World War One

This Week in World War One, 7 January 1916

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Berwick Advertiser title 1915

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 7 JANUARY 1916

 

THE NEW YEAR

BERWICK

The celebration of the New Year in the streets of the ancient borough of Berwick appeared to maintained in much the customary fashion despite the effects of the war. The weather was dull and wet, but the streets bore an animated appearance, the khaki uniform predominating among the pedestrians. The lighting restrictions, combined with the weather exercised a damping effect on the majority of grown-ups, but the young idea moved about exchanging the compliments of the season in a hearty and hilarious fashion, while lively and  popular songs added zest and variety to the proceedings.

Berwick Playhouse 1958. Copyright Berwick Record Office BRO-1250-123.
Berwick Playhouse 1958. Copyright Berwick Record Office BRO-1250-123.

The only place of public entertainment in the Borough, the Playhouse, drew large crowds, and the performances were very much appreciated. The shops drew large numbers in the making of seasonable purchases, and in laying in additional supplies to tide the householder over till Monday. As the evening advanced the thoroughfares assumed a more livelier air, the hum of voices and merry shout emphasising the fact that the old year was slowly vanishing, and that the majority were out for the night to witness the actual death. As usual a number seemed to give way to over indulgence, but as a reasonable latitude was for  once allowed the police were not called upon to interfere, the result being that there was a clean bill on the first morning of 1916. Towards midnight large numbers assembled at the foot of the Town Hall to hear the knell of the old year and the peel that welcomed the new born year. The usual good wishes were exchanged and thereafter friendly visits were paid to the houses of acquaintances. For a considerable time after twelve o’clock the thoroughfares resounded to the shouts of the merry makers. Saturday was a general holiday. The weather continued dull and wet, and few people were to be seen in the streets. The special performances at the Playhouse were again well patronised. On the whole the New Year was quietly celebrated, all circumstances tending to have this effect.

 

EXHIBITION OF CAPTURED GERMAN GUN AT BERWICK

The Mayor of Berwick (Ald J. W. Plenderleith), has just been notified by the authorities in charge of the Scottish Command in Edinburgh that a captured German gun is being sent to Berwick for exhibition purposes. In making the notification it was enquired which would be the most convenient site to have the gun placed, and His Worship in reply suggested the Parade between the military huts and Wallace Green Church.

Army huts with the Berwick Barracks in background. Copyright Berwick Record Office. BRO-1944-1-149-1
Army huts with the Berwick Barracks in background. Copyright Berwick Record Office.                                                             BRO-1944-1-149-1

The military authorities have expressed themselves pleased with the proposed site, and the gun will be exhibited in presence of a military guard. It is understood that the captured gun will be on exhibition for three days from nine a.m. till four p.m. and that it will be removed to the Barracks each evening. No definite date has yet been fixed for the arrival of the gun.

A PRETTY WEDDING

On December 27th, at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Sunderland, the marriage was solemnised of Mr E. Norman Chapman, York, to Miss Sadie Waters, daughter of Mr Thomas Waters, Wooler. The bride was given away by her father, and the bridesmaid was Miss M. H. Brand, cousin of the bride. Miss Allison James and master Reggie Waters, niece and nephew of the bride, acted as attendants. The best man was Mr E. Settle of York. Rev. R. L. Wiseman officiated. The bride was charmingly attired in a costume of saxe blue galardine, trimmed fur, with hat to match. She carried a lovely shower bouquet, and wore a brooch of rubies and diamonds, the gifts of the bridegroom. The bridesmaid wore a costume of navy blue and large white hat, and a gold bangle, the gift of the bridegroom. The bridegroom’s gift to Miss Allison James, who looked very pretty in a dress of pale grey, was a gold chain pendant, and to Master R. Waters a silver watch and chain. A reception was held at the house of the bride’s brother, Hunter Terrace, and later the new-married couple left for their future home in York. They were the recipients of a large number of useful and beautiful presents.

LOCAL NEWS

Bankhill Church Intercessory Services – The Rev. R. Leggat at the morning intercessory service on Sunday read the roll of honour of the young men attached to the Early 1900s French and British boy scouts with their respective national flags. Source Bibliothèque nationale de France. Wikimedia Commons PD-1923.congregation. He mentioned that 27 were on active service, while all the men of military age, with the exception of three who were exempts, had enrolled under the Derby Scheme.  New Pipe Band – The first appearance of the Berwick Boy Scouts Pipe Band under Piper Major Lawrie, of the Royal Scots, took place at the Pier Field, on Saturday, the occasion on being a football match between the Boy Scouts and the Sea Scouts, in which the former won by four goals to one. The band made a very creditable appearance, and the selections were much enjoyed.

The Diary of an ‘Unknown’ First World War Soldier.

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In September 2014, I heard that Northumberland Archives needed volunteers to delve into the experience of the First World War. As an amateur archaeologist I am interested in history and thought this would be a fascinating project to get involved in, and as I do freelance work, I would be able to do it when I was not working.
I went along to the training days which were very interesting. I was already familiar with the family history section of the archives at Woodhorn as we have been researching my husband’s family, the Lindsays of Alnwick. On completion of the training days we were each given a project to undertake and mine was to transcribe the diary of an ‘unknown’ First World War soldier which had been handed in to the Archives.
I found this to be utterly fascinating. The diary is very well written, full of humorous stories, heart breaking and vivid accounts of the writer’s experience of death and war, drawings, and even a theatrical programme! I actually found it a privilege to be one of very few people to read this diary since it was written. Some of his accounts moved me to tears and brought the whole experience of the war very close to me, and as a mother, I couldn’t help but be mindful that each account of a soldier dying such an awful and lonely death was somebody’s son. I was privilege to details of their deaths that their mothers probably never knew. The author reveals a loyalty to his country, respect for superiors and acceptance of ‘doing one’s duty’ which is rare today.

One of a number of drawings found within the diary.
One of a number of drawings found within the diary.

I became so interested in this man’s stories that I really wanted to find out who he was. He gave some clues along the way, such as the fact that he knew a lot about sheep and farming. A German steamer had run aground near Cheswick Burn ‘to the south of our land’, and his brother had been in command of the coastguard at Berwick. From this it was clear that he had some connection with farming in an area I am very familiar with in Northumberland, and I thought that it would be easy using the internet to find out the name of his brother. I had no luck and emailed the RNLI and other organisations such as the website of the London Scottish, his regiment, but had no replies. I took my husband along to have a look at the diary and we read on further. The words jumped out from the page when we read that his ‘dear brother Cecil’ was killed whilst in command of the cruiser H.M.S. Bayano on 12th March 1915. This was an enormous clue. We went home and spent the evening in pursuit of our soldier and found him.
Using Google we found that his brother was called Henry Cecil Carr who was 43 when he went down with his ship. From this, I had his birth year so I then looked at census records and found Cecil in the 1881 census when he was 8, along with his father John Carr who was a Merchant and Justice of the Peace, five sisters and 4 brothers, Reginald E, George, Hubert and John E. Which one was our soldier? The census showed that they had all been born in Gosforth and were living at Roseworth Cottage, Coxlodge. I then found Cecil in the 1911 census living in Rochester, Kent, with his occupation as ‘Royal Navy Commander’ so I knew we had the right family.
With these clues, I googled and found that Reginald E was the coastguard, so that narrowed our unknown soldier down to George, Hubert or John E. Remembering that our soldier had mentioned ‘our land’, I decided to look at Kelly’s Trade Directory for 1914 for Berwick, and found one John Evelyn Carr on page 21 as Manager of Scremerston Coal Company, coal owners and merchants, brick and tile manufacturers and farmers. I strongly suspected we had our man! (It was midnight by this time).
I was about to do some double checking to make sure this was our soldier and decided just to put his name into Google to see if there was any more information on the net about him. I got a shock! Up popped an entry for Northumberland Archives about one John Evelyn Carr who had written 4 war diaries, and who had had a special study on him done by Emily Meritt in 2014. I read her work about the soldier and recognised from the information about him that my soldier and hers were one and the same person! There was even a photo of him, which I found fascinating I could now put a face to the person behind the diary. His words had also featured in a book called ‘Tommy at War 1914-18, the Soldiers’ own Stories’ by John Sadler, and I found another photograph and information that he had been a sheep breeder on ‘Historypin’. The mystery was solved but I was a tiny bit disappointed that my soldier had already been known about, and his diary wasn’t unique. He seems to have been a prolific writer! We have still to find out if my diary is part of the four already known about, or separate.
The Cloth Hall, Ypres.
The Cloth Hall, Ypres.

I found out that he had been married in 1900 at St Andrew’s, Newcastle to one Gertrude Isabella Moncriff Blair (obviously not a scullery maid). He had worked after the war as Managing Director of the Scremerston Coal Company and lived at Heathery Tops Scremerston and Spittal, where he died in 1958. I have recently found out that there is a farmer whose surname is Carr who farms at Scremerston today and am minded to get in touch with him to see if he is a relative. It would be interesting to know how the diary came to be in the Archives and not cherished by John Carr’s family as a precious heirloom.
One of a number of funny cartoon drawings found within the diary
One of a number of funny cartoon drawings found within the diary

I feel that I know this man. I think he descends from The Carrs of Etal who once owned Barmoor Castle where our family have a holiday home today. It is odd that he was born and brought up about half a mile from where I live, and that he lived and worked in an area I know well and love. I even know the road where he lived in Spittal. It was meant to be that I got to transcribe his diary, and I hope I can do justice to his bravery and brilliant storytelling, so that other people can experience the immediacy, humour and sorrow that I have felt while transcribing it.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Carole McKenzie for supplying this article for our Northumberland At War Project.

This Week in World War One, 31 December 1915

by

Berwick Advertiser title 1915

 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 31 DECEMBER 1915

 

BERWICK POST OFFICE

 

The amount of Christmas work dealt with at Berwick Post Office was very much the same as last year, but being spread over a longer period the pressure was not so much felt in consequence. Although the staff has been greatly depleted during the past year everyone put their shoulder to the wheel and the work went through expeditiously. Extra hours were, of course, worked, and the praiseworthy arrangement of supplying refreshment to the workers on the premises was once more in operation.

WW1 Xmas postcard 1915.

WW1 Xmas postcard 1915.

Extra help was brought in for rural deliveries in the shape of motor and other vehicles, while the Oddfellows’ Hall again proved a useful clearing house. Parcels delivered during the Christmas week amounted to about 6000, but there was not the usual postings of Christmas cards. A special and most noticeable feature was the large number of parcels posted for soldiers at the front, causing at times very great pressure, out-going mails being very heavy. For the first time at Christmas women were employed to do delivery and collection duty in place of the men on active service and officials speak in glowing terms of the way they discharged their duties. There is still a considerable amount of parcel and other postings passing through, but it is not anticipated that the staff will be heavily taxed at New Year.

 

CAROL CONCERT AND LECTURE

Interesting Notes on Christmas Carols

 

An attractive carol concert on behalf of the National Institute for the Blind was given in the Queen’s Rooms, Berwick, on Thursday evening by a number of local talented ladies and gentlemen. The principal object was to assist in raising funds to assist those soldiers and sailors who have lost their sight during the war and for their maintenance in a hostel for the purpose of teaching them some useful trade.

Blinded by tear gas in World War One, 55th (West Lancashire) Division troops await treatment at an advanced dressing station.
Blinded by tear gas in World War One, 55th (West Lancashire) Division troops await treatment at an advanced dressing station.

 

The soloists were Mrs Shepherd, Miss E. Elder, and Messrs Abbott and Riddell, while a duet was rendered by Miss Harbottle and Mr Riddell. Messrs R. Stott and Smith also took part in the programme of carols. The conductor was Mr Geo. Ballantyne, and the accompanist, Miss Skeldon. The programme was ably sustained the whole of the pieces being feelingly and tunefully interpreted, the efforts meeting with the cordial approval of the audience. A feature in the programme was a lecture on carols by Dr Gauntlett, organist and choirmaster in the Parish Church.

 

LOCAL NEWS

 

Corner Accident– An accident which might have been attended by serious results took place on Friday last at the foot of Hide Hill. It appears that a tub trap driven by a young lady named Miss Brown, of Tweedmouth, was taking the corner when a collision occurred with a motor car belong to Messrs McBain, Tweedmouth. The tub trap was upset and the young lady received a severe shaking. Happily she suffered no injury, although the pony was slightly cut by the collision. This is only one of many accidents which have taken place at the corners of Hide Hill from time to time, and each succeeding accident accentuates that fact that these sharp turnings are entirely out of date in coping with modern vehicular traffic.

 

THE PASSING AND APPROACHING YEAR

Again we have reached the closing days of another year. Too well we realise the terrible experiences we have come through during the past twelve months, for there are few homes that have not had their full share of the awful miseries of the Great War. To the bereaved and the maimed ordinary sympathy seems utterly inadequate, and a quiet and subdued silence often speaks more eloquently than any human words can utter. Time is the great healer and consoler in affliction, and it will only be the soothing influence of the ever-revolving seasons that will adequately supply the balm and needed comfort to so many aching hearts which are so utterly bereft. As we approach the end of the year it is natural that many should raise conjectures as to the position the country will be in by another year. Will the war be over? Who can tell. At the same time it seems highly improbable that its duration will extend so long. The material and national resources of Germany will be exhausted ere that time, and there may be an internal upheaval of the Teutonic empire that will hasten the close of the awful devastation.

Picture of Serbian infantry on Ada Ciganlija during the First World War. Wikimedia Commons
Picture of Serbian infantry on Ada Ciganlija during the First World War. Wikimedia Commons

 

Already the national credit of Germany is steadily diminishing in the exchanges of neutral countries, and this must have a very important bearing on events in the opening periods of the new year. As we make a brief and general survey of the year that is nearly finished we have – great and acute as our sorrows are – reason to feel grateful that we have escaped the general holocaust that has overtaken Belgium, the North of France, and Serbia. And when we think of the recent awful massacres of the Armenian people it makes us realise this more fully. For had the brutal enemy been enabled to land on these shores we would have experienced this to the full. A small sample of it was shown a year ago in the bombardment of defenceless east coast towns where no discrimination or humanity was shown.

Notwithstanding the serious nature of the times we are passing through we desire to wish all our readers

A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS

NEW YEAR

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