General

Unlucky 13th for Bus Crew from Wooler

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The 20th March 1969 ‘The Berwick Advertiser’ ran the following story:-

Today was the day RAF Acklington was to send helicopters up the Ingram Valley and small hamlets along Coquetdale to drop fodder to the starving sheep. Plans had been made to drop fodder to High and Low Blakehope Farm in the Cheviots, but these were cancelled due to low cloud and snow showers.

Mr Harry Rutherford of High Blakehope and Mr R. T. Elliot of Kalemouth, Kelso who have some 1300 sheep on the two farms, had arranged for the helicopter to carry hay that had been brought in by road from Kelso to Hartside, but due to the weather the drop was shelved. Both farmers yesterday confirmed that the position was ‘Grim’ it could be desperate if today’s drop is binned as the sheep only have fodder for another day. A blizzard on Friday blocked roads, cut off electricity, closed schools and kept the North Northumberland fishing fleet in port.

The Primary schools at Milfield and Branton were closed because of the snow and lack of power. Pupils could get in, but there were no facilities to provide a hot midday meal. Only 13 of the 23 pupils made it in to Glanton School as the snow as 5 inches deep in the village. The 300 pupils at Glendale School also had the day off to play in the snow due to the conditions.

The weather affected the bus services on both sides of the border, a spokesman for United Automobile Service Ltd said that the Wooler – Newcastle bus route was blocked by snow at Longframlington Moor and buses could only get as far as Whittingham. A bus driver, conductor and passenger had to walk 2 miles to Coldingham village on Thursday night as the Berwick to Edinburgh bus got stuck in snow. Mountainous seas battered to coast and the seas at Eyemouth were said to be the worst in living history. At Berwick the water broke high over the pier and the lighthouse and this was the same story further down the coast at Seahouses.

Coastguards and Police were asked to keep a look out for 220 cases of gunpowder jettisoned in the sea 10 miles east of Longstone by the Dutch Coaster ‘Harry’. The crew dumped the cases when the deck cargo began to shift. It was the high winds which did most of the damage for; although it snowed on Thursday morning and again on Friday the majority of it turned to slush, but with the easterly gale came the drifts. In many parts of North Northumberland the drifts were 10 to 12 feet deep. The snowploughs and blowers were out for more than 24 hours, with men working shifts to keep the roads open.

The electricity cuts suffered by many were caused by clinging wet snow to the conductors. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday strong winds from the south east and with heavy showers of snow and sleet meant the temperature barely rose above freezing. On Tuesday as the region began to shake itself free of the weekend conditions blizzards swept in from the east and by lunchtime the workmen from Berwickshire and Northumberland County Council were once again working in a full scale battle against the snow. Swept in by the wind in clouds so thick visibility was only 10-15 yards in places and the snow piled up on the roadsides. Around Alnwick the snowfall was the heaviest of the entire winter.

A Greek cargo ship fell into difficulties off Longstone Lighthouse on Sunday and the crew had to be lifted to safety by a Danish Air Force helicopter. The 13 men and one woman from the ‘Kadiani’ were landed at RAF Leuchars. She was bound from Aalborg to Benghazi with a cargo of cement. She battled against the gale force winds in the North Sea for 3 days before the Captain radioed for help. At one time the English tug ‘Yorkshireman’ attempted to take the stricken ship under tow, but the tow rope broke.

Within the Berwick Advertiser story there was mention of John Russell. He was also mentioned in the Northumberland Gazette published 21st March 1969. With the headline “Unlucky 13th for Bus Crew from Wooler.” John Russell, was my grandad and 49 years today he was involved in the storm. He was the driver of the Wooler bus which was stranded in deep snow on the Wooler to Newcastle road. It was the first time in 25 years’ service, that United Bus Company driver John Russell of Oliver Road, Wooler, had been forced to sleep in a bus an experience also shared by his conductress Miss Esther Speirs of Milfield.

“It was without doubt the coldest and most uncomfortable sleep I’ve ever had” said John after his bus got back to Wooler depot on the Friday morning. Some 12 hours after setting off from Newcastle. He set off at 7.38pm from Tyneside, a blizzard was blowing, but conditions were not bad. They got the empty bus as far as New Moor House crossroads west of Alnwick then was turned back. Mr Russell said “I started back to Wooler and after about half a mile the bus got stuck. Just before Miss Spiers, saw a figure coming towards us from a stranded lorry. Suddenly, the man fell down and then got up again and came towards the bus. It was a Mr Alan Easton.” We got him inside and dried him down then he and Miss Speirs set off walking toward New Moor House to use the telephone. Miss Speirs later returned with Mr Mossman the occupant who brought sandwiches and blankets which were most welcome. A snowplough arrived and offered to pull the bus out, but Mr Russell lacked the necessary equipment for the tow. Later Police Sergeant Nairn from Wooler Station who had previously visited the bus returned with a tow ring.

Sergeant R. Nairn and PC A. Chicken had started looking for the bus after Morpeth reported that it had not got through. They found the bus and 2 cars as well as the lorry stuck near Moor House. The occupants of one of the cars Mr & Mrs Philip Malthouse of Wooler were brought back to Wooler by the Police and the occupant of the other car was an Australian who got a lift back to Glanton where he lived. The lorry was dug out, but the bus was stuck.

Mr Russell had only just received his Kings Medal for Loyal Service in the 1939 -45 War, that Monday, 26 years after serving with the Royal Air Force. The family story has it; Grandad didn’t leave the bus because he was carrying the mail. I’m proud to say that this was my grandad as are other members of the family and I welcome the opportunity to write this article and make people aware of what he did. I remember fondly, the time I spent with him in Wooler on my holidays, playing in the buses parked up in the depot as well as going down the inspection pit. Happy days! We still have the newspaper clipping of the event as well as his long service certificate, save driving bus medals and his Kings Medal.

My Grandad – John Russell 1909 – 1979

The History of the Stannington Red Cloaks and Scarves

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In November 2018 the village of Stannington will be holding a four-day event to commemorate 100 years since the end of WW1. The project which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery is designed to educate and inform all parts of Stannington Parish and the wider community about the experiences of Stannington residents, and that of the Parish service personnel in the First World War.

The project has turned up many interesting facts. It has been discovered that a tradition used to exist, whereby the children of the Stannington Village School received a gift from Lady Ridley every year around Christmas. The girls received a red cloak, and the boys a red scarf. Records show that the first mention of the Stannington red cloaks and scarves, was in March 1885. Lady Ridley, who later became the 1st Viscountess, instigated the presentation, which became a distinguishing and conspicuous feature of the children of Stannington School. The tradition was continued by the 2nd Viscountess Ridley, and appears in the school log throughout the years of the First World War.

 

School Log Book 1885

 

School Log 1918

 

 

The cloaks and scarves were worn on special occasions such as Harvest Festival and Christmas services in the church. They were also worn at Viscountess Ridley’s funeral.

 

The 1st Viscountess Ridley

 

The 2nd Viscountess Ridley

            

The tradition only ended in 1924 when the 3rd Viscountess Ridley, discovered that the cloaks were being issued so often “they were being made into rag rugs”. She also thought they smacked too much of “charity and institutionalism”. It was recently discovered that an original cloak still existed, and was in the possession of Stannington resident Doreen Robson. The cloak had belonged to Ella Brewis, a relative of Doreen and had been issued in the first few years of the 20th century.

 

 

The Original Red Cloak

 

 

 

 

The cloaks were produced by Pryce Pryce-Jones, who was born in 1834 in Newtown, Wales. He became an apprentice to a local draper, took over the business and in 1859 started trading under his own name. In 1861 he took advantage of the national postage service and began the first ever mail order business.

 

Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones

 

 During the 1870s Pryce-Jones took part in exhibitions all over the world, winning several medals and becoming world famous. In 1879 he opened the Royal Welsh Warehouse and expanded his sales of flannel and clothes way beyond Newtown. In the 1880s his patrons included the royal houses of Austria, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Hanover, Italy, Naples and Russia. At the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 he was knighted as Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones.

 

Postcard advertising Pryce Jones Ltd

 

 

Cloak in Pryce-Jones Catalogue

 

It has now also been discovered that the red scarves were also issued to the boys of Netherton Training School, at the same time of year. This event was recorded in the Superintendent’s Log Book. Sadly, no original scarf survives, though the design was possibly the same red colour of the cloaks with grey bands at the ends similar to the Pryce-Jones sample below.

Posssible Scarf Design

 

The Heritage Lottery has funded thirty six cloaks to be reproduced with each cloak being individually named to honour a man from the Parish who lost his life in the war. The school will then use these for special events in the future. The Stannington Parish Centenary Festival of Remembrance  opens on Thursday 8th November with a spectacular flower festival in St Marys Church this will be followed on Friday 9th November by a re-enactment of the victory parade held by the school children in 1918 with the girls marching proudly around the village wearing their red cloaks, the boys wearing their red scarves and will be followed by a peace tea held in the Village Hall.

You will also have an opportunity to see the children wearing the red cloaks and scarves again  on Saturday  10th November when the Village will feature a WW1 living experience where “Frank”  a WW1 replica tank ( as featured in the films Wonder Woman & Transformers The last Knight) alongside   Ridley’s Aeroplane the Morane Type N “Bullet” monoplane ( courtesy of North East Air Museum) will be on display along with other re-enactment troops to act as a fantastic educational attraction for children and WW1 enthusiasts alike. The event concludes on Sunday 11th November where the children will attend St Mary’s Church Stannington for a special Remembrance service. If anyone reading this article has any photographs of the children wearing the red cloaks and scarves we would be most grateful to see them.

 

Lady Ridley with Isla inspecting one of the red cloaks at last years village show

Eugene and Emma – An Intercontinental Love Story

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Eugene Sullivan was born in Bangalore, India in around 1833. His parents were British subjects, and his birth place suggests that his father may have held either military or governmental positions in the ever-expanding British Empire. Eugene appears to have continued the colonial legacy of his parents by joining the British army at the age of 18. His active military career lasted eighteen years before he requested to be discharged in 1870. During the discharge process a Manchester-based military hearing was given a synopsis of his career. The hearing was told that Sullivan had spent over twelve years of his military career stationed abroad. Through piecing together Eugene’s war record it would appear he witnessed both the Crimean War (in 1853) and the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as the Indian Mutiny or The Great Rebellion). Eugene’s military postings had taken him to the farthest frontiers of the British Empire – often into dangerous and politically dubious areas. Greater detail of his posts were given as follows; three and a half years in the East Indies, just under five years in the West Indies, seven months in the Mediterranean, a year in Crimea and five years in Canada.

During one of his postings abroad Eugene married his English-born wife Emma Parsons. They were joined together on the 4th March 1857 within an Anglican Garrison in Canada. Together the couple had a total of eight children over a twenty-four year period, with Emma and the three eldest children having followed Eugene across the world.

Their eldest child, Hannah E, was born soon after their marriage in 1858. Following her birth the family moved to Bermuda for a short period, where William J was born in 1861. They then returned to Canada and in 1868 Eugene D was born. Eugene the younger would grow up to become a reverend with a keen eye for financial sales and shares, whilst William would become a skilled workman crafting cabinets. Both brothers would subsequently die in the same death year: 1923.

Following Eugene’s request to be discharged from the army the Sullivan’s settled in Northumberland.  A third son, Ernest Lewis, was born soon after their return to England in 1871. He was baptised at St Paul’s church in Alnwick, near the family’s lodgings at Alnwick’s militia depot on Hotspur Street. From census material it would appear the family lived here whilst Eugene was working as a Drill Master on the site. A second daughter, named Emma Jessie Parsons, was born in 1873 and baptised at the same church as her brother but she tragically died during infancy.  The family’s grief over the death of their youngest child was soon replaced with joy as a third daughter, Amelia Gertrude Edith, arrived in 1878. She was followed in quick succession by two more girls; Ada Madoline in 1880 and Mabel Violet Florence in 1883. But the birth of Ada was overshadowed by the death of the Sullivan’s eldest daughter, Hannah, occurring in the same year.

 

A solicitor’s notes on the Sullivan case, showing the ages of the youngest daughters and the address of Emma’s elected trustee. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

By 1885 the Sullivan’s marriage had spanned almost thirty years. It had created eight children, and endured the death of two. It had survived extreme warfare and stretched its affection across three continents. Perhaps the marriage had run out of steam, or perhaps the recent death of their eldest child was too great for the couple to overcome. Whatever the reasoning behind their decision the couple decided to amicably separate in 1885. They hired the Dickson, Mornington and Archer firm (as the Dickson, Archer and Thorp firm was known during a short period in the late nineteenth century) to settle any legal issues relating to the custody and financial support of their remaining children.

Separation and Agreements

The Sullivan’s separation was a unique one, and their micro-case can be used to trace seismic changes occurring throughout the nineteenth century with respect to divorce, women’s rights and familial settlements. Neither party sought a full legal divorce, perhaps because they wished to avoid any reputational shame or financial demands, but instead opted for a legally-supported separation. During their separation neither party received blame or vilification for the breakdown of the relationship. Contrary to the perceived character of an estranged husband, Eugene Sullivan penned letters to his lawyers filled with warm and affectionate words for Emma. However Eugene’s strong emotions were muted within official separation documents, and his actions were revealed to have been more complex. What therefore follows is an analysis of the couple’s official and private documents, framed within the greater concepts of nineteenth century divorce and marriage.

 

Correspondence regarding the settlement. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

The indenture outlining the terms of their separation cites “unhappy differences” which “have arisen between E.V Sullivan and Emma his wife” as the reason why “they have consequently agreed to live separate (not under the same roof) from each other for the future.” The document was made in the presence of a witness, William Bean, who was to act as Emma’s trustee. Parting to live under a separate roof was important phrasing which Eugene pushed to have included. But the inclusion of the phrase becomes confused when one reads his personal correspondence with the solicitors. In this series of documents Eugene repeatedly emphasises, and encourages, his assumed responsibility to furnish and finance Emma’s new lodgings.

 

Notes amending the legal separation, discussing the clause “to live apart.” REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

Only four of the couple’s children were subject to the document’s conditions (and a potential custody battle) as, by 1885, two had predeceased the settlement and another two no longer lived in the family home. The document decided, and ultimately divided, custody over the children with the following statement;

“E.V Sullivan shall have custody and shall also maintain and clothe the said Ernest Louis Sullivan and the said Emma Sullivan shall have the custody of Amelia Gertrude Edith Sullivan aged 8 years, Ada Madoline Sullivan aged 5 years and Mabel Violet Florence Sullivan aged 3 years. And that the said E.V Sullivan shall have access to the said Amelia Gertrude Edith Sullivan, Ada Madoline Sullivan and Mabel Violet Florence Sullivan and the said Emma Sullivan shall have access to the said Ernest Louis Sullivan under such arrangements as shall to be made between them for this purpose or if they are unable to agree under such arrangements as shall be made by the said William Bean.”

It is perhaps telling that, whilst custody of the children takes up two pages of the document, references to the settlement of property take up three and a half pages. It was agreed, as part of the separation, that Emma would receive a weekly payment from Eugene, to be handled by her Trustee. However, the payment would be forfeited should the marriage be permanently dissolved by “any other jurisdiction.” This clause acted to prevent Emma from pursuing a total divorce. Regarding the inheritance of property, should Emma predecease Eugene, it was stated that he would inherit as was his “marital right.” The document also noted that Emma should not expect, and would not be given, any further financial support for the payment of future debts or every-day expenditure from Eugene.

But Emma also maintained her own conditions; rooted in her personal freedom and independence. She added a clause that, upon following the separate living arrangements, Eugene could not “molest or interfere with the said Emma Sullivan in her manner of living or otherwise.” This clause throws Eugene’s ‘caring’ letters into question. Was he really trying to provide for his estranged wife, and the children she maintained, by keeping her financially and furnishing her new abode? Or was it a way to maintain a level of control over Emma? The inclusion of so many specific clauses appeared to insinuate that, at least for Eugene, the bonds of marriage relating to property and name remained – even if the couple occupied separate lodgings.

Nineteenth Century Divorce and Marriage

During the nineteenth century the concept of divorce and marriage underwent drastic legal change. Marriage became more secular following various parliamentary acts. This drove separation and divorce out the ecclesiastical courts and into the jurisdiction of secular judges and solicitors; such as Dickson, Archer and Mornington. Married women were also afforded greater legal status as the century progressed, with specific regard to the custody of children – developments Emma clearly capitalised upon.

Prior to the latter 1800’s ecclesiastical divorce could be granted in extreme cases of adultery, cruelty or desertion although no party would be allowed to remarry. In 1857 the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act created a Probate and Divorce Court in London which allowed civil divorces. When using these courts parties still had to prove, with sufficient evidence, that serious adultery, cruelty, incest, bigamy or other heinous offences had occurred. Unfortunately, evidential proof was often difficult to establish and pursuing a divorce case could be costly to ones finances and reputation. There was no reference to ill-treatment or adultery in the Sullivan’s case, and perhaps this lack of vilification can be attested as the reason why a full legal divorce had not been sought.

The Married Woman’s Property acts of 1870 and 1882 gradually gave married women the right to hold property in their own name. The 1882 act gave women possession of all property held before or after their marriage – thus allowing women to become independent financial entities. But this still did not entitle married women to sue their husbands (as they remained one legal person) or be allowed to keep a legal residence apart from her husband. Thus Eugene’s acceptance of his wife’s second residence, forming part of a legal separation, was a double-edged sword. Although it allowed Emma to live a separate and more autonomous life, it would doubtlessly have been poorly judged by their contemporaries.

 

A letter from Eugene discussing the furnishing of Emma’s new lodgings. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT

 

The Sullivan’s settlement had been carefully crafted by both sides to suit the middle ground between marriage and complete divorce. The document mediated between both sides, by allowing Emma to keep a separate residence and splitting custody of the children, as well as feeding into broader changes and trends. Emma therefore benefited from legal change and shifting social perceptions.

A Happily Ever After?

In the years which followed their separation neither party pursued an official divorce. Eugene retired as a Drill Master in Alnwick and moved across Northumberland; from 65 Beaconsfield Street in the ward of Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle Upon Tyne to Westgate.

In 1891 the couple appear to have either reconciled, or at least agreed to cohabit, with their extended family. The couple can be found on the census living in Westgate with their son Ernest Lewis. Ernest had returned to the family home having been married at 17 and widowed, during the birth of his son, at 19. Also living in the new family home were daughters Amelia, Ada and Mabel.

The family did not live in the Newcastle area for long, as they subsequently moved onto Alnmouth. Eugene died shortly after the move, in 1896, whereas Emma was still living in the area in 1911 at the age of 71. She peacefully lived out her final days under the care of her eldest son, William, in Alnmouth’s Percy Cottages on Front Street.

 

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