One of the aims of our project is to look at previously uncatalogued collections for content relating to the War. One of the unlisted collections that we have looked at is papers of the Sample family, agents to the Duke of Portland and other Northumbrian landowning families (Ref: NRO 2637). In Box 3 of the unlisted papers are some records relating to the Military Tribunals held at Ashington. One of our project volunteers, Jean Wilkinson, has examined the papers and has written this short article outlining some of their content. We hope to catalogue the papers in detail within our project.
An Agriculture Census for England and Wales in 1916 gives an enlightening glimpse of farming life in Ashington. Eight of the biggest farms were owned by Ashington Coal Company whilst Ashington Co-Operative Society owned a couple of Market Gardens. The remaining farms were privately owned.
The Farm Manager for all eight of the Ashington Coal Company farms, one Geo. P. Graham was also responsible for 1115 horses & ponies. He was a widower aged 41. With so much responsibility he would have had little free time.
The farms too were involved in asking Tribunals to exempt their workers, but unless there were health reasons for complete exemption, they only managed to get a few months deferment. Women were employed in quite heavy farm work although some worked in the Dairy or as house servants.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Jean Wilkinson in supplying this article for the Northumberland At War Project.
On Tuesday morning a party numbering fifty men and two sergeants, under the command of Bandmaster Wilson from the 1st Battalion arrived at Berwick Barracks from India. The party left Lucknow on the 5th December and they had in their care the wives and children of the men, numbering twenty-three women and forty children. From Lucknow they proceeded to Bombay, where they embarked on the “Cosican” on the 8th of December and sailed on the 9th. On board there was a battalion of the Border Regiment and a battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers, together with details from the Royal Scots, the Middlesex Regiment, and a number of recruits for Kitchener’s Army.
Lucknow Bazzar, India. London Illustrated News 1857
On Christmas Eve the sergeants on the ship assembled and formed a sergeants’ mess and after an enjoyable dinner a smoking concert was held. New Year’s Day was spent in a cheerful manner, but as one of the party remarked “there were few Scotsmen on board and the day passed off quietly.” Excellent weather was experienced during the voyage and to while away the time games, boxing and other sports were indulged in. The ship arrived at Bristol on Sunday, where the men were served with warmer kit as they had come from India in their light khaki clothes. The party at Berwick are to receive permission to go on furlough to visit their relatives. Along with Bandmaster Wilson, the other sergeants were Sergt. Robison and Sergt.Turner. Sergt Turner was drill instructor at Berwick Barracks from October 1909 to October 1910 and Sergt. Robison has also served at the Depot. Two Berwick men were with the party. One is Lance Corp. Jamieson, who is a piper and who went to India only a year or two ago, and the other is Band boy Amers who belongs to Walkergate Berwick.
King’s Own Scottish Borderers Cap Badge Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-SA-4.0
Postscript
In the 1911 census Daniel Amers is listed as living at 28 Walkergate, Berwick. At that time, he was aged 22 and was employed as a labourer. He was living with his sister, Annie who was married to David Rutherford. Six of their children were also in the household. They all lived in two rooms.
Mr W Howe, High Street Berwick, has received the following interesting letter from his friend Sapper W. Cromarty, Royal Engineers, who is serving at the front:-
27086
2nd Division Signal Co.
Royal Engineers
Expeditionary Force
30 December
Dear Will: – Well old chap how goes it now? Very many thanks for your kind letter and cigarettes not to mention the good old “Berwick Advertiser” Good gracious what a shock to see my letter in that place of honour, but if I had known you really meant to publish it I should have been a bit more careful in my grammatical expression, etc. However, the Berwick folk are forgiving and I am pretty certain any discrepancy will be passed over lightly.
Christmas 1914, is now a thing of the past, but I must confess that although on active service, I along with my comrades in the detachment managed to enjoy ourselves very much. I started celebrating Christmas on the 24th. On Christmas Eve we had a musical evening. No one was downhearted at all so “King Ragtime” was re-awakened with a vengeance. Ragtime, however, didn’t reign too long. We had solos, some good old fashioned songs (not forgetting the Scotch ones) and last but not least – carols. It was a time of uncertainty, none of us knew how soon we might have to move, but trust the Tommy to make the best of a bad job, or at least I should say making the best use of any opportunity such as we had.
We were determined to have some kind of Christmas celebration and we had it. However, I couldn’t take too much part in the sing song as I had to commence duty at 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, so I had a little sleep before commencing, knowing full well I would stand little chance of getting any when finishing about breakfast time. I started Christmas Day very well indeed, having bacon and eggs for breakfast, the bacon we got supplied, the eggs were procured – from where I cannot say.
After breakfast we all helped to make things as comfortable as possible and then our thoughts turned instinctively to dinner. We then organised what is known to the Tommy out here as a “scrounging” expedition and by the time everyone had returned we found we could manage a very good dinner. Pork chops, potatoes and plenty of vegetables were in our possession and having the means of cooking them alright I can safely say the dinner when finished wouldn’t have caused a murmur from the most severe critic.
Christmas wouldn’t have been complete without a pudding, so I may mention we had Christmas pudding too. We burnt it in the customary way, wished each other compliments of the season and then – exit pudding. I don’t think there was one of us who didn’t feel perfectly happy after dinner. Although our surroundings were none too homely, we felt thankful for being able to get our dinner in peace. Naturally our thoughts were far away at home, wondering how our old folk were faring and doubtless wishing we had been able to fill the vacant chair which could be vividly pictured by the mind’s eye. “Ah well chaps we’ll be home for next Christmas” was one fellow’s consoling remark, to which I heartily said “Roll on”.
I was on duty again after dinner, but was fortunate enough to be present at tea time. What a revelation tea time was! Most of the fellows had had parcels from friends at home, with all manner of good things suitable for tea and so by “mucking in” (another soldiers phrase, we had a real good “bust up” sardines, cakes, scones, butter and bread and jam were all abundantly represented so it does not need an extraordinary intelligent person to understand how much we enjoyed ourselves.
Advert from Berwick Advertiser 8th January 1915
At night we had another concert, which lasted till very late at night and so ended my Christmas Day on the battlefield. It would be unfair not to mention our two officers, who, I am sure, were partly instrumental in lightening our work as much as possible so as to give us a good time. They are both “two of the best” and I consider myself extremely fortunate in having such fine fellows in charge. It is now very close to the New Year, 1914 is closing down its black and warstained pages. Let us hope that 1915 will bring us victory and that very soon we will see the tone of war closed and clasped never to open again.
I was very sorry to hear how our “cultured” friend had visited the East coast and- as is his usual way –taken such a heavy toll of innocent lives. You will have seen many photographs showing the damage caused by the short bombardment of the three towns. You will perhaps be able to grasp some idea as to what a town or village will look like after being bombarded day and night for some time. I have seen villages completely ruined; whilst one town the Germans bombarded very close to where I was working can boast of only a few undamaged buildings. It was a town much larger than Berwick, possessing a beautiful cathedral and some very imposing civil buildings. “Kultur” however, got to work with its big guns and now very little remains but broken jagged walls on the once beautiful buildings. The people at home will now understand and comprehend the martyrdom of the Belgians and French, and I‘m sure instead of having the desired effect of intimidation that act of vandalism will stimulate the people to a sense of duty which will, I am sure, be beneficial to the country.”
Postscript
We are trying to find out additional information about Sapper W Cromarty (27086). We think he survived the First World War and know that he must have had a connection with the North Northumberland area. If anyone can tell us anything else about him, please post a comment or contactberwickarchives@woodhorn.org.uk
Advert from the Berwick Advertiser 8th January 1915
