Northumberland Fusiliers

This Week in World War One, 20 April 1917

08/03/201821/04/2017 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 20 APRIL 1917

TWEEDMOUTH MAN WOUNDED

Information has been received by his wife in Berwick that Private F. Crow, K.O.S.B.’s has been wounded in the left-arm and right thigh, and has been sent to hospital. The chaplain (the Rev. R. W Hopkins) in a letter remarks that “there is no reason why he should not get on well. He will very soon be in England and there is no cause for anxiety.” Private Crow is a painter to trade and for a number of years was employed in the painting department of Messrs Wm. Elder and Sons Implement Works.

An early twentieth century image of William Elder’s engineering works in Berwick. Private F. Crow worked in the painting department with Elder’s for a number of years. © Berwick Record Office, BRO 1944-1-2661-17.

Latterly he was employed with Mr Gilchrist, painter, etc, in West Street. Private Crow joined under the Derby Scheme in September last. He was trained at Duddingston, and went to France on 15th January.

LOCAL NEWS

Death of an Old Berwick Ship Captain. – Death has this week removed one of the old-time Berwick ship captains in the person of Mr Thomas Ormston, at the ripe old age of 80 years. In days when Berwick port was of much importance, Captain Ormston had command successively of the late Mr Andrew Thompson’s schooners – the “Tweed” and the “Maggie,” for a long time sailing to continental and other ports. He was a freeman of Berwick, being “made free” in the year 1858. He has lived in retirement for a number of years.

Good Work to the Soldiers Recognised. – For seven years Mrs Highgate has carried on almost useful and philanthropic work at her residence on the Quay Walls on behalf of the social and moral advancement of the soldiers in Berwick. Owing to advancing years she has been compelled to relinquish her good efforts, and is on the eve of leaving the town for Dunoon. The Mayor and Mayoress, supported by a few friends who are fully alive to the great and good work Mrs Highgate has accomplished, fittingly resolved that she should receive some small token of appreciation to mark her stay and labours in the Border town, and a presentation ceremony was somewhat hurriedly arranged to take place in the Council Chamber on Tuesday evening. The proceedings were of a private character, and of brief duration. His Worship the Mayor presided, there were also present the Mayoress, Mr Thos. Wilson, who acted as treasurer; Ald. A. Logan, Mr and Mrs J. Strachan, Mrs T. Purves, Miss C. E. Purvis, Miss Richardson, Miss Paxton, Mrs McCreath (senior), and a friend, Mr and Mrs Alex. Steven. In a neat and appropriate speech the Mayor made the presentation, consisting of a marble clock, on which a suitable inscription is to be placed. Mrs Highgate made a feeling and suitable response, alluding to the pleasure and great interest her work among the soldiers had given her. Several others spoke of the great good that had resulted from Mrs Highgate’s work, bearing testimony to the unselfish and disinterested manner in which she had always carried these out.

The Poultry Demonstration Train on the N.E. Railway. – The poultry demonstration train on tour on the North Eastern railway in Durham this month is meeting with great success, and the demonstrations that will follow in Northumberland are being looked forward to with considerable interest. The train consists of four coaches, and is replete with the latest poultry-culture appliances, comprising, among other things, incubators of various types, brooders, trap-nests, egg-boxes, egg-testing lamps, cramming machine, and models of poultry-houses. The different kinds of foods suitable for poultry, as well as a pen of pullets illustrating the way in which fowls are kept on the intensive system, are other features of the exhibition. The train is accompanied by lecturers and demonstrators. Wooler is to be visited on 1st May, Chathill 4th May, and Tweedmouth 5th May.

TRIBUTE TO THE NORTHMBERLAND FUSILIERS

LAUGHED AT DEATH

NORTHERN MANS STORY OF THE VIMY RIDGE ASSUALT

A thrilling story of the Vimy Ridge battle is told by a former resident of Darlington, now serving with the machine Guns Corps and attached to one of the Canadian Battalions. In an interview he said;-

A British dug fighting tunnel in Vimy sector, WW1. GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2. Wikimedia Commons.

“It was hell for the Germans, heaven for us. Hell for them because our big guns had been at it for hours powdering the strongest earth works to dust and reducing the men to jelly. The immediate effect was to put a severe strain on nerves all round. A thrill of joy and relief ran through our ranks when the gun fire died down, and the infantry began to liven up. It was heaven for us because we felt that at last we were to have a chance of avenging hundreds of loved comrades who had been killed in more or less fair fights in this region or poisoned by foul gas.

“Many of the men in my battalion were Northerners. They had relations and friends in the Northern regiment such as the Northumberland Fusiliers, which had fought so well over this very ground just a year ago. To my dying day I will never forget how our lads charged. They were absolutely irresistible. They paid not the slightest attention to the gust of shell-fire and machine gun bullets, in the teeth of which they had to advance. They laughed at death and wounds, and swept onward and upward in one great avenging avalanche.

“Ten yards from the German parapet the foe were found awake to their danger. They came streaming out of their lairs firing into the grey morning with all kinds of weapons. Our Canadians gave a cheer, and dashed at the foe exultingly. The first enemy line went down like a puppet before a half-ton ball. We dashed over the dead and wounded, and bounded into the trench.

“Here we found the Huns making desperate efforts to pull themselves together. We flung ourselves on them before they could muster force enough to stop us, and while they were doing the “Mercy, Kamerad” dance other parties of ours were streaming over the crest and down the slope to meet the oncoming reserves. There was no holding our lads back. They swept eagerly forward, and very soon had the whole of the ground in their hands.

This Week in World War One, 23 March 1917

08/03/201824/03/2017 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 23 MARCH 1917

WAR NEWS

TWEEDMOUTH LAD’S SERVICE

Alexander Gladstone, son of Mr and Mrs Gladstone, Falloden Terrace, Tweedmouth, and grandson of the late highly respected Thomas Brown, N.E.R. engine driver, Tweedmouth, who met with a tragic end at Goswick some ten years ago. He is 20 years of age, was a territorial, and was mobilised with the 7^th Northumberland Fusiliers in August, 1914, put in his time at Gosforth and Cambois, and went with the battalion to France in April, 1915. He was in the fateful battle St. Julien, and was wounded at St. Eloi after which he was confined to hospital for six weeks. For 15 months he was orderly and stretcher bearer under our esteemed townsman, Dr Mackay, was also a pupil under the doctor in the N.E.R. Ambulance Corps, and won 1^st class honours in competitions in same. He has since leaving the Ambulance Section of the Northumberland Fusiliers been 8 months in the transport of the same battalion and has been absent from home for 15 months without leave. We wish him continued good luck and safe home, as he has like many others, some terrible experiences to his credit, although he is so young. Previous to the war he was a fireman with the N.E.R. Co.

LOCAL NEWS

Thanks. – The Committees of the Berwick Ladies’ District Nursing Association, and the Berwick-on-Tweed Prisoners of War Fund, would like to take this opportunity of rending their very grateful thanks to Mr Dudgeon and his concert party for the handsome sum of £38, which has been equally divided between them. These committees feel assured that they and the public generally, owe these friends a debt of gratitude, not only for the very acceptable addition to the funds of both Associations, but for a most enjoyable and successful evening’s entertainment. The Committee of the Prisoners of War Fund would like, at the same time, to thank those friends who so successfully organised a concert at Spittal for their friends, and to the promoters of other entertainments, sales of work, etc., who have so generously given of their takings for the Prisoners.

Camp Gardens – Hutments and Barracks. – A Scottish Command Order states – Attention is drawn to the urgent need of making the most of every source of food and of supplementing the messing of the troops with a variety of vegetables grown on the spot. A proportion of the vegetables necessary for the men can, in the majority of hutment camps and barracks, be grown in plots adjacent to the lines, and the attention of Command Officers is drawn to the need of prompt action.

Presentation at the Barracks. – On Monday evening an interesting presentation was made in the Sergeants’ Mess at the Berwick Barracks, when Sergt. W. Tait, of the K.O.S.B., was presented with a handsome marble clock and a pair of bronze side ornaments on the occasion of his marriage which took place on Thursday, 22^nd inst.

The presentation was made in a neat and appropriate speech by Sergt. Major J. B. Westle on behalf of the members and honorary members of the Sergeants Mess at the Depot, and was suitably acknowledged by the gallant recipient. Sergt. Tait has 23 years service, has been twice at the front, and has been twice wounded. He was a time-expired soldier, and re-joined his old regiment at the call of duty. He is native of Glasgow. The gifts were supplied by Messrs Ross, jewellers, Bridge Street, Berwick.

GRAND CONCERT

ON BEHALF OF

BERWICK NURSING ASSOCIATION

AND

PRISONERS OF WAR FUND

A crowded house met in the Queen’s Rooms, Berwick, on Thursday, March 15^th, to enjoy a concert of unusual excellence given by local amateur artistes of undoubted ability.

The Chairman, Captain C.B. Balfour of Newton Don, Kelso, who spoke of the excellent work done by the nurses, drew special attention to the fact that the professional nurses had not only their own work to do, but were engaged besides in the training of novices which it added greatly to their labours.

Group of nurses taken in Northern France, probably c 1916. Source: Unsung heroes – World War 1 nurses. © Licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Captain Balfour was of opinion that our prisoners of war were in great need of help and sympathy. His own son had been a civilian prisoner in Germany since war broke out and, bad as the lot of the civilian prisoner had been we could be sure that the lot of the soldier prisoner was worse. Before the concert opened Captain Balfour said that many of the artistes were well known to him. They had come to Newton Don once every month for more than a year, and he assured the audience that if their services were as much appreciated in Berwick as they are at Newton Don, a great treat was in store for them. (Applause).

Considerable changes had to be made. Private Bell, we regret to say, is in hospital, Lance Cpl. Henderson was indisposed, and Sgt. Clark had a bad throat. The absence of these skilled soldier artistes was much regretted, but their places were ably filled by Mrs R. H. Wilkinson (piano) and Mr James Winram, the celebrated Scottish violinist from Edinburgh, whose services were fortunately secured.

The concert opened with an instrumental trio – Mr Winram, violin; Private C. Irwin, “cello; Mrs R. H. Wilkinson, piano. It was seen at once that all three were expert musicians who acquitted themselves with as much ease and facility as if they had been playing together for years.

ARRIVAL OF SOLDIER SUBSTITUTES AT BERWICK

In nearly all cases of farm labourers, passed for general service, which have come before recent Tribunals at Berwick, the men have been ordered to serve when a suitable substitute could be found. Then the young ploughman, or shepherd, or carter has been allowed to return to his work, and nothing further has happened. Now, however, things have begun to happen. A week ago a contingent of 120 soldiers came to Berwick, nearly all men who have been doing their bit in France, and who now, because they are wounded, or for some other reason, have been placed in the C2 category. They have been ploughmen, carters, joiners, general labourers, and poultry farmers in civil life, and are as alert and keen a set of men as one could wish to see, all as eager to do their part in providing food for the people as they were eager in other days to help to keep the enemy from our shores. They are drawn from different regiments, among them are a very considerable number of Lancashire and Yorkshire men. The officer in charge is a qualified and experienced agriculturist.

19/20th Century Bondagers at work (c) BRO 1894-30

Many farmers who came to the market on Saturday said they had heard rumours of the arrival of the substitutes, but had no definite information about them. They seemed much relieved to find so many men, among them who had had experience in agriculture, and find that arrangements were in the hands of an officer with such splendid agricultural qualifications. The chief objection raised by local farmers to the substitution scheme was, “Where are these men to be housed? The farm cottages are too small to cope with even one extra person”. Another farmer, hearing this objection, took a more cheerful view. “Surely that is not a difficulty we need trouble about” he said. “I am sure we can rig up something quite as comfortable as many a billet for our ploughmen substitutes, even if we can’t provide them all with cottages.”

This Week in World War One, 12 January 1917

08/03/201813/01/2017 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 12 JANUARY 1917

LOCAL NEWS

New Year’s Day at the Workhouse. – A tea, consisting of hot pies, bread and butter, and cake, given by the Guardians to the inmates, was very greatly appreciated. The tea was followed by the distribution of tobacco, fruit, and sweets. Mrs Willits, Miss Henderson, and Mr A.D. Watt were present. Mrs Willits and Miss Henderson expressed the pleasure it gave them to see the inmates enjoying themselves, and also expressed the hope that they would all have a brighter and happier year than had been possible for some time past.

SERGEANT- AT- MACE’S LOSS

Continuing, the Mayor said – That is not the only reference of the kind I have to make this evening. An old official of this Corporation, Mr James Johnston, Sergeant-at-Mace, has been passing through deep sorrow during these past days, owing to the loss which he has sustained in the death of his youngest son in the Military Hospital at Catterick Camp. Private Thomas Marshall Johnston of the Scottish Rifles, who was well known in Berwick and much esteemed, joined the Colours only in April last, so that his military career was a brief one. He bore a high character in his regiment. He was under orders to embark for Egypt when seized with the serious illness which terminated fatally on the 27^th ult.

I think I can assure Mr and Mrs Johnston of the sincere sympathy of every member of this Authority in this time of sorrow and bereavement. I should like to couple with this an expression of our sincere gratification at the fortunate escape from death of their daughter and son-in-law (Mr and Mrs Ferguson), who, having been in Berwick in connection with the funeral of the deceased soldier, were travelling to Glasgow in the train which met with the disaster at Ratho on Wednesday last. In that ill-fated train may I say that Mr and Mrs Lyall of Glasgow, with whom Private Johnston stayed for over ten years, were also travelling home. They were both killed, along with two of their children, the other two, being seriously injured, are now lying in the Infirmary. Mrs Lyall (who was a Miss Hepburn), is a native of Berwick. Our sincere sympathy goes out to the relatives of both the deceased in the sad calamity that has befallen them.

HOLY ISLAND

Lifeboat Supper and Presentation – A supper was given in the schoolroom at Holy Island on Wednesday evening to the lifeboat crews, the rocket lifesaving company, and the coast watchers. The Vicar, the Rev. Irvine Cranshaw, presided. Mr Joseph Shell proposed the Lifeboat Institution, including the Holy Island branch. This was responded to by Coxswain Cromary(sic), who referred to the fact that the lifeboat had been called out for service eleven times during the year, resulting in the rescue of 59 lives. Mr T. Kyle proposed the toast of the rocket lifesaving company and the coast watchers, which was responded to by Mr Ben Kyle.

After supper the public were admitted for the presenting of a silver medal to Coxswain Cromarty, a pleasing sequel to the rescue of the crew of the barque Jolani. Mr Robertson occupied the chair, and called upon the secretary to read a communication from the Lifeboat Institution, from which the following are extracts: “The Committee of Management are of opinion that was a specially fine service, carried out in a hurricane, in a heavy sea, amid driving rain and very rough weather.” “The Committee of Management decided to mark their appreciation of this fine service by the following awards – To George Cromarty, coxswain, the silver medal of the Institution, and the thanks inscribed on vellum. To Thomas Kyle, second coxswain, the thanks of the Institution on vellum. To the two coxswains and to each member of the crew an additional award of £1.”

In pinning the medal on Coxswain Cromarty, Miss Carlyn Crawshaw, the young daughter of the Vicar, said – Mr Cromarty, – I am glad you have been awarded the silver medal by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, because you and your crew have deserved it, and I am pleased to have the honour of pinning this medal on the breast of a very brave man. I hope you will live a long time to wear it.

HONOUR FOR TWEEDMOUTH SOLDIER

We are pleased to learn that Rough-Riding Sgt. Matthew Burke, Royal Field Artillery, who is married to a grand-daughter of the late Mr Patrick Davis, of West Street, Berwick, has been awarded 4^th Class Order of St. George from the Czar of Russia for conspicuous service on the battlefield in France. He has also been recommended for a Serbian Order. When he was Corporal prior to the outbreak of war, he was a prominent Fencing Instructor to the troops. He has seen considerable service on several fronts, and is a well-known and popular figure in the Borough. Sergeant Burke, who in his early soldiering days was for a long period trumpeter on the Artillery permanent Staff at Berwick, is the son of Mrs Rose Ann Burke, West End, Tweedmouth.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WHY FORGET THE CHILDREN

Sir, – Being a reader of our local paper every week, I have been surprised to see that there was nothing being done to give the children of our brave men a little pleasure. All the other towns have done as much, and surely when Berwick can collect £100 for Foreign Missions they could have a little to spare for charity at home. Owing to the cost of living we are not able to give the children any extras at home this year. Wake up, Berwick, and think of what our men have left behind them to safeguard us all from the foe, and what a pleasure it would be for them to read in the good old “Advertiser” and the pleasure Berwick had given their children. Their hearts would not be so heavy for he loved one’s left behind. A SOLDIER’S WIFE

WHY FORGET OUR BOYS?

Sir, – I observed a short time ago in a north country paper that our local battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers are in urgent need of socks, and the question which was raised in my mind was, “are we not neglecting our own lads and sending considerable quantities of comforts to a central organisation who distribute these goods to corps who have no connection with the district?” In December I saw the Local Guild of Aid appealing for additional comforts to be sent to the Northern Cyclists Battalion, and I have no doubt by this time a generous public will have seen to it that all wants have been supplied. With all due respect, however, to the Northern Cyclists Battalion, it is a matter of doubt whether they require comforts so much as our lads who are now roughing it on the Somme. I am also informed that local officers attached to corps with no connection with the district, are provided with a generous supply of comforts for their men while our own go without. Surely the Guild of Aid might be able to supply our local lads before entertaining any appeal from outside sources. It is a very laudable practice to be good to all soldiers, but above all, let charity begin at home, and ensure that the needs of Berwick and North Northumberland boys will be supplied not by the needy mother or wife, but by an organisation which derives is strength from the district. “POPERINGHE”

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