K.O.S.B.

This Week in World War One, 29 June 1917

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BERWICK ADVERTISER, 29 JUNE 1917

 

WAR NEWS

 

BERWICK MAN WOUNDED

 

The accompanying photo is of Private T.H. Pattison, whose wife has just received information, that he has been admitted into the casualty clearing station in France suffering from wounds in the arm and back. Before enlisting he carried on the business of painter, having succeeded his father the late Johnson Pattison. He joined up on September, 1916, and was put into the 3rd K.O.S.B’s at Duddingston. After some time there he went to Dreghorn and attached to the A. and S. Highlanders. He was brought back to Duddingston and transferred to the Seaforths, from there to Blairgowrie, then to France, where he has been for 4 months. We trust that his wife may soon receive favourable news of him. His wife is the youngest sister of Mr Thomas Grey, Tweedmouth, and resides at 12 Parade, Berwick.

 

LOCAL NEWS

 

Berwick Volunteers – Good progress continues to be made in rifle and other drill by the various platoons, while the physical exercises are also being enthusiastically taken up by the younger members. At the close of one of the last drills Capt. C. L. Fraser, V. D., commanding officer, took occasion to advert to the irregularity in attendance of many of the younger members, expressing the earnest hope that due attention would be made to remedy this fault. He also trusted that every effort would be made to increase the membership of the Berwick Company. Good as the response had been for the Borough, it was still evident that there were a goodly number of men of military age who had not identified themselves with the Corps. He hoped every member would taken it as an instruction form him to personally interview eligible men who up to the present had not identified themselves with the Company, and insist on a reasonable and a satisfactory explanation for their failure to join up.

Scremerston Band’s Patriotic Work – On Sunday afternoon last, by permission of the Local Authority, Scremerston Brass Band discoursed a programme of scared music at Berwick Band Stand, on the Walls to a large and appreciative audience.

The Scremerston Colliery Band 1910. © Berwick Record Office, BRO 1753-2a.

A collection was taken up on behalf of Berwick Patriotic Fund, the sum of £6 3s 6d being realised. We trust that this will only be a forerunner of many other musical treats provided by Bandmaster Whitfield and his highly trained instrumentalists.

Early Potatoes – Several allotment holdiers in the town and district have been digging the first earlies from their potato plots during the past week, and for size and quality the young tubers are well up to standard. It will be another month, however, before potatoes, to any great extent, are on the market from local growers. The new allotments at Violet Terrace are looking exceptionally fine, and should all well produce an abundant return.

Grammar School Rambling Club – On Saturday, June 23rd, the Rambling Club cycled to Wooler. There the party of fourteen divided, seven visiting the “Happy Valley,” and the rest setting out to climb the Cheviot: this was prevented by mist, but a good height was reached and the climbers had a fine view over the surrounding country, and the mountain provided plenty of scope for nature study.

Street Accident – About 4.50 on Wednesday afternoon Mary Fryer, widow, residing in Narrow Lane, Berwick, was cycling down Church Street, and in trying to avoid a boy she swerved on to the pavement. She had the misfortune to knock down Mrs Colin Campbell, and continuing her course she went through a plate glass window of Mr Campbell, tailor, situated in the ladies’ department.

Church Street, 1906. BRO 0426-338 (C) Berwick Record Office.

When Mrs Fryer was picked up she was found to be slightly cut about the head and suffering from severe bruises to her left knee. She was attended to by Dr C. L .Fraser, V.D., at the police station, and he ordered her removal to the Infirmary. She was conveyed there in the ambulance by P.C. Watt.

 

This Week in World War One, 10 March 1916

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Berwick Advertiser title 1915

 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 10 MARCH 1916

 

LOCAL NEWS

 

Memorial in Parish Church to late Mr Stephen Sanderson – At a meeting of Berwick Vestry on Friday the application by the Vicar and Churchwardens for the erection of a brass tablet in memory of the late Mr Stephen Sanderson. The Elms, and his wife, came up for consideration. It was explained that the brass would be 34 by 24 with a teak frame 36 by 26, and that it was proposed to place it in the north wall of the Church above the tablet in memory of Capt. Forbes, who was a great friend of the late Mr Sanderson. On the motion of the Vicar, seconded by Mr. Forsyth, it was agreed to apply for a faculty from the Chancellor for the erection of the tablet.

Berwick Parish Church. © John Box - Friends of Berwick and District Museum and Archives website.
Berwick Parish Church. © John Box – Friends of Berwick and District Museum and Archives website.

 

Women on Land. – It is estimated that probably 200,000 men have been withdrawn from various agricultural pursuits. This affords some justification for the unwillingness of the Board of Agriculture to consent to any further great depletion of rural labour through enlistment until measures are adopted for securing the maintenance of home-grown food supplies. A great demand exists for women’s labour on the land, and the Women’s National Land Service Corps has been formed to carry on a great recruiting campaign in town and country. It appears that through existing local agencies only 14,000 women have volunteered for what must be regarded as a patriotic service. The Land Service Corps received a send-off from Mr Walter Long and Viscount Milner. The latter is Chairman of the Committee on Home Production of Food. Appeals on the ground of patriotism will be made to women of all classes throughout England and Scotland, and it is confidently anticipated that the call will be answered. Educated women are asked to come forward and undergo a short course of training which will enable them to act as forewomen to places where there is a dearth of competent overseers.

Farm workers posing as a group.
Farm workers posing as a group. © Hampshire and Solent Museums – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

 

BERWICK PETTY SESSIONS

Deserter’s Walkergate Refuge

 

John Brown, private in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, was charged with having been an absentee or deserter from the 3rd Battalion of the KOSB at Portobello.

The Chief Constable explained that the accused was found in the house of a married woman at the above address, where he was apprehended. The accused pleaded guilty.

Sergeant Wm. Glover stated that he received a telegraphic message from Portobello on Monday morning stating that the accused had been an absentee since Tuesday, 15th February, and that he was supposed to be about Berwick. He informed the police.

Police Constable Spiers deponed that he apprehended the accused in a house at 43, Walkergate, belonging to Mrs Mary Ann Foster or Wood. The accused had been there a fortnight, and had been absent from his regiment three weeks altogether,

The bench remanded the accused to await the arrival of a military escort.

 

BERWICK LADIES’ DISTRICT NURSING ASSOCIATION, Q.V.J.I.N

 

L0006733 Nursing: portraits and uniforms
Dame Rosalind Paget, a 1st Queen’s nurse and Inspector. © Welcome Trust – Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.

The report of work undertaken by the Queen’s Nurses in connection with the above Association, and of gifts received during the month of February, is as follows; – Commencing on the 1st with 49 cases transferred from January until the 29th February, 45 new patients were registered (Berwick 27, Tweedmouth 9, Spittal 9),making a total of 94 to whom they attended. Of these 37 were removed from the books as convalescent and 3 died, leaving 54 transferred to the present month. During the month nurses paid 1061 visits, and issued on loan amongst the sick 14 nursing appliances and 20 articles of clothing. The following gifts were also received; for all of which the Executive Committee tender their sincere thanks to  the donors; – Miss Pearson, Ava Lodge; bovril and eggs; Miss Willoby, Ravesdowne, bed linen; Wallace Green Girls Auxiliary, cakes; Mr Lyall, Ravensdowne, old linen; Mrs Mackay, Castlegate, clothing. The Committee gratefully acknowlege the following donations to the Funds of the Association: – A Friend, Berwick, 2s 6d; a Grateful Mother, Berwick, 2s 6d; Mr Robert Dudgeon, Walkergate, 10s; A Grateful patient, Tweedmouth, 5s. Gifts of eggs, soup, clothing, etc., will be greatly welcomed, and may be sent to the Head Nurse, Q.V. Nurses’ Home, Quay Walls – all such being acknowledged monthly in the local papers.

 

This Week in World War One, 13 August 1915

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Berwick Advertiser title 1915

 

 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 13 AUGUST 1915

 

DEAD HERO’S LETTER

Life in the Trenches.

 

The following is a copy of a letter by Lance-Corporal J. Frater, 4th K.O.S.B., Ayton, who was killed at the Dardanelles on 12th July. It was written on the 28th June:-

            Dear Father, – We have just got back to the rest camp after being five days in the firing line. Everything in the firing line is different from what I expected it to be. In the first place I always thought the trenches would be at least eighty yards apart, and that half of that distance would be covered with wire entanglement, but the trench that we were in was originally a Turkish fire trench, and when they retired they just moved into the communication trench, therefore their trench actually ran into ours. The end was blocked up with sandbags, but still they creep up and throw in hand grenades. Of course, our boys can deal with them the same way. Well, to give you an idea of life in the trenches, I will give you an ordinary day in the first line. Whenever it gets dark every man stands to and fixes his bayonet, and after a while if nothing brisk is going on every second man can rest (nobody is allowed to rest), but, of course, they take turn about, one hour on and one off. If anything is noticed they send up a star shell. It lights up the whole place, but it shows your position to the enemy just the same as you see their’s, (sic) so everybody has to keep out of sight.

WW1 trench in Gommecourt, France - Source UBC Library
WW1 trench in Gommecourt, France – Source UBC Library

Of course, some of the sentries can have a shot if there is anything to be seen. Well, just after dawn everybody has to be on the look out, and after it is daylight bayonets are unfixed and one man in six is on sentry. The rest can sleep, but there is food, water and ammunition to be brought in, and as you have all your cooking to do, you don’t get much rest. Of course, that is on a quiet day. You might have to be firing both day and night. The second night we were in our tanks advanced a little, and thinking we were going to do the same the Turks kept up a rapid fire the whole night. We went into the trenches as if it was an everyday occurrence. Nobody was excited when we were fired on for the first time. You would have thought that everybody wanted to fire, but still I never saw anybody fire unless he had something to fire at. The enemy’s snipers were a bit troublesome at times, and got some of our chaps, but a good many snipers were sent to the happy hunting grounds. The casualties in our Platoon, No. 3, Bob Wilson of Coldingham was wounded, and Lance-Corporal Ford (Sergt. Ford’s brother was killed. John Mack was wounded by a shell the second day we were here. All the Ayton chaps are all right so far. I will have to close now. When replying, enclose a sheet of writing paper and an envelope, and please write soon.

                        I remain,

                                    Your loving son,

                                                J. FRATER.

LOCAL NEWS

 

Saved by Motor Boat – On Monday evening a small boy, four years old, named Warnach, and residing in Palace Street, Berwick, while playing near the edge of the Quay fell into the Tweed.

Spowart ferry landing and Spittal - Berwick Record Office BRO 1887-2-4
Spowart ferry landing and Spittal – Berwick Record Office BRO 1887-2-4

After being in the water for some time he was observed by Mr Phillip Spowart, owner of the Berwick and Spittal motor boat ferry service who, with one of his boats, immediately went to the boy’s assistance and pulled him out of the river in an exhausted condition. After receiving treatment the boy proceeded to his home little the worse for his immersion.

Propaganda Poster
Propaganda Poster

 

Suspicion as to Lady Spy –

On Wednesday an English lady, presently on holiday at Wooler, aroused the suspicions of the authorities by taking sketches of the old bridge from the Tweedmouth side of the river. It is understood that at the same time she stupidly indulged in making some enquiries as to the military dispositions of the troops and this had the effect of strengthening the suspicions of the police. On being taken to the police station the lady was able to give a satisfactory explanation of her movements, as well as regarding her personality, and she was not detained for any lengthened period. The incident however, should not be without its warning to others to be careful, and not attempt to take drawings in prohibited areas, especially in the vicinity of harbours close to the east coast.

 

FOULDEN

 

The inhabitants of Foulden were very pleased to have a visit of two Belgian soldiers straight from the front, a few days ago, one of them having spent some time in Foulden House hospital, and this being the other’s first trip to bonnie Scotland. He has had nine months in the trenches without receiving a scratch. The other one, since leaving Foulden, had got a bayonet wound in the wrist but is now quite better. They are both in perfect health, and in no way cast down. It is very gratifying to think any little kindness shown them while in hospital has been fully appreciated in their hurried trip to see old friends again. They got a most hearty welcome, and what with motor trips and cycle runs, tea and dinner parties, they more than enjoyed it, and will carry back with them sweet memories of their recent visit. They came on the 27th July and left on the 31st, with the promise of coming back again at some future date.

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