such a short space of time was well-nigh staggering. Even a rough estimate of the damage to buildings and material destroyed cannot be given, but there is a likelihood of this being well over £12,000. It is expected that Insurance will cover the heavy loss, and it is not anticipated that the work of the Brewery will be greatly interfered with.

It was on June 17th that the rafters of the malting barley kiln took fire and it is a strange that last Monday, the night after the work of repairing the damaged kiln was completed, fire should again reduce to cinders the labour spent upon it. A little window frame, with the sizing coat of paint and putty still fresh upon it, set in the gaunt wall of the now partly gutted kiln, is a pathetic witness to how the work of mortal man can be undone in a night. As a matter of fact several of Mr R. Sidey’s plasterer’s men had not removed their tools from the building where they had been at work that afternoon before, and these have been lost in the fire. There is no night watchman on the premises, this not being considered necessary with the residences of directors in the firm in the vicinity and adjoining, but when the last of the workmen left on Monday night everything appeared to be all right and nothing out of the way was observed up to a late hour. The cause of the fire is therefore unknown, though it is suggested that the fusing of one of the electric wires which run through the building caused the outbreak. The Inspector from the Insurance Company however, who examined the premises on Wednesday, came to the conclusion that it was highly improbable that the fire had been started by one of the electric wires. There was no fire in the kiln to throw a spark, but the kiln had been whitewashed and got ready for malting to start this week.

There can be no doubt that the fire must have been smouldering for some considerable time before it was observed, for when Mr Thos. Darling was aroused at 2.45 by Mr Younger the flames were through the roof of the malt barn and were shooting for nearly twenty feet into the air. The fire originated in the malt barn without a doubt, and the portion of the building and the kiln were the first to be destroyed.

THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE

When day broke the fire was still raging furiously, but the buildings at the malting were little more than gaunt smoke-blackened and flamed-scared walls. The lower concrete floor, or first floor of the building, held, though upon it were tons of smouldering debris, which blazed up at intervals in spite of all the water poured upon it. The bulk of the floor, however, fell on Wednesday night and now lies smouldering in the ground floor. All through the day on Tuesday the first floor of the maltings smouldered and blazed up, and though all immediate danger was then past, fire-hose had to be kept playing on it.

The heavy rain which fell on Tuesday night damped down the smouldering mass but did not succeed in putting it out. A look through the gutted building on Wednesday morning revealed a truly appalling sight. Where large stocks of barley, hops and other brewing materials had been stored was a pitted mass of smouldering debris, with twisted and broken angle irons and bare sticking through. \the screening machinery and other plant used in the malting were entirely destroyed.

Section of the O.S. Map Second Edition, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1852 showing the Tweed Brewery. Reference: BA-U10-04

The experience gained in this fire will have to be carefully weighed. Had it taken place in the High Street the steam fire engine could have been got to work, there being plenty of water, but in the Palace and no doubt other parts of the town the use of the steam fire engine is impossible. We cannot expect Berwick to maintain a fire prevention equipment like Glasgow or London. We know therefore that under the most favourable conditions, it will be half-an-hour before the Brigade turns out, that their best efforts are bound to be below the standard of city firemen, and that in many cases there will not be sufficient water to put out a big blaze. If there had to be a fire, a better night could not have been chosen for it than Monday. With a gale or a strong wind from the sea the damage must have been very much more serious. Are we going to continue to run the risk of this? If not, there seem to be two lines of defence- Either to increase the pressure of water all over the town, which would be very expensive, or to arrange that the storage of inflammable goods takes place only under approved conditions, which should include patrolling by night watchmen. Otherwise the safety of large blocks of the town may be at stake. One small improvement that could be made straight away is to connect up the telephone with the Superintendent and members of the Brigade, so that the alarm reaches them in their houses immediately, whether they are waking or sleeping. Again, the Brigade and equipment might, with advantage, be inspected annually by an independent expert, and a report presented to the Town Council. The police are inspected annually; why not he Fire Brigade?

THE CLOSE OF THE SALMON SEASON

The season which closed on September 14th is one of the most disappointing there has been. Not that it has been failure, but that at one time it promised to be a record success and then at the beginning of July the fish seemed to disappear in a body. Up till then exceptional catches were obtained both at the netting stations on the river and at the fixed nets on the coast north and south of the river-mouth. The first grilse was caught on April 27th, being earlier than last year, but the yield since then has been poor in number and quality. The great catches of the season were in trout and salmon. The prices realised for Tweed salmon have been good. Most other things have at any rate doubled in price; but this has not been so with salmon, which have therefore been relatively cheap, and certainly, on the whole, considerably lower than last year.

Pictured, in 1956, are sisters Grace and Annie Meston, employees at the former premises of Ralph Holmes & Sons in Bridge Street, Berwick. The salmon was caught at the North Bells Fishery, and weighed in at 38¼ pounds. Reference: BRO 1944-1-1341-3

The most disquieting feature is that for quite a number of years now the fish have fallen away in the latter months of the season. There have been various explanations of this year’s shortage. One of them is that the fish have been driven away by porpoises and dolphins. From the salmon caught it is easily seen that the porpoises have been busy, but they have been no more numerous than they have been in the past, though, of course, the shortage of herring has been put down to the high temperature of the water allowing the sharks to come north. But even if porpoises or sharks explained this year’s shortage that would only be a temporary cause. It is the constant shortage in the later months of the season which is the serious problem. What is more likely to be the correct explanation is that we used to be able to rely on getting floods, say about Tweedmouth Feast time and the Fair, which thoroughly cleaned out the river. These have been wanting in recent years. We have has rises in the river, after rain, but not sufficient in volume to make a clean sweep. They just serve to bring down the accumulated pollution of the river to the river-mouth, nut they do not scatter it out to the sea. The result is that the foul water drives off the fish and they disappear from the neighbourhood entirely. We have had heavy rain lately, and there is osem sign of the fish returning to the river-mouth, which seems to support the theory. On the other hand, it may be simply that they have had their usual tip that the close season is at hand.

The necessity for flooding the river is what makes the abstraction of the Talla water so serious. Most of that water is flood water, and if it were all returned to the river at regular intervals the necessary scouring would not result. We have turned the tweed into a sewer and a sewer needs flushing. To do what is needed, the reservoir’s contribution should be let out once or twice in the season at a gush, when the river is high without it. This unfortunately the reservoir authorities are not prepared to do, but until we can arrange for flushing we may have to do without the fish.

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