New Kids on the Block!

Back in October, Northumberland Archives was lucky enough to attract two fantastic new Archive Assistants – Jemma and Helen. (Hang on – has somebody let Jemma and Helen write the intro?) We asked them to interview each other to find out how they’ve found their time settling into their new roles.

Jemma: What do you enjoy most about being an Archive Assistant?

Helen: I am enjoying how interesting the job is. I have been surprised at the variety of material we hold here – it means that every day I learn something new or come across something that piques my interest.

I’m also enjoying the social side of the archive – there is a lovely atmosphere behind the scenes and everyone has been supportive and keen to pass on their knowledge.

Jemma: What have you found your interests are when working with such a range of archive materials?

Helen: I have found I am particularly drawn to people’s personal testimonies from the past. Reading a letter or a diary, which sometimes mix an account of momentous events in the world with the everyday news of, for instance, what is for dinner or what happened at school or work, feels like a little bridge is created to the past.

Outside of work I write fiction and I am finding it quite inspiring to read people’s stories from long ago and get a little insight into everyday lives.

Jemma: What has been your biggest challenge when working at the archives?

Helen: The biggest challenge has not so much been any singular thing but everything! There is so much to learn that I feel we’ve had to accept not being totally sure what we’re doing for a little while. It has helped to hear more experienced members of staff saying that they are still learning even after working here for years.

Jemma: What was the most surprising/unexpected find for you here?

Helen: When we first arrived we were encouraged to search for anything we fancied looking at just to get used to using the catalogue. I looked up Ovingham, the village I was brought up in, and was interested to discover that we held a newspaper article about a poet who had lived in Ovingham. The article itself was interesting – written in the 1930s it was about Dora Greenwell a poet who was particularly known for writing hymns and who lived in the village for some time in the 1840s – but perhaps more interesting to me was the volume that the newspaper article was stored in. When I went to get the article out I discovered that the clipping was actually in a scrapbook about Ovingham made by a woman, Eliza Charlton, who lived in the village throughout the 20th century. Her entries started with articles and photos about the village school and progressed through various local events to pieces on the WI in the 1980s. I was delighted to come across some names I recognised in the latter part of her scrapbook.

Jemma: What should the public know about Northumberland Archives that you didn’t know about before working here?

Helen: They should know that we have a huge amount of items in our collection so there is bound to be something that interests them. On a pragmatic note, they might be interested to know that they can access Ancestry and Find My Past on the computers here for free and that there’s a lovely café in the museum downstairs!

Helen: How has the reality of working in the archives differed from your expectations? Has anything surprised you?

Jemma: I didn’t expect to be able to physically access so many materials daily and I think this may have been the biggest surprise to me, as well as the enormous amount housed here that is accessible to the public. I knew this would be an interesting job, I just didn’t realise how fascinating it would become.

Helen: What attracted you to work here?

Jemma: My interest in history has always been there from school, but recently my interest in local history has increased massively after starting a family tree. I soon found myself wanting to explore more than just the names in my family history and I wanted to find out about their houses, their towns and their livelihoods. It was this that made me really want to help and be a part of someone else’s journey.

Helen: What is your favourite part of the archive – what have you found most interesting?

Jemma: My favourite part, or place, in Northumberland Archives is the strong rooms where they store all the documents and items. I find the rooms peaceful, as is the search room where the public can access. An aspect of the Archives that I’ve found the most interesting is the information on coal mining – be it maps, photographs, transcripts or diaries of those who have worked in a Northumberland colliery. Having family who have worked in collieries in this area and specifically in Woodhorn colliery itself, makes every bit of information surrounding this topic interesting to me and it feels a little bit personal too.

Helen: Is there anything you’ve struggled with?

Jemma: Learning how to approach different family histories when customers request help was more difficult than I anticipated. More times than not it isn’t straight forward and sometimes people are starting from the beginning, with no previous family knowledge and so it becomes a bit of a hunt. However, when you help someone from this starting point it feels like you’ve made a real achievement.

Helen: What are you looking forward to mastering?

Jemma: The organisation and work that goes into the full process of obtaining documents to them becoming accessible to the public is extensive. The staff here are excellent and because of the hours of work and enjoyment that goes into each collection, everyone has their own little interest or expertise in an area. I’m really looking forward to carrying out each bit of this process and then from there developing my own area of knowledge…which would be around Northumberland’s coal mining history (my Grandad would be proud).

War Agricultural Housing in Acklington

How much attention have you ever paid to the four houses that stand opposite the entrance to the Cheviot Meadows estate in Acklington?

These houses were constructed for agricultural workers, and were the first to be completed in Northumberland under the Northumberland War Agricultural Executive Committee War-time Emergency Programme.

NRO 4232/C/55 – plan of farm workers houses

Alnwick Rural District Council were allocated funding for 22 houses, with others being erected at Shilbottle, Felton, Lesbury and Embleton.

The Acklington houses were designed by George Reavell, of Reavell and Cahill Architects of Alnwick. The specification of work dates to June 1943 and contains some interesting points:

· Bricks to be from Radcliffe or another approved kiln

· Floor of the wash house should have a slight fall towards the door

· Paths should be 3ft wide and topped with 1” of whin chips

· Wood to be British Columbian Douglas Fir or Canadian Red Pine

· Roof over wash house to be covered with Turners’ “Big-six” asbestos cement sheets, with asbestos washers

Several builders tendered for the job, but R. Carse & Son Ltd., of Amble were chosen for the project, charging £4,400 (approx. £158,000 today). J.T. Tulley, Electrical Contractor, of Northumberland Terrace, Amble, were chosen to “electrify” the houses. Building supplies were sourced from J.T. Dove Ltd., South Street, Newcastle.

In March 1943, a site near the Vicarage (the Vicar’s half-acre) was chosen for the houses but there were concerns that the construction would interfere with the sewer and water course. By April that year, the Regional Architect and Planning Officer were favouring a site in the middle of the village, opposite the school, but drainage needed to be investigated.

Concerns raised in May 1943 – that the Vicar’s half-acre was favoured as a spot for the extension to the cemetery – led to Northumberland Estates being approached, in order to purchase land on the west side of the drain. The Council decided on north-fronted houses with slate roofs, with the bedroom windows to be four panes high, so any invalid in bed could see a proper view, not just the sky.

Northumberland Estates raised their own concerns in June 1943 over selling the land to the Council, which would leave them with a narrow strip behind. They wanted to try and sell this to the Council so they could turn it into allotments.

By November 1943 the houses were under construction. Reavell notes that the windows had arrived, not all correctly handed but that they were having “to make the best of it”. In January 1944, Reavell writes to Carse, the builder, “I noticed the glazier, who was trimming off the putties, had left three windows flying in the wind – rather a daft thing to do. I told him about it.”

NRO 12904/1 – Conveyance of land at Acklington in the county of Northumberland

The houses were completed on Saturday 12 February 1944, and the keys handed over to the Council. Charging 10/- a week rent (approx. £22 today), by March 1944, three tenants had been selected and informed, but there was a delay in the actual occupation. The Chairman of the Council had visited for an inspection and noted, “Every convenience had been provided…and they compared very favourably with the best council houses in the rural area.”

LEST WE FORGET: Sergeant Kenneth William Johnston

LEST WE FORGET: 

Sergeant Kenneth William Johnston

4273778 9th Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 

1 February 1920 – 3 September 1974

Today, on Remembrance Day, we look at the life of Ken Johnston; a gentleman we have had the privilege to get to know posthumously this year, through the eyes of his children and the memorabilia he left behind…

Earlier this year, we collected a deposit of papers and textiles from the shop J.M. Johnston & Son, Ironmongers & Plumbers, in Glanton, near Alnwick.  Amongst the items we brought back with us to the Archives was the Second World War uniform of Kenneth William Johnston.

Ken was born on 1 February 1920 to John and Mary Johnston, and lived at Norfolk House, Glanton, along with his brother, Reg.  John worked in the business known as William Douglas (and before that Wilkin and Dickman), before later purchasing it.  Attending Glanton Primary School and then the Duke’s School in Alnwick, Ken went on to work in his fathers’ business.  He was a well-known character throughout the county, playing in the Coronation Dance Band from its formation in 1937.

He enlisted with the 9th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers in 1939, and they were transported to Norfolk to defend the coast before sailing to France.  He was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, having to leave his accordion behind, which didn’t bode well for the band back home!  After Dunkirk, Ken carried out training throughout the UK before sailing towards the Middle East in October 1941.  After Pearl Harbour and America’s entrance into the War, the troops instead headed to the Far East, sailing to Bombay for training, before arriving in Singapore in January 1942.

At this point, the Japanese army were only 30 miles from Singapore, and when the island fell, allied troops were taken prisoner.  Ken served time at various camps in Singapore and Thailand including Changi and Tha Muang on the Thailand/Burma Death Railway.  They were liberated by American Marines in 1945, and Ken began a long journey home via the Phillippines, Hawaii and Vancouver, reaching Southampton on 8 November 1945 – home at last.  

Ken met his wife-to-be, Margaret Frater, at the VE and VJ dance held in Glanton Memorial Hall, to celebrate the men who had returned from War.  They went on to have three children, Pamela, Dianne & Robert and continued to successfully run the family business, living in several properties in the village, before moving to Crag View, above the shop, in 1971.  

Within the thriving business, Ken carried out the day to day work – electrical, TV rentals and office admin – while his brother Reg worked alongside Arthur Thompson as the businesses plumbers.  Ken’s children remember their dad starting work at 7am and working until late, six days a week, although he was on call 24/7 – he was once called out to a TV problem on Christmas Day!

Ken continued playing music as part of the local band, ‘The Vagabonds’, but loved spending time with his family and travelling to France and Belgium for family holidays.  They also had a caravan at Seaton Point where they spent most summer weekends.

As a result of his treatment as a Japanese Prisoner of War, Ken suffered with poor health and died in 1974, leaving Margaret a widow at just 46.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Ken.  The Johnston family collection of family and business papers are as yet uncatalogued, so access in not available within our Study Centre at Woodhorn. [AccNo.  NRO 12934]