General

The Newcastle Evening Chronicle on 21 November 1918 stated that the influenza was still retaining its grip on Newcastle, with 71 deaths. It was reported that between 40-50 Policemen in the city were off duty due to attacks of the epidemic.  We mustn’t forget that this was the second bout of the epidemic; there was one earlier in July. On 2 July it was reported that here were a considerable number of cases in Newcastle. The Post Office had been badly hit; although for some reason the girl telegram messengers were hit worse than the boys. Yesterday, a number of young women collapsed in the streets with two having to be taken to the infirmary. 

On 6 July it was reported that 2000 children and 20 teachers were absent with the flu in Gateshead Schools. However, Sunderland seemed to be badly hit by the epidemic as on 30 November 1918 the Chronicle reported: 

At the present time 200 bodies lie waiting to be buried. Some of the deaths had occurred some 10 days ago. The grave diggers have been overwhelmed at the amount of work and now soldiers had been brought in to assist. 

The authorities had also appealed to the military to release undertaker’s assistants from service. In the meantime the Army had offered the council a number of joiners, but their services so far had not been accepted. The tramway committee had offered the use of their shed which was fitted with necessary machines which could be used to cut wood for making coffins.

In November 1918 the Medical Office of Health for the city reported that there were 8000 cases of Influenza.

Old Newcastle Post Office building

In the collection there are a number of items from Private Alex Morton who joined ‘X’ Company 9^th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He wrote to the Harding family in Widdrington Colliery on Sunday 28 April 1940 letting them know that he had safely arrived “Somewhere in France” and that they were billeted in an old barn on a French farm. The owners were doing their washing for a small consideration, and would do anything for an English cigarette.

We know he became a prisoner of war (POW) as he later sent two postcards to the same family in 1941 from the Camp he was interned in. In the first one he mentions he has heard the sad news that Willie Grey and Jimmy Leck have been killed.

Following a recruitment drive in 1939, the 9^th Battalion was formed, as an offshoot of 7^th Battalion, both were Territorial units. At the outbreak of war the Battalion HQ was based in Alnwick and the following companies were based:-  

‘W’ Company – Rothbury

‘X’ Company – Amble

‘Y’ Company – Ashington

‘Z’ Company – Berwick Upon Tweed

But who were Willie and Jimmy? Well the following information was found on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website:-

Pte 4274505 William Grey, 9^th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers son of John & Cicely Annie Grey of Widdrington Colliery. Killed in Action 22 May 1940. Aged only 21.

Pte 4272184 James Ranson Leck, 9^th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers husband of Mary Leck of Stobswood. Killed in Action 23 May 1940. Aged 25. 

According to the War Diaries for the 9^th Battalion, nicely transcribed by the North East War Memorial Project [NEWMP], the battalion left their camp at Killingworth for the train station at 20.45 on 22 April 1940, leaving on two trains. The first stopped at Oxford at 06.00 for breakfast. After a further three hour journey to Southampton they caught the SS Fennella, bound for France. The other train stopped at Leicester for breakfast before arriving in Southampton at 12.30 and onwards to France on the same vessel. 

Whilst in France, waiting for some action, they would have done the usual military things training/marching/parading all in the early summer sun. By 22 May the battalion were at Merville, improving the local defences. At 19.15 they encountered light aerial bombing by the Luftwaffe. During the evening, rumours started to circulate that Germany Armoured vehicles were approaching their positions.

On 23 May, they continued to improve the defences of the town and more rumours abounded that tanks and snipers hidden in houses were at work, but this was dismissed as being spread by fifth columnists. On both days no casualties were recorded in the war diaries. 

Willie is buried in Renescure Churchyard, which is between Saint Omer and Hazebrouck. There are only 14 others buried in the same churchyard, nearly all are servicemen of the Royal Artillery. However, there is one other, Fusilier Francis Glancey, aged 22 from Tynemouth. All were killed between 15 and 26 May 1940. The eldest was 36 years old, the youngest only 20.

Jimmy is buried in the nearby Arques Churchyard. There are only 6 commonwealth graves; all were killed on 23 May 1940. He is buried with three other local soldiers from the 9^th Battalion – George Eastlake from Lynemouth; Gordon Raffle of Klondyke and Joseph Cable [no home town is recorded].  

There are no pictures or references to Willie or Jimmy in the newspapers, the Battalion War Diaries or our other collections, so until now they have just been another entry on the Commonwealth War Graves and a mention on the NEWMP website. Their names would have been forgotten for longer had they not been mentioned on a postcard written some 80 years ago. Now you know about Willie and Jimmy and the countless others who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the retreat to Dunkirk.

One last thing which has come to light after this blog was written: the food parcels mentioned in the letters home from Alex Morton, were sent by Elizabeth Harding to the boys of Widdrington Colliery who had gone off to fight, especially those who had ended up in POW camps. There is a Harding family story that Elizabeth gave each lad from the Colliery who went off to fight a coin, and that the only one who didn’t come to collect a coin was the only one who didn’t come home. We wonder if this was Willie Grey?

Information from North East War Memorial Project Website [NEWMP] and Cofepow.org.uk,  

The 9th Duke of Northumberland, Henry George Alan Percy, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Lord Privy Seal, was killed on 21 May 1940, whilst fighting in the thick of a grim rearguard action in Flanders. Not much is written on how his death occurred, although I did find the following entry in ‘Dunkirk – Fight to the Last Man’ by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore:

“By 11.30 on 21 May they [Germans] had already beaten off two British counter-attacks. A third attack was made by the Grenadier Guards, 3 Company which had been held back to deal with a German breakthrough. The infantry were backed up by a group of carriers also manned by the Grenadier Guards. 

Lieutenant Tommy Reynell-Pack was in command of the carriers. He and his men silenced one German machine gun position and decided to overpower another. He ordered his driver to charge the gun, but the thin skin of his carrier was no match to the power of the German guns and just 50 yards from Poplar Ridge, Reynell-Pack was killed along with as the Duke of Northumberland, who was leading a platoon. He failed to take cover, preferring instead to stand up in the face of the German fire, so that he could wave his men forward using his ash walking stick.”

The Newcastle Journal on Monday 3 June reported that at 11.30 “yesterday”, a flag was seen flying at half-mast from the Keep at Alnwick Castle.  The Sunday worshippers streaming out of church wondered what it all meant. Occasionally in the breeze, it would unfold itself to reveal the blue lion rampant on a gold field, the Duke of Northumberland’s flag. It was a shock to the residents of the town and countryside when the news broke of his tragic death.  

The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was involved in the later stages of the defence of Belgium, following the German invasion and suffered many casualties whilst covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. Those buried in Esquelmes War Cemetery died defending the line of the River Scheldt; the Germans attempted to cross the river near Esquelmes during the morning of 21 May, but were repelled by heavy fighting. They eventually crossed on 23 May, when the BEF withdrew to the Gort Line. Casualties buried in various places in the neighbourhood were brought to Esquelmes by the Belgian authorities in September 1940. There are 233 commonwealth soldiers buried within this cemetery; the Duke is one of them. He was aged 27 and was just a month away from his 28^th birthday.

Sources –

Commonwealth War Graves Commission 

Hugh Sebag-Montefiore “Dunkirk”

Newcastle Journal.