General

John Evelyn Carr was born at Gosforth, Northumberland, in 1871, one of fourteen children born to John Carr and his wife Charlotte (nee Fair). The family lived at Roseworth, a substantial property in Gosforth, since demolished, and also owned a home on the north Northumberland coast – Scremerston Sea Houses.  John Carr senior was a timber merchant – the family business ,  Messrs. Carr & Sons was based in Newcastle upon Tyne.  He was also a partner in the Scremerston and Shorewood Coal and Lime Company and was a coal exporter. In 1881 he qualified to serve as a magistrate and went on to serve as a member of Northumberland County Council, eventually becoming an Alderman.

John Evelyn Carr attended Durham School and went on to qualify as a mining engineer. In 1900 he married Gertrude Isabella Moncrieff Blair at St. Andrew’s, Newcastle upon Tyne. Gertrude’s family originated from the Ayr and Perth areas of Scotland. Her brother was a manager of the Berwick North Eastern Bank and it may have been this association that brought her into contact with her future husband. Prior to the outbreak of war John was appointed managing director of Scremerston Coal Company – he was the fourth generation of his family to hold this position. He also farmed at Heathery Tops, Scremerston. He was also a keen sportsman, playing rugby for Northumberland county.

 

 

In August 1914 John Evelyn Carr enlisted as a private soldier in the London Scottish and served in the 1st Battalion in France from September 1914 to January 1915 when he was wounded near Bethune. He convalesced at Cottesbrook, Northamptonshire and was commissioned in the 8th Manchester Regiment, in which he served at Barrow from March to August 1915. He transferred to the 11th Battalion Sherwood Foresters at Bordon Camp, and served with the Battalion and with the 70th Brigade H.Q. in France until November 1917 and in Italy until the end of the War. He was demobilised in December 1919 having been awarded the Italian War Medal and being mentioned in despatches.

After the war Carr resumed his position with the Scremerston Coal Company resigning this post in 1922 but returning to it thirteen years later and remaining in post until the establishment of the National Coal Board in 1947. He established the concrete works at Scremerston Sandbanks, and  also took over the  Battleship Garage at Scremerston. He continued to farm at Heathery Tops where he was a well known breeder of stock cattle and sheep. Carr was one of the founders of the Scremerston Branch of the British Legion. He was a former chairman, and he also helped to tidy up and maintain the village War Memorial.

John Evelyn Carr died at Spittal, Northumberland, in June 1958. One of Captain Carr’s brothers lost his life in World War One – Henry Cecil Carr lost his life whilst commanding HMS Bayano in 1915. Another brother Reginald Carr also served as a Naval Commander. There is a memorial to him on Gosforth Parish Church.

 

The Dairies

Captain Carr’s diaries comprise four books, the second and third providing separately written versions of the same experiences between September 1916 and November 1917. It is probable that the diary or at least the first two books, were written up after the events from notes kept in other forms. Each book also contains numerous photographs and postcards of towns and villages in France, postcards of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Cottesbrook, Barrow inn Furness, Bordon etc, humorous, sentimental and propogandist postcards and papers, extracts from newspapers, regimental magazines, regimental notices and orders (including one for a raid on enemy trenches), cards and souvenirs taken from German prisoners, and some original letters. The last book ends with a copy of a testimonial referring to Captain Carr’s service by Brigadier General H. Gordon commanding 70th Infantry Brigade.

 

 

 

Diary Entry July 1st 1916 Transcription

A lovely summer day & one that I shall never forget for many things; one principal thing was that my Battn. (as good as any in the British Army)was almost entirely demolished, only 2 officers who were with it got back unwounded Capt. Hudson & Lt. Hayes, all the rest were either killed or wounded, the Col was badly hit in the both lungs, the Adt. was wounded & many of my best pals were killed.

The whole of our Brigade (the 70^th) which went over at La Boisselles was about wiped out, I think somewhere about 400 being left, the 8^th York & Lancs suffered the worst, out of the whole Battalion only 2 Privates came back unwounded, the Col, Col Addison  Major Lewis & all the officers were killed, I believe one or two were picked up alive afterwards.

We found some of their bodies the following September, Padre Farrington found the bodies of Col. Addison & Major Lewis both together in a shell hole, & it was then discovered that the Col has lived 3 or 4 days in his wounded condition before dying, on the notes found on him it stated that the Major, who was a very big man, was suffering great pain & he could not lie still during the daylight & turned his position & exposed his breast which was covered with many ribbons to the enemy, and he was almost immediately shot. This is an example of what many of our gallant officer’s fates were, there went two of the best and most popular officers in our Brigade.

At 6.30am I went up on to the hill behind Albert & saw our Artillery simply pounding the Hun trenches to pieces, then there was lull & we knew the Infantry were advancing, I waited until 8am & then rushed down as I knew what work would be before me.

I spent I think quite the busiest day in my life, the wounded began pouring in about 11am & continued coming all day, in the 2 stations we had approximately 4000 cases, I evacuated 2 trains including 966 cases, many being terribly mutilated, the sights and agonies of the men are too awful for words. I saw many officers and men that I know & heard bits of the fight from them. I had the infinite pleasure of meeting dear old Kinghorn a great friend of mine in the London Scots, & I got him the best of everything I could & saw him safely into the train, he is now a Lieut. in the Bedfords. He was shot through the shoulder & I think will be OK.

It is a sight never to be forgotten seeing there splendid men lying like helpless babies, & one poor fellow died while I was putting him into the train & I had to take him back.

I have 500 sitting cases to get away from No. 36 tomorrow morning at 1.30, so am going to lie down for an hour.

The news from the front is good, though we have to pay a terrible price for it, while I write the guns are going as hard as ever.

It was found out later that where the 70^th Bte went over the wire had not been sufficiently cut & the Huns had come back into their front trenches & simply mowed our men down in hundreds as they advanced , it was in a part of the salient, & was afterwards taken with great difficulty.

 

Following the passage of legislation relating to the treatment of “delinquents” in 1866, James Hall of Tynemouth and a group of other local philanthropists purchased the training ship Cornwall from the Admiralty in 1868. As the Admiralty wished to retain the name Cornwall the ship was re-named the Wellesley. The ship provided an education for boys who were deemed as being destitute or suffering from parental neglect. The original aims of the training ship were to give shelter for the homeless and provide training and education that would equip the boys for a life at sea.

By 1873 a larger ship was needed – H.M.S. Boscawen was purchased and again re-named Wellesley. This ship continued to serve as a training vessel until 1914 when it was destroyed in a fire. Throughout the duration of First World War the boys were housed in the Tynemouth Palace and when war ended it was agreed that the school would find a permanent shore base. On 18 May 1920 the school moved from Tynemouth to Blyth. At the outbreak of war in 1939, the school was evacuated to Hamsterley, County Durham, and finally returned to Blyth after the war.

 

Green’s Home Industrial School in South Shields was certified as a branch of H.M.S. Wellesley on 19 December 1884. The school accommodated up to 60 boys up to the age of 12. At the age of 12 the boys were generally transferred to H.M.S. Wellesley for training in seamanship. The Training Ship Minute Books give information about life and practices on board the ship. Discipline was strict and the boys schooling and physical exercise was of prime importance. There were football, cricket, athletics and rugby teams and the boys also did gymnastics, tug of war and rowing. They also learnt life skills such as cooking and sewing.

 

 

Local Hero

John Buckley became a trainee on board the Wellesley on 2 August 1894. He appears in the admissions register aged 12 and was sent to the ship due to a refusal to attend school. He  was discharged on 19 July 1898. John became a hero after saving the life of a fellow trainee. At 2.45pm on 1 December 1897, William Linscott fell overboard into the Tyne and was carried away by the current. John Buckley jumped into the river and managed to keep hold of Linscott until a boat came to pick them up. Due to his bravery he was put forward for an award by the captain of the Wellesley. On 22 December the fifteen year old was awarded the Large Bronze Medal by the Royal Humane Society for carrying out a successful rescue involving great personal risk. John Buckley later went on to join the Royal Navy Reserve as a Stoker, qualifying for the First World War British War Medal and Mercantile Marine Medal.

 

 

The Captain Superintedent mentioned that some day previously a Wellesley boy, William Linscott fell overboard, when another Wellesley boy, John Buckley, aged 151/2 years , without divesting himself of his clothing jumped overboard, caught hold of Linscott and held him till rescue came, both being then much exhausted. It was agreed to give 5 shilling each to two Watermen whose assistance saved the boys from drowning; and it was understood that Buckley would receive a medal from the Royal Humane Society.

Annie Mable Spencer of Greenhaugh Hall, Bellingham was brutally murdered by her husband John Cuthbert Spencer on 7 June 1897. The body of the 26 year old was found in the wood near the hall covered over with grass and branches from a fir tree. She died from wounds inflicted upon her with an adze [tool with an arched blade used for cutting or shaping large pieces of wood].

 

 

On the day of the murder, Mr Spencer had been working in a plantation about 400 yards from the hall. He had been cutting down trees for the purpose of making a new drive. Mr Spencer had asked his Gamekeeper, Mr Foreman, to meet him in the woods at 6pm to discuss the renovations and help with felling the trees. Mrs Spencer was with her husband and after a short while they left the Gamekeeper and went to look at a new pond before returning and informing Mr Foreman that they were going home for dinner. The fact that Mrs Spencer did not appear for dinner at 7.30pm alarmed the servants and by 9pm Sergeant Dobson from Bellingham police station received a telegram asking him to go to Greenhaugh Hall immediately. He was accompanied by P.C. Potts and P.C. Musgrove. When they arrived Mrs Spencer was missing and Mr Spencer was plunging an adze up and down in a bucket of water.

 

 

Mr Foreman stated that when he spoke to Mr Spencer he was in an excited state and was talking wildly. He believed that his father was St. Michael and that he was St. John and said that his father had sent him a message telling him to kill his wife. The coroner claimed that the case was one of the most painful and extraordinary ones that he had seen for many years. John Cuthbert Spencer was later committed to trial. He was found to be insane and sent to Broadmoor.

 

John Peter Elliot – Doctor

Doctor Elliot visited the Spencer house on Monday 7 June about 7pm. He had attended Mr Spencer a few days earlier for insomnia. As neither Mr or Mrs Spencer were at home, the doctor waited about a quarter of an hour and was about to leave when he saw Mr Spencer coming towards the house from the direction of the wood. Dr Elliot waited for him in the smoke room and when he entered he could see that his hands, face and shirt front were wet. After a general conversation regarding his health, the doctor advised him to go away for a change of scene. Mr Spencer claimed that he was going to Newcastle with his wife the next morning and then on to Edinburgh where they intended to stay for two or three weeks. Dr Elliot noticed a large spot of blood on Spencer’s shirt cuff but when he mentioned it he was told that it was from a scratch from his finger. The doctor was aware that Mr Spencer’s mental health had been a concern in the past and judging from his current behaviour, there was a fear that this could be a return of the insanity.

 

Arthur Patrick Brown – Doctor

Doctor Brown stated that he received a message on the night of 7 June to go to the Spencer house at Greenhaugh. A few minutes after his arrival at 10pm, Mrs Spencer’s dead body was brought to the house. The body was fully clothed and covered in blood. The doctor made an examination of the body and identified five wounds The first wound was on the head above the left ear, wounding the cerebellum. The skull was fractured and all the blood vessels on that side of the neck had been severed. The next wound penetrated the brain and another damaged the frontal bone. There was also a comminuted fracture of the frontal bone. Two wounds were also discovered on the back both running longitudinally on the left of the spine each about 4.5 inches long. Both these wounds penetrated the ribs.