Northumberland At War

Sgt. William Kay served throughout the First World War, only to be killed by a fall of stone at Woodhorn Colliery on 13th May 1929. William had been employed at Woodhorn Colliery as a Hewer – a miner who loosens rock and minerals in a mine – and died as a result of injuries sustained following a fall of stone. He has been working at the colliery for 18 weeks and left a widow aged 23, a daughter aged 2 and a son who was 1. His average weekly wage, including his allowances was £2. 4s & 11d.

According to his gravestone he had served with the 7th Battalion of Northumberland Fusiliers T.F. [Territorial Force]. Interestingly his grave stone records his rank as Sgt. yet he worked in the collieries at the time of his death. This is very unusual – we have not seen this before. We have all seen programmes on TV where retired officers retain the title of their rank after leaving the Army. Examples of this include Captain Hastings in Poirot, Captain Peacock in Are you Being Served or the Major from Fawlty Towers! So why was he buried as Sergt? The entry in the burial register of St Bartholomew’s, Newbiggin by the Sea [ref – EP 21/17] just states William, there is no rank mentioned?
Could it be that being a ‘Sergeant’ meant a lot to William and this could be the reason the family decided to add his rank to the headstone, as a mark of respect. Certainly he must have been well respected by his unit and the people of Newbiggin by the Sea as his funeral was well attended. You can see a number of military personnel lining the route into the churchyard heads bowed as he passes as well as uniformed poll-bearers. [See images below.]
Was such a funeral common at this time? Has anyone come across any other local funerals like this one after the First World War?
We know he was born and schooled in County Durham from information on the 1911 census. His occupation on the marriage entry in the parish records states ‘Miner’ living in Newbiggin, when he married Lilian Price at Woodhorn church in 1925. The register records that William’s father and his wife’s father were also coalminers. The couple had three children, two whilst they probably shared a home with the Price family (in Sutherland Avenue, Newbiggin-By-The-Sea – the address where Lilian was living when she married).
William and Lilian appear to have moved out to Downie’s Buildings by the birth of their third child (a few doors from where Lilian and her family had lived in 1911), which would probably have been poor accommodation in comparison to Sutherland Avenue.
Their first son was only a few months old when he died and not long after William’s death his second son Kenneth died [8th September 1929]. Kenneth is mentioned on his father’s headstone. The burial register records Sgt. Kay living in the Bungalows (huts) at Newbiggin, but his wife and child’s records both before and after his death quote Downie’s Buildings as place of residence.
A small article relating to his inquest was located in the Blyth News & Ashington Post on 16th May 1929.
‘’The Inquest opened and adjourned on William Kay aged 30, of 7 Bungalow, Newbiggin who died on 13th following injuries in Woodhorn Pit. The man’s father Daniel Kay of 1 Northumberland Avenue, Newbiggin said his son had been employed in the mines for all, but 7 years of his life when he served in the Army.’’

These images were supplied by the Newbiggin by the Sea Genealogy Project and show the military funeral of William and buglers playing the last post by his graveside.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Newbiggin by the Sea Genealogy Project and Paul Ternent Volunteer Manager for Northumberland At War for writing this blog.

As part of our Northumberland at War project one of our volunteers was given the task to list the contents of an old volume [Ref – ZRI 58] which on the front in red letters were the words ‘The Great War’ with three stars underneath writing and three canons above. To our surprise when we opened this volume it was not relating to the war, but was a lovely and interesting collection of letters and newspapers cuttings relating to the sad death of 2nd Viscount Ridley.
Viscount Ridley was born 6th December 1874. The eldest son of Viscount Ridley & Mary Georgina Marjoribanks the daughter of the First Lord Tweedmouth. He was Conservative and Unionist Member of Parliament for Stalybridge & Duckinfield, Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Northumberland and Chairman of the Tariff Reform League.
At the outbreak of war he was the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Northumberland Yeomanry Hussars and he was bitterly disappointed when his health prevented of him from joining his Regiment in France when they left for the front in October 1914. However, he remained in close contact with them and visited them at the Front.
He was also Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers. In 1899, he married the Hon. Rosamund Cornelia Gwladys Guest the youngest daughter of the First Baron Wimborne and a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. During their marriage they had a son & and two daughters.
He died on 14th February 1916, after years of severe pain due to an intestinal problem for which he had a number of operations, ‘The last one left him in a condition of great prostration from which he never rallied.’
He was well respected nationally and locally as can be seen by the collection of newspaper cuttings in the album following his death. The volume contains many letters of condolence including a telegram from King George V and Queen Mary, letters from prominent Politian’s, including Rt. Hon. A. Bonar-Law, Rt. Hon. A. Chamberlain and his wife Mary, Rt. Hon. Thomas Burt. There is also a very poignant letter from his Constituency Agent J. Greenwood which is personal rather than the formal letters of condolence which were sent at the time. There are also personal letters to Lady Ridley from family and friends.
Many of the letters in the volume came from local people who knew him through his good works, including a pencilled note from W. Ferguson an old miner with whom he played cricket.
The newspaper obituaries were extracted from local and national newspapers and include photographs and reports of his funeral at St Mary the Virgin, Stannington and a Memorial Service at St. Margaret’s Westminster, both on the 19 February 1916.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Maggie Neary & Paul Ternent [Project Volunteer Manager] for supplying this article for our Northumberland At War Project.

One of our Northumberland At War volunteers is researching the Minute Books of the Ashington Coal Company and whilst looking in the newspapers for an article came across this interesting story regarding the Pacifist Party in the Morpeth Herald, dated 3 August 1917.

A stormy ending and a rout of the Pacifist party marked the scenes at the North East Coast Conference held at the Central Hall, Newcastle on Saturday, under the auspices of the Workers and Soldiers’ Council.
The platform was stormed before the second resolution had been submitted to the meeting, the Union Jack was triumphantly waved and “Rule Britannia” and the National Anthem sung.
The meeting was held in the Central Hall and William Weir, President of the Northumberland Miners presided over a large attendance.
Previous to the meeting beginning a scuffle took place at the back of the Hall and the Stewards were called upon to eject a few intruders. In a few minutes the doors had been rushed and free fights ensued. Two or three dozen men, many of the soldiers or sailors were mixed up in the struggle.
Free fights took place in different parts of the Hall and a number of men were led away with their faces cut or bleeding. The crowd that had broken into the building was apparently too strong for those who occupied the place. Continuous howls came from the back of the Hall and while the Promoters attempted to restore order there were loud shouts of “Lusitania” and “Rule Britannia”.
A Naval man mounted the platform and exclaimed: “Why do you want Peace?” Then he shouted to the Delegates: “You are not worth a d*****!”
He was followed by a wounded soldier among others who rolled up his sleeve and showing a wound on the arm, shouted: “That is what I got for fighting for traitors” The meeting continued to be noisy and Mrs Despard was among those who appealed to the meeting.
The Chairman after quiet had been fairly well restored said the only point of disagreement that appeared to be in the meeting was whether they should end the war by negotiation or fight it out till the end. One had met men who once said: “Fight it out until the end” but today they said the War could not be fought out and that someday it would have to be ended by negotiation.
Mr Straker’s View
Mr William Straker of the Northumberland Miners’ Association moved a resolution approving of the Russian Revolution and undertaking to work for a general peace without annexations or indemnities.
Mr Straker said that he was not in favour of peace at any price. So long as they were sending their lads – and he had sent two to the Front – they had to support them by every possible means. Personally he was not prepared to do anything to embarrass the Government in the carrying out of the War.
He was there not as a representative of the Northumberland miners but as a citizen claiming the right of a free man. We had got to win this war but what he was afraid of was that we would drive the Russian Revolutionists into making a separate peace. The point on which we differed was the question of indemnities but that was a question that did not bother him much.
Councillor James Smith of Newcastle seconded the resolution
A dissident went onto the platform and said that three of his sons had fought for the country, one of whom had been killed. He compared the meeting with one of traitors whose object was to betray the Fatherland.
The resolution on being put was declared carried after being supported by Mrs Despard who said there had never been in the world’s history a peace that was not a ‘patched-up-peace’
A voice: “How are you going to get the Germans out of France and Belgium-By going on our knees?”
Mrs Despard said: “That is a question for our soldiers – Ask our Generals!”
Wounded Soldier’s View
A wounded soldier declared that a meeting did not express the opinion of Newcastle. If they did not get peace with indemnities, Germany would rise again, and we would have another war to wage.
Mr G. H. Warne (Ashington) submitted a second resolution committing the Conference to work for the co-ordination of Working Class activity in support of a peace made by the people.
The speaker was told by a member of the audience to go to the Front.
Mr Warne: “If we all go to the Front it will be the biggest disaster. I along with thousands of my fellows go into the trenches in the coal-mine every day”
There was further interruption and the speaker exclaimed: “If I had been Mayor of Newcastle that Policeman would have removed that man (Applause). He hoped the Labour members of the City Council and the Northumberland miners who wanted fair play would have something to say about the Policemen and the Watch Committee of Newcastle”
The interruption continued and the Chairman made a futile attempt to restore order. Eventually the platform was stormed and there were several free fights. Several of those who had participated in the great demonstration at the Cowen Memorial ascended the platform.
The union Jack was waved and heated arguments ensued between pacifists and anti-pacifists.
One Colonial, facing the audience exclaimed: “I have fought for the flag of old and I will fight for the flag again!” (Loud cheers)
A delegate in the balcony held a heated argument with a wounded soldier and declared he would summons him for rioting. A few seconds later the delegate was bustled out of the hall.
The National Anthem and “Rule Britannia” were sung by those who had forced their way into the conference. The majority of the delegates eventually quit the building and the proceedings terminated amid a scene of intense excitement.
During the proceedings, the brass rail that was on the platform was dislodged and a bundle of copies of the resolutions was torn into shreds.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Derek Holcroft for finding and transcribing this wonderful article for our Northumberland At War Project