On Thursday, January 28th, a lecture was given in the school in aid of the Belgian Relief Fund. The lecturer was M. Wouters of Antwerp, whose account of his personal experiences of the war was listened to by a deeply interested audience. M. Wouters went through the whole of the earlier part of the war, including the sieges of Liege and Antwerp, and the sacking of Louvain and Namur. Thereafter he was invalided to England.
His account of these terrible times was thrilling and showed what a heroic part gallant little Belgium had played for the saving of Liberty and Civilization. The lecture was illustrated by lantern views of some of the horrors wrought by the ruthless Germans, and concluded with a passionate appeal to Englishmen for more help in men and money. The proceeds amounted to £5, and this will be sent to assist in a small way in relieving the distress prevailing among the unfortunate people the story of whose self-sacrificing bravery will forever “re-echo down the long corridors of Time.”
Mr Robertson, books; Miss Pearson, eggs; Mrs Young, St Leonard’s Cakes;Miss Weatherhead, 31 Castlegate, eggs; Miss Herriot, scones; Miss Tait, Bridge Street, currant loaf; Miss B Fair, illustrated papers; Mrs Wilsden, The Elms, apples and oranges; Miss Alder, Halidon, soup; Miss Wood, Horncliffe, beef jelly; “A Friend”, morning papers; “A Friend”, bananas; Mrs A. Darling, Bondington, scones; Mrs Herriot, Sanson Seal, cakes; Miss Herriot, do, loan of gramophone and records; Mrs Gemmel, 25 Low Greens, daily papers and vegetables; “A Friend”, Two puddings.
Advert from the Berwick Advertiser 5th February 1915
Writing from the front to a friend in Berwick; Sergeant. T. Young, Army Cycling Corps, 7th Division, says: -“We sailed from Southampton for ———– on Christmas Eve and I can tell you we were fairly miserable to see the lights of the Old Country fade away and thinking of our friends at home. We arrived at a rest camp at ——— about 3.00 p.m. on Christmas Day, tired, hungry and very cold.
Three miserable days were spent then we departed for the front by train, the journey taking 30 hours. We arrived at a place called Railhead and then had an hour’s cycle run to our billet,-a deserted farmhouse about one and a half miles in the rear of the trenches. We have been on patrol work ever since arriving- looking for snipers, spies, shirkers etc; in ruined buildings just at the rear of the fighting line.
We get a “little” excitement as every day the Germans are sending us shrapnel and “Jack Johnsons” Excepting for the artillery matters are very quiet in our division. Yesterday (9th January) we had a good deal of shrapnel dropped around us, some struck the billet but did no great damage. We went out to look for souvenirs but we soon had to double back to the billet as more shrapnel started to come.
The Northern Cyclist Battalion, with a number from other Battalions are with this Company as reinforcements to a regular Company which lost heavily in a recent battle. Our lads have settled down wonderfully and the surprising thing to me is how quietly they all take the shell-fire. We have good regular officers, especially the C.S.M. and C.Q.M.S. we are all very cheerful, fit and happy and have been served with good clothing, which comprises corduroy breeches, jacket, British warm, and fur jacket.
The food is very good and there are plenty of free “smokes”, a tot of rum nightly and a good billet. No one can speak too highly of the work of the Regulars, but at the same time there is quite a lot of Territorials out here doing the same work as the Regulars and doing it well. It seems to me this is a sort of siege warfare and if a man has the stamina and guts to stick the rough life and can handle a rifle quickly it is nearly all that is required. I don’t wish to appear too wise but from what I have heard I don’t think Cyclist Battalions will ever get out here as complete Battalions. If any more men are called from this Corps you can tell them to come out here. They will serve under officers with fighting experience and alongside comrades who have been through it and you know much that is worth.”
The Berwick Company of the Northern Cyclist Batallion which was raised in Berwick removed to Bamburgh on Monday. It is intended to billet 300 of this Battalion in Bamburgh Castle and Armstrong Cottages.
Advert from The Berwick Advertiser 22nd January 1915
A PLACE FOR DUCKS
In a letter to his aunt in Berwick :Lieut Eric Land, RAMC writes :
“The trenches are very wet and muddy just now in some places nearly four feet deep in water, and it is naturally very trying for the men to have no chance of getting dry for several weeks. It is extraordinary how cheerful and well they keep, in the circumstances and they don’t mind the Germans as long as they have plenty to eat and smoke – and so far they have had no cause for complaint in that respect. We are settling down for the winter here and I don’t suppose much will happen this side until spring comes. We shall soon have webbed feet if we live much longer in this country”.
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.
