World War One

This Week in World War One, 8 October 1915

08/03/201809/10/2015 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 8 OCTOBER 1915

BATHING POND IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTED

One of the items alluded to by the Medical Officer of Health was the dangerous state of the two swimming ponds. He did so in connection with the healthy and invigorating effect such exercises as swimming have on a community. He called attention to the need of a catch rope round the walls of the ponds in case of accident. It was a most proper recommendation, but unfortunately not the slightest notice was taken of it. The bathing season, it is true, is now finished for another year, but at the same time there was no harm in the doctor mentioning the matter to the public body he so faithfully serves. In Montrose, for instance, there are life lines on the beach where bathing is indulged in, and it is very necessary. The plain fact is that the chief difficulty apparently in carrying out improvements in Berwick is the lack of sufficient money, but it is nevertheless the business of public officials in their reports to urge the absolute need of certain improvements being accomplished, allowing the Town Council to take the responsibility of giving effect to these.

BRO 1636-9-42 Berwick Bathing Pools 1950's — BRO 1636-9-42 Berwick Bathing Pools 1950’s

BELFORD

Fined for Shooting a Plover- Robert Linklater, Westoe, South Shields, was charged, at Belford Petty Sessions, with shooting and killing a green plover, at Warenford, on the 9th September. When charged with the offence by P.C. Pike, the accused said he did not know that these birds were protected. Superintendent T. Bolton, Alnwick, who prosecuted, told the Bench that the Order had been in force for several years, and it was astonishing the number or persons who pleaded the same excuse. A fine of half a crown was inflicted.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Educational Entertainment for Berwick School Children- The Directors of the “Playhouse” have arranged with Berwick Educational Committee for a programme of educational films to be shown free of charge to the school children of the Borough on Thursday and Friday afternoons, October 7th and 8th, at 2.30p.m. The balcony will be reserved for the public at admission 6d. The programme is :- How Eggs are Tested; Malta; the Making of Motor Tyres, the Kestrel and the Harvest Mouse; the French Army in Alsace; Chrysanthemums; the Octopus, Children of Tulip Land ( coloured); Switzerland; and Alpine Soldiers.

Berwick Playhouse, 1959. BRO 1250-123 — Berwick Playhouse, 1959.
BRO 1250-123

SCREMERSTON

Presentation- On Saturday evening last, the night workmen at Scremerston Colliery presented Mr and Mrs Richard Collins with tokens of their good will and appreciation on their leaving the district for Pegswood, where Mr Collins has received another appointment. Mr Collins received the present of a fountain pen and an umbrella, while Mrs Collins was the recipient of a nice dressing case. The presentation took place in the large room of the Miners Arms, kindly lent for the occasion by Mrs Cuthbert. Mr Carson, in making the presentation, expressed his deep regret and that of the men in losing the company of Mr Collins, who for the last six years had taken a keen interest and a prominent part in the social life of the place. They would all wish him success in his new sphere of work at Pegswood. Mr Collins briefly replied. A social evening was afterwards spent, the following being the programme:-

Selection-“Old Melodies, “ Concertina Band

Concertina solo– “March, the Liberty Bell, “ T. Cameron

Song– “My playmates of long ago, “ H. Drysdale

Step Dance- “Hornpipe,” Geo. Mason

Song– “When you and I were young, Maggie, “- T. Cameron

Violin and Concertina Duet– “Norma, “ Messrs Mason and Cameron

Selection– “Scotch Melodies, “ Concertina Band

Presentation

Selection– “Favourite Airs, “ Concertina Band

Concertina solo– “Alice, where art thou?” T. Cameron

Song- “Tom Bowling, “ T. Hill

Song– “The Pitman’s Courtship, “ T. McLeod

Concertina solo– “The Bagpipes, “ Geo. Forsyth

Song– “Mary, “ T. Cameron

Song– “Flora McDonald’s Lament, “ T. Mcleod

Selection– “Reels, Jigs, Strathspeys, Hornpipes, “ Concertina Band

“God Save the King.”

This Week in World War One, 24 September 1915

08/03/201825/09/2015 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 24 SEPTEMBER 1915

HINTS FOR THE HOME

Here is a good recipe for potted meat. Stew 1lb of stewing beef until tender. Pass this through a mincing machine. Season with salt and pepper, and work in also about 2oz of butter. Press the mixture into potted meat jars, and cover with melted butter.

Above a WW1 advert for potted meat and fish paste, both are still popular today!

When putting on kid gloves, always begin by buttoning the second button, then, when buttoned to the top, you can easily fasten the first button without tearing the kid. Never remove the glove by pulling the fingers, but by drawing the part covering the wrist over the hand.

When the hands are very dirty, use potato instead of soap. This will remove the dirt more quickly, and soften the skin at the same time.

When cut bread and butter is left over from meals, place it with a serviette which has been dipped in cold water. Place the food in a cool place and it will keep quite fresh and moist.

To prevent the juice from boiling over in a fruit tart, sprinkle the fruit with cornflower.

Never throw away your candle ends. Place these in a bag, and you will find them useful for ironing day. If the iron is occasionally passed over the bag, it will give the article a beautiful gloss.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Good programmes still continue to be submitted at the “Playhouse.” This week an excellent vaudeville turn is seen in “Stowe Brothers,” who present a novel acrobatic act. “Ashes” was the bioscopic feature during the first part of the week, while, commencing on Thursday, the feature will be “A Woman’s Triumph.” The latter is a fine film with a beautiful and impassioned story from the works of Sir Walter Scott. The feature films for next week’s programme are particularly good. At the beginning of the week the star film will be “The Link in the Chain,” a tense drama in three parts. The story is woven round the theft of a necklace. The charge is laid on an innocent man, who suffers imprisonment while his friends toil incessantly to prove his innocence, and they eventually do so to the undoing of the unscrupulous and the righting of the innocent. Commencing on Thursday next the feature will be “Temptation.” an intensely dramatic photo-play in three parts. The synopsis, which is a lengthy one, could not receive justice here owing to lack of space, but suffice it to say that it is a story of strong passions, full of sensations and thrills. Interest is held throughout because of its realism. “Harmon,” the dancing musician is the turn for next week. For further particulars see advertisement on front page.

RABBITS AS FOOD

Attention has been called to the value of the rabbit as an article of food during the present high prices of meat. Land owners and farmers, who have a sufficiency of hands left, should see to it and keep the adjacent towns as liberally supplied as possible, and meet the needs of the poorer inhabitants. The cutting of the harvest has tended to make the supply more liberal, but in Berwick on Saturday it was not equal to the demand, prices ranging from 1s 4d to 1s 10d per pair.

The above photograph is of Halliwells Butchers, Selkirk, Scotland, with a string of rabbits hanging outside, a rare sight these days! © William Stafford – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License.

RECRUITING MEETING AT WOOLER

About a 100 of the 6^th Northumberland Fusiliers including the Band arrived at Wooler on Monday afternoon on their recruiting tour. They were encamped on Turvelaws haugh for the night. In the evening a meeting was held in the Archbold Hall at which Mr Noel Villiers of Weetwood presided. Addresses were delivered by the Chairman, Sergt.-Major Walsh, Rev. Lothian Gray of Sprott, Dunbar, and colonel Napier. As a number of meetings have already been held here, both Wooler and district having responded well to the call, recruits were invited to come forward, but apparently without result. A dance took place after the meeting to music supplied by the band. An officer’s wife expressed her disgust at seeing so many young men in civilian clothes dancing saying she felt ashamed of them.

This Week in World War One, 17 September 1915

08/03/201818/09/2015 by Northumberland Archives

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 17 SEPTEMBER 1915

BOY DROWNED AT BERWICK QUAY

Shortly after noon on Monday, George Grieve, 13 years of age, son of James Grieve, baker, 1 Palace Street, Berwick, was discovered in the Tweed near the Leith Dock, and is supposed to have taken a fit, to which he was subject, and fallen from the Quay into the water. Thos. Laidler and James Burgon, who were salmon fishing close by, went to the spot with a boat and lifted Grieve from the water. He was conveyed to the Fish House, where artificial respiration was tried for some time, but on the arrival of Dr Taylor, who examined the boy, life was found to be extinct. The body was taken home on the Police ambulance

The Inquest

Coroner Weatherhead and a jury held an inquest on the body in the Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

James Grieve, baker, identified the body as that of his son, George, aged 13. His son was subject to fits, and took them frequently.

Photograph of the Berwick Quayside early 1900s © Berwick Record Office BRO 1636-5-6

William McPhee, private of the 210^th Royal Scots, said he was on sentry duty on the Quay guarding the transport waggons for the Royal Scots. He knew the deceased and had taken him away twice from the edge of the Quay on Saturday. Shortly after twelve on Monday he saw deceased standing behind one of the transport waggons. He turned to go to the other end of his beat, and on looking round he saw some boys running and one of the boys informed him that there was a boy in the water. He turned out the remainder of the guard, and on going to the spot he saw deceased in the water. By that time a boat was a few yards from deceased, which had come from the other side of the river. The body was lifted into the boat. He heard no shout from the deceased nor did he see deceased fall over.

Thomas Laidler, salmon fisher, West End, Tweedmouth, said he was fishing at the other side of the river where the deceased fell in. He heard some boys shouting for help, and he rowed a boat over with John Burgon and saw deceased lying under water on the bed of the river. He got off the boat and lifted the deceased into the boat. The water was about three and a half feet deep. He conveyed deceased to the Salmon Stairs.

By a juror- I never heard the splash or saw deceased come to surface. It took me two minutes to row across.

Dr J. Cleasby Taylor stated that he was called to the Fish House, where he examined him. Life was then extinct. Deceased was frothing considerably at the mouth and nose, and it appeared as if deceased had had a fit and been unable to extricate himself. The cause of death was drowning.

The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony.

MOTOR ACCIDENT NEAR BERWICK

The first serious accident since the lighting restrictions came into effect at Berwick occurred on Tuesday night, two men being injured by being knocked down by a motor car. The accident took place in the dark near to Castlehills Lodge, on the Canty’s road. A motor car belonging to Mr Wm. Askew, of Ladykirk, was returning from Castlehills to Ladykirk, when it overtook and knocked down three harvest labourers. Two of the men, named Arthur Jackson and Edward O’Neil, were bruised, one of them somewhat badly. The car was proceeding at a very slow pace. The men were conveyed in the motor car to Berwick Infirmary, where they were detained. It was found that no bones were broken, and one of the men had escaped uninjured, while the other two were bruised.

Berwick Advertiser 17 September 1915. John Mosgrove Advert

DEATH OF MR JOHN ROBERTSON

We regret to record the death of Mr John Robertson, for many years senior traveller with the firm of Messrs Redpath and Son, draper, etc., Berwick. Outside of business Jack Robertson, as he was familiarly called, was best known in cycling circles. He was the founder of the Tweedside Cycling Club in 1893, was its first secretary, and at the time of his death held the office of president. He was a member of the recently formed Berwick Athletic Society, and served on the committee. Mr Robertson has been in failing health for some time, and passed away at his residence 1 West End, Tweedmouth, on Wednesday. Much sympathy will be expressed for his widow and family. His eldest son is serving with the 7^th Northumberland Fusiliers somewhere in France. The funeral takes place on Sunday at Tweedmouth Cemetery.

Leon Georget Pictured above is road and track racer Léon Georget (2 October 1879 – 5 November 1949) — Pictured above is road and track racer Léon Georget (2 October 1879 – 5 November 1949)

Leon Georget was known as The Father of the Bol d’Or, having won the race nine times between 1903 and 1919 in Paris. He also won the Bordeaux to Paris in 1903 and 1910. This image originally formed part of the George Grantham Bain collection which is now in the procession of United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.04379.

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