This Week in World War One, 27 December 1918

02/01/201928/12/2018 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 27 DECEMBER 1918

CHRISTMAS

One feature of the Christmas season in Berwick was the extraordinary number of service men on leave, several not having spent Christmas at home for the past few years. The shops on Christmas Eve were very busy, and the great shortage of fruit, especially apples, as well as the exorbitant prices asked were the subject of much comment. Children lamented the scarcity of sweets, as “two ounces” only was the general rule in most shops.

The weather on Christmas Day was stormy and disagreeable during the forenoon, but cleared away fine later in the day. Things were very quiet on the whole in the town. At night some children dressed up as “Mummers” went from house to house singing. This is a custom that is not often observed in Berwick. Services were held in some of the churches.

THE WORKHOUSE

The inmates of the Workhouse were treated to a good dinner of roast beef and plum-pudding on Christmas Day. As is customary tobacco was given to the smokers and sweets to the non-smokers. Mr Stirling, Tweedmouth, kindly supplied beer, and aerated waters were also sent in.

There are only 33 inmates at present a marked contrast to the years before the war when there were generally well over one hundred.

THE INFIRMARY

The patients at the Infirmary were entertained to dinner and tea on Christmas Day by Dr. C. G. Maclagan, chairman of the House Committee. During the afternoon gifts were distributed from a prettily decorated Christmas tree in one of the wards. Some members of Committee and a few friends’ including the Mayor and Mayoress, Lady Wilkie-Dalyell, Miss Wilkie-Dalyell, and Miss Maclagan, were present. The tree and evergreens which added so greatly to the festive appearance of the wards were kindly given by Lady Wilkie-Dalyell. There were not quite so many children amongst the patients as on former occasions.

AT THE BARRACKS

A splendid dinner of the usual Christmas fare was served at mid-day to the men at the Barracks on Christmas Day. A great many men are off home on their twelve days leave. During the course of the dinner Major McAlester, the Officer Commanding, visited the Dining Hall, which was most tastefully decorated, and wishing them all the compliments of the season gave the men some words of good advice.

MALARIA CAMP

The majority of the officers, non-commissioned officers and men are away on Christmas leave, large batches leaving daily. A most excellent dinner was served on Christmas Day, with the usual fare, and greatly enjoyed by all present.

POST OFFICE

The work at the Berwick Post Office this year has been greatly in excess of last year, but not up to the standard of the pre-war period. Saturday was a busy day, but the posting on Monday were very heavy. The 24th and 25th Dec. were as usual very busy days. A special feature was the heavy postings of letter packets due no doubt to the increased parcel rates which make it cheaper to send a smaller parcel at letter rates. The Christmas Cards also came more into favour this year. The temporary assistants employed this year were women and they did their work well; as did the whole of the regular staff.

BERWICK’S FIRST V.C.

On Monday morning Mr and Mrs Huffam, of 119 High Street, received word that their youngest son, Second Lieut. James Palmer Huffam, 5th Duke of Wellington’s, attached 2nd battalion had been awarded the Victoria Cross. The news was received in a wire from their son’s Commanding Officer congratulating them upon the award, and Mr Huffam has since received the following letter from Lieut. Col. Pawlett.

2nd Batt, Duke of Wellington’s Regt.

19 December, 1918

Dear Mr Huffam, – I hardly know whether to congratulate you or thank you on the occasion of the honour bestowed on your son – congratulations are on the occasion of the honour- to you as the father of such a boy, and thanks for the award coming to the Regiment. We have been anxious for some time whether this well merited reward was coming through for one who so richly and deservedly earned it, but now we are happy to think it has and your boy is alive and well at the last of the fighting. I cannot express a small part of the pride we all feel in having so noble a hero as your son as a member of our Battalion which bears such a noble name and record. May you and your gallant son live long to enjoy the fame which he has earned so nobly. This is the brightest Christmas greeting I can send from my Battalion and may you enjoy many more. Yours sincerely J. PAWLETT, Lt,. Col., Commanding 2nd, The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment.

The non-commissioned officers and men of “C” Coy., have also telegraphed to Mr Huffam, their congratulations on the Second Lieut’s winning the V.C.

NORHAM

ANOTHER NORHAM LAD’S RETURN FROM GERMANY

Private Murray Gregor, N.F., returned to his home on Saturday night from Germany. He was taken prisoner when the Huns began their great offensive on March 21st last, and was sent into Eastern Prussia, where he worked at first down a mine, but was afterwards put to do farm work, for which he received a mark a day. The Huns, he says, were cruel taskmasters, and especially did he find them so while working down the mine. He speaks very highly of the parcels sent out by the Northumberland Prisoners’ of War Fund Committee, which he declares kept, him alive for he could get very little to eat otherwise. Private Murray Gregor previous to being taken prisoner had seen much fighting, often being employed in the dangerous work of sniping. His two months’ leave will, we trust, bring about a great improvement in his state of health. Before joining up he was a forester on the Ladykirk estate. There are now four lads in our village who have been prisoners of war in Germany, viz., Sergt. Marshall, Corpl. H. Moody, Private T. Tait and Private Murray Gregor.

There are many young lads going about our village in khaki or blue, home for their twelve days leave. The boys in blue are Petty Officer J. White, Stoker J. Cowe, Seaman J. Bell, and Seaman Jas. Wilkinson; whilst in khaki we notice Private G. Strother, N.F.; Private R. Swan, N.F.; Private Drummond, R.G.A., and the returned prisoners of war. A dance has been arranged by some of the young ladies of the village for New Year’s Eve, at which is expected a fair gathering of the boys. The proceeds of this dance are to go towards the Welcome Home Fund

RATIONS TO CONTINUE

ANOTHER BOOK LIKELY TO FOLLOW THE CURRENT, ISSUE

The coupons book will continue in use for some months, and a fresh edition will probably follow the current issue after March.

The forecast for rations may be assumed up as follows:-

MEAT – Home produce short until the spring, in view of which imports are economised so as to build up reserves.

BUTTER – Increase not likely until cattle are put to grass, when more milk, now very short, will admit of increased dairy output.

MARGARINE – An ounce may be added to the weekly ration early in the New Year.

SUGAR – Ration to be increased to 3/4lb weekly from the end of January.

JAM – Revision expected second week in January; may lead to coupons being dispensed with.

Generally, if jam is the first article to go off the ration list, margarine will be the second, and sugar and butter will follow as conditions improve.

This Week in World War One, 29 November 1918

30/11/2018 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 29 NOVEMBER 1918

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LEST WE FORGET

Sir,- Mr Thomas Grey’s most advocacy, in your issue of 22nd inst., for the erection of a permanent and public memorial to the memory of our brave and noble Tweedmouth heroes, who have given their lives in the cause of right and justice during the terrible world-war just ended must convince everyone that the accomplishment of such a worthy object is highly desirable, and that their names must be engraven in a conspicuous and lasting form so that future generations may honour them and their noble deeds and sacrifices.

HRH the Prince of Wales laying a Wreath at Tweedmouth War Memorial after opening the Royal Border Bridge, 1928. BRO 515/358 (C) Berwick Record Office. The War Memorial was unveiled October 1920.

Mr Grey invites the opinion of Tweedmouth on the subject, and as a humble member of the community, I, for my part, would suggest that a marble, or granite drinking fountain, of suitable and symmetrical size be erected in a conspicuous part of the town (probably in a broad part of Main Street), with the figure which is symbolical of “Victory” on the top of it, and the names of our heroes be engraven on the centre portion. Mr Grey should himself select a committee to take the matter in hand -Yours faithfully. EDWARD BREWIS Tweedmouth, November 25th, 1918.

RAILWAYMEN’S VISIT TO THE BATTLEFIELDS

On the invitation of the Minister of Munitions, Mr Geo. Dodds, Woolmarket, Berwick, recently visited the battlefields in France along with other representatives of the Railwaymen in the North of England. They were conducted during the tour by Staff Major Lord Greville.

Berwick Railway Station early 1900s. © Berwick Record Office – BRO 1636-10-013

On arriving in France the party was initiated into the mysteries of the anti-gas department, supplied with gas masks and shrapnel helmets, and were put through the six different movements of the drill, and then put into a hut filled with gas to test the efficiency of the masks. The first place of interest they visited was an establishment covering any amount of ground and dealing with the salvage of the battlefields from a button to a 15 inch gun. They were taken through the different shops where the bulk of the work is done by German prisoners and Chinese labourers, supervised by our own non-commissioned officers. The system was explained, and it was shown that this factory alone must have saved the country many millions of pounds. In several of the departments French girls are employed but on the day of Mr Dodds’s visit they took French leave and paraded the streets singing ( Mr Dodd’s party being greeted by the British “Hurrah!”) owing to a rumour that Peace had been declared. They proceeded to a bakery busy in supplying the British, French and Belgian troops with bread. Here the Chinese do the labouring, a continuous procession of coolies carrying flour to the troughs, but our own Tommies do the kneading and baking. The output is 400,000 loaves per week.

They also motored out to the largest munition dump in France, the extreme width being ten miles. They were shown the different railway arrangements for dealing with the front line demands, the huge stores capable of holding from 40,000 to 70,000 tons of ammunition each; and the mechanism of each hand grenade and aerial bomb was explained. These bombs range from twenty to 1,660 lbs, and the conductor informed them that an airman dropping one of the latter on to a German Railway Station was forced a thousand feet up into the air by the force of the concussion. The station was of course obliterated.

LOCAL NEWS

On Sunday last Berwick had no supply of gas between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. So many of the men at the works were off with influenza that the Gas Company found this necessary, in order to get up a certain amount of reserve stock to prevent any total collapse of lighting during the week. They considered that the withdrawal of supplies during daylight hours on Sunday would cause the least inconvenience to the public. It is no often the gas supply is cut off in the town, but air-raids made it necessary, and once recently we were without a supply of gas when the company were laying a new main in Tweedmouth.

Miss Doris Dodds, who for the past six months has been working in France as a motor ambulance driver, is back in Berwick this week. The work has been hard, but very interesting; weather conditions were often adverse and night duty frequent, but Miss Dodds has enjoyed her time in France. There were 100 motor drivers in the town where she was stationed, and their duties were to convey the wounded to and from the station to the hospitals, clean down their cars and do all running repairs. A fortnight after arriving in France, Miss Dodds came in for an exciting air raid, when the German aeroplanes, flying low, dropped about 160 bombs in a hospital area of three quarters of a mile, where she was stationed. There were many causalities amongst the patients and orderlies, and some of the sisters were also killed. The town was quite unprepared for this raid, no warnings were given, and there were no dug-outs ready. The next night the motor drivers were ordered to take their cars out to a neighbouring wood, and they slept beside them wrapped in army blankets – none too clean, but what matter so long as they were warm. They had to do this for some time as the raids were continued, and they were ultimately given quarters in a neighbouring village. The Germans excused themselves by pointing out that the hospitals were not flying the Red Cross flag, and they did not know what the buildings were. One of their duties was to motor the sisters an doctors out to the neighbouring woods to sleep till 4 a.m., when they were brought back again to hospital for at least an hour’s rest in a bed before going on duy again. Raids continued to be more or less frequent until the Germans were driven out of Zeebrugge, where they had their base; Miss Dodd’s experiences coincide with those of Miss Bishop, who a few weeks ago gave an interesting paper upon her work in France at the same town where Miss Dodds was stationed. Nurse Katie Mackay was also for a time in a hospital there.

The death has occurred in a Military Hospital in Egypt of Sergeant Pickering, late of the 1st K.O.S.B., husband of Mrs Pickering, 20 West Street, Berwick. He had eighteen years’ service and was at one time stationed at the Depot, Berwick. He proceeded to the Dardanelles with the K.O.S.B. in April, 1915, and being wounded in May he was sent to hospital, later doing garrison duty at Alexandria. He leaves a widow and a son aged three and a half years, whom he has never seen. The deepest sympathy is felt for the widow in her great loss.

The great improvement in street lighting has given satisfaction throughout the town, and even in the less frequented back streets there is now the light of incandescent to lead one in the straight path and help in the safe negotiation of door scrapers. Those who altered their classic features by having arguments with the Maclagan Memorial, Scotsgate and sundry corners during the dark nights of last winter will be relieved to feel that many preventable accidents will now be avoided. The unfortunate part about all the accidents was that the authorities who so rigidly enforced the stygean conditions never suffered casualty.

CHRISTMAS MAILS FOR THE BRITISH

ARMIES IN FRANCE, BELGIUM AND ITALY

Letters and parcels intended for delivery to the Italian Expeditionary Force and the British Expeditionary Force by Christmas should be posted so as to reach London before the final dates given below:-

Attribution: Europeana 1914-1918 project

Italian Expeditionary Force, Parcels 9th Dec. and 16th Dec.

British Expeditionary Force, Letters 14h Dec. and 16th Dec.

No parcel for either Force will be accepted at any Post Office after 14th December, until 27th December.

This Week in World War One, 8 February 1918

08/03/201815/02/2018 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 8 FEBRUARY 1918

We are pleased to learn that Bombardier Arthur Skeldon. R.F.A., has been awarded the Military Medal for “having extinguished burning ammunition and for coolness and accuracy in laying his gun while under heavy shell fire and when the rest of his detachment had become casualties.” He was also promoted bombardier on the field. He is a present in one of the Base Hospitals suffering from shrapnel wounds in the leg. This gallant soldier has been in France for three years, joining up when only a schoolboy when the war began. He is well known in Spittal, being the grandson of the late Mr Joseph Johnson, who was for a many years Dock Master at Tweedmouth. His younger brother Joe, has now joined up and is a corporal in the 19th Hussars at Aldershot. They are both nephews of Lieut. J. Johnston, R.E., who was awarded the D.C.M., for “conspicuous bravery” and given a commission on the field; and of Mr James Johnson, R.N.R., who was called up on August 3rd, 1914, and who along with so many of our local lads has done splendid service on that gallant ship the Macedonia. Good luck to them all.

MILITARY MEDAL FOR A WOOLER MAN

We are pleased to announce that official news has been received to the effect that Corporal O. Carr has been awarded the Military Medal. He is the first Wooler man to receive this distinction, and is to be congratulated on his success, which was well deserved as he has proved himself a brave soldier and gone through a lot of fighting. Previous to the war he was a member of the Territorial Force, and when they were mobilised he with others of the Northumberlands was called upon, and after undergoing their course of training were drafted out to France. It will be remembered that on their arrival at the front they were immediately sent into action at the first battle of Ypres, when Brig. General Riddell (another Wooler man) was killed. After completing his four years he was discharged, but joined up again and since then he has been in the thick of it. Corporal Carr is a son of Mr Alexander Carr of Wooler, and in civil life worked with Messrs T. Smart and Sons, slaters and plasterers, Wooler. He was home on leave quite recently, looking fit and well and as eager as ever. Let us hope that he will soon be able to return safe and sound after a complete victory over the unscrupulous enemy.

SEAHOUSES

The members of B. Coy. Northern Cyclists at present stationed in Seahouses under Lieut D. F. Thomson, together with service men on leave or discharged were entertained to a social evening by a few friends in Seahouses. The entertainment was organised by Miss Ord, Seahouses Post Office, who has in a general way befriended the Cyclists stationed here since 1914. She was ably assisted by the following ladies who provided cakes etc., Mrs Geo. Smith, Mrs W. A. Matthews, Mrs R. W. Mackenzie, Mrs M. Cuthbertson, Mrs H. A. Lawson and Miss Turnbull. Subscriptions were given by Mrs L. B. Ross and Messrs R. and C. W. Dawson, tobacco by Mr L. B. Ross and each man to the number of 50 were presented with a packet of cigarettes by Mr Geo. Smith. Supper was served in the billet, and after it had been thoroughly enjoyed the company adjourned to the large cycle shed which had been artistically decorated by the military under the direction of Mr Geo. Smith. Here they were joined by a number of young ladies. Mrs L. B. Ross kindly lent her piano and excellent music was provided by Corporal Whillicks (piano) and Cyclist Brown (violin). Games and dancing were enjoyed and songs were sung by Miss C. S. Walker, Miss Lizzie Cuthbertson, Miss Helen Young, Quarter Master Sergeant Dixon and Cyclist Gill. Cyclist Potts also gave an exhibition in step dancing. Second-Lieut. Jobson on behalf of the men thanked Miss Ord and those who had so kindly assisted her in providing such an excellent evenings’ entertainment. The men showed their appreciation in a hearty manner. Mr R. W. Mackenzie courteously acted as M.C. Tea urns and ware were kindly lent by Mrs James Young, Longstone House and others.

LOCAL NEWS

The donations for providing of Christmas parcels for members of Wallace Green Church serving at the front were £16 1s 11d., and the retiring collection £12 5s 8d., making a total of £28 7s 7d. 188 comforts, consisting of woollen goods, cigarettes, soap, etc., were sent in 25 parcels were dispatched to the east, 62 to France, and 46 for home, making a total of 133 parcels sent to the different places. Mr Macaskill has received 64 letters and 4 visits from those who got parcels. It was feared that the Salonica parcels had been sunk by enemy action. The Committee are glad to say such is not the case as Mr Macaskill has had leers from Salonica. Thanks are accorded to Mr Geo. Martin, for the free printing of the Christmas letters and to Messrs Bishop, for a handsome gift of Berwick Cockles.

BERWICK PETTY SESSIONS

Margaret Aird, married woman, Tweedmouth, was charged with having neglected her five children, aged respectively 12, 10, 9, 7 and 3 years, on 1st February. She pleaded guilty to leaving her children in the house without a fire guard.

The Chief Constable explained that this was one of the cases they were loath to bring before the Court. She was the wife of a soldier in Salonika, had 39s 6d allowance, and with the income of the oldest child had £2 7s. There had been complaints about the defendant’s conduct for some time past and the police had had her under surveillance. She had been gradually selling the house furniture and the allowance was being diverted to other channels.

Sergt. J. McRobb said on Friday evening, 1st February, he was on duty in Well Road with P.C. Lindsay watching the house. They met defendant going home and on returning with her found there was a large fire on and no guard. All the children were in bed but Mary, aged 12, who was sitting at the fireside. The children were scanty and dirtily clothed, and there was a room she would not open. There was a half loaf and some tea and sugar in the house. Defendant said that a mattress was utilised for the rest sleeping on the floor. Witness had seen her twice or three times coming home between 11 and 12 o’clock at night in one week and she had been under their surveillance for three months.

By Mr Herriot – The children did not appear to be starved, but they could have been better.

Capt. Norman enquired if defendant was ever seen under the influence of drink, and the reply was the negative.

The Chief Constable said it was worse than a case of drinking.

Witness (resuming) said he had seen her twice at night at Borewell, Scremerston, and she was not alone on these occasions.

P.C. John Lindsay said he had seen defendant on several occasions late at night with different parties, and he thought it was improper conduct when her husband was away.

Defendant, in a voluble and forcible manner, addressed the Bench, and denied that she had neglected her children, maintaining that there was animosity shown towards her by her own people because she would not speak to them.

The Mayor enquired if the children had been kept regularly at school.

The Chief Constable said that so far as he knew there were no complaints on this ground and the police had not made enquiries; the complaints were with regard to defendant’s nightly conduct, which had continued for some time.

After a private deliberation lasting over fifteen minutes the Mayor said that the Magistrates had found defendant guilty, but for the sake of the children they would not send her to prison. She would be bound over for six months under £5, be placed under the observation of the Probation Officer, and would be asked to pay the costs, 5s.

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