Northumberland At War

John (always known as Jack) was born at Lilburn Hill Farm, near Wooler where his father worked as a groom. Jack was baptised at St Mary’s Church, Wooler on the 27th November 1895. By the time Jack reached school aged (5 years), his family had relocated to Spindlestone Farm, near Belford and he attended the local school until leaving at the age of 13 years. Jack worked with his father as a horseman, firstly at Spindlestone Farm and then at Blubbery Farm, near Morpeth until the outbreak of the Great War.

The exact date that Jack enlisted into the Army is not known as his service record was destroyed in the London Blitz during World War 2. It is known that he joined the Northumberland Fusiliers and was placed in the newly formed 8th Battalion soon after the war had started as he was awarded the 1914-15 Star in addition to the British War and Victory medals.

His First World War Medal Index Card shows that Jack’s first ‘theatre of war served in’ was in Egypt from the 16th July 1915. This entry caused confusion when researching as no evidence could be found of the Fusiliers being in Egypt at that time. Eventually contact was made with the Fusiliers’ Museum in Alnwick Castle who provided the following information from the Battalion’s War Diaries:

“The 8th Battalion sailed from Liverpool on 3rd July 1915, arriving at the Greek island of Lemnos on the 10th July 1915. The Battalion remained here until the 6th August, when they embarked for Gallipoli aboard two Destroyers.”

The diary entries of the 10th and 11th July go on to record:

“10th – Arrived at MUDROS BAY and anchored. Orders received that the base would be at ALEXANDRIA. All G.S. (General Service) Limbered Wagons (except “cookers” and water carts), men’s kit bags, Officer’s 100lb kits would be sent to base. 1 Non Commissioned Officer & 4 men to accompany them.”

“11th – Disembarked and went into bivouac on LEMNOS island. Sent one additional man to ALEXANDRIA to look after transport wagons.”

The museum archivist goes on to say:

“It may be that your grandfather was one of these five men who left the rest of the Battalion for the base in Alexandria, thus making Egypt his first “Theatre of War”. Indeed, I cannot think of any other reasons why this Northumberland Fusilier should find himself in Egypt at this point during the war. The only other Northumberland Fusilier Battalion known to have served in Egypt was the 2/7th Battalion, though they did not land there until January 1917.”

Although the diaries do not name the soldiers sent to Alexandria, the information above plus the theatre of war recorded on Jack’s Medal Index Card has convinced the researcher that Jack was in Egypt in July 1915.

Family knowledge indicates that Jack fought in France. This would have come about by Jack re-joining the rest of the 8th Battalion which had been withdrawn from Gallipoli at the end of 1915 to defend a section of the Suez Canal in Egypt. In July 1916, the Battalion left Egypt for France where they were used as reinforcements in the battle of The Somme (1916) and the battles of Messines (1917) and Passchendaele (1917).

Further family information indicates that Jack was back home with his family in March 1918. It is not known if he was on home leave or recuperating from possible wounds. What is known is that he took the opportunity of being home to marry his fiancé, Martha Bell. The marriage taking place on 30th March at St John’s Church, Ashington.

Soon after the wedding, Jack returned to France where his Battalion were involved in the Second Battle of the Somme and the Battles of the Hindenburg Line.

By the time Jack returned to his wife in Ashington, he was a father for the first time, daughter Ivy being born at the beginning of January 1919 at Martha’s family home in Sycamore Street. Shortly afterwards, Jack, Martha and baby Ivy moved to a home of their own in Council Terrace, Ashington. By now, unable to obtain work as a horseman, Jack found himself working as a coal miner hewer at nearby Ashington Colliery.

In July 1919, Ashington Council held a Victory Parade and celebrations for the returning servicemen. Each serviceman was given a silver medal by the Council depicting a soldier and a sailor with the inscription:

“Ashington Sailors & Soldiers Great War 1914 – 1919 Welcome Home”

Over the next three years, Jack and Martha added to their family, William born in October 1920 (sadly dying in 1922) and Robert born in October 1922.

Jack continued working as a coal miner at Ashington Colliery, but sadly died in March 1924 of Phthsis Pulmonalis (Tuberculosis) leaving Martha with daughter Ivy (age 5 years) and son Robert (age 17 months).

Jack was laid to rest in the churchyard of St. John, Hirst, Ashington on the 16th March.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Allan Robinson for supplying this article for our Northumberland At War Project.

Richard Wilkinson was born in 1890 and worked as a Composite Miner at Linton Colliery, living in Ashington, Northumberland. At the age of 26 he received his call up notice to join the Royal Field Artillery and had to leave his wife Evelyn and their children, Lillian 3 and James 1.

It was sometime around July 1916 and having completed his basic training, Dick was posted to Ireland to a town called Ballincollig, County Cork.

It was not a pleasant posting, as English Tommie’s were not welcome in Ireland at this time. Surprisingly now after 100 years, the buildings in Main Street look the same; although obviously the shop fronts & pavements have been modernised.

The barracks still exist; although these were remodelled in 1944, but part of the original Guard House entrance remains.

 After they completed their spell of duty in Ireland, Dick and his comrades were shipped out to France landing at Le Havre before arriving in the trenches. The R.F.A. had large ordnance, which were pulled by a team of horses to get them into the right position and part of Dick’s duties was to care for one particular horse and they became quite attached.

The battle of Passchendaele lasted from July to November 1917 and it was during this fighting, Dick was badly wounded in one leg. He lay for some time in “No Man’s Land” before being taken to a Dressing Station and eventually being transported back to ‘Blighty’.He was taken to Queen Mary’s Hospital in Walley, Lancashire where the skill of the surgeons and the nursing staff saved his leg from amputation; although it would always be half the size of the other one. Unfortunately, the hospital no longer exists – it’s now a housing estate, but the entrance into the estate still bears the original stone gate posts of the hospital. Dick was to remain in the hospital for a year before finally returning home in 1919. A second son, Robert was born in 1920.

Not long after returning to Ashington Dick was invalided out of the Army with a 10/-d per week pension which he drew right up to his death in November 1952. One morning Dick heard the Co-op Milk Cart turn into the street and to his surprise, the horse pulling the cart was his horse from the trenches and they both recognised each other. Now what odds do you think Ladbrokes would quote for that happening? Needless to say that horse got titbits every morning,

Dick returned to Composite Mining at Linton though as the years passed, due partly to his war injury and partly to accidents that occurred underground, he had to take on easier shift work, working in the area at the bottom of the shaft.

A third son, Richard, was born in 1925, and dear readers – I married him!

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Jean Wilkinson in supplying this article for the Northumberland At War Project.