Reports from 2024
December 2024
The Northumbrian Language
Speaker: John Davidson
Our speaker grew up in Tyneside &, after working in Nottingham & New Zealand, he came home to his Northumbrian roots in 1986. He is bilingual – he speaks both Northumbrian & English. Most English speakers can understand the regional accents of the North East, but the Northumbrian language is not just an accent, it is a separate dialect which is comprehensible to others who speak it, but incomprehensible to those who don’t. Northumbrian and Standard English are as different as Swedish & Norwegian, or Urdu & Hindi. The characteristics of Northumbrian which make it a language are hundreds if not thousands of words which are unknown in English; the different grammatical structure of verbs; many different vowel sounds; diphthongs - the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, where one vowel slides into the other as in “cow”; the different tone, rising up at the end of a question; and the soft rolling pronunciation of “r” in the Northumbrian burr.
The Northumbrian language is not English, as it pre-dates the English language. It is the language of the Angles who in the 6th century settled in Northumbria, the area between the Forth – Clyde & the Humber – Mersey. When the Danes settled in what we now know as Yorkshire, & the Scots took land south to the Tweed, the geographical area of Northumbria was reduced to the land between the Tweed & the Tees. The Northumbrian language includes Geordie & Pitmatic, while Lowland Scots is in the same language family.Over 1400 years the language has changed – the unruly borders, largely left to their own devices by the London government until the Union of the Crowns in 1603, helped preserve the language.
The use of the language has declined with compulsory education, the railways which brought people in remote areas in contact with the mainstream, and “the final blow” – the BBC & Received Pronunciation. Mass communication is bringing a universal American culture, eroding languages & dialects. However, a local language & culture gives a sense of identity & belonging, so many people speak Northumbrian in private & Standard English in public.
The Northumbrian language is well-placed with its oral traditions, music, dance, smallpipes & contemporary writers to maintain & transmit both itself & the culture. The Northumbrian Language Society was formed in the 1970s to perform prose & verse, old & new, to celebrate & pass on the language. The annual Northumbrian Gathering is similar to a Welsh Eisteddfod, with music & dance. The Society also holds a variation on a Burns Night supper, with a toast to a stottie instead of a haggis!
With poems, stories, a song & many jokes, John both informed & entertained us.
Pam Ratcliffe
The Northumbrian Language
Speaker: John Davidson
Our speaker grew up in Tyneside &, after working in Nottingham & New Zealand, he came home to his Northumbrian roots in 1986. He is bilingual – he speaks both Northumbrian & English. Most English speakers can understand the regional accents of the North East, but the Northumbrian language is not just an accent, it is a separate dialect which is comprehensible to others who speak it, but incomprehensible to those who don’t. Northumbrian and Standard English are as different as Swedish & Norwegian, or Urdu & Hindi. The characteristics of Northumbrian which make it a language are hundreds if not thousands of words which are unknown in English; the different grammatical structure of verbs; many different vowel sounds; diphthongs - the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, where one vowel slides into the other as in “cow”; the different tone, rising up at the end of a question; and the soft rolling pronunciation of “r” in the Northumbrian burr.
The Northumbrian language is not English, as it pre-dates the English language. It is the language of the Angles who in the 6th century settled in Northumbria, the area between the Forth – Clyde & the Humber – Mersey. When the Danes settled in what we now know as Yorkshire, & the Scots took land south to the Tweed, the geographical area of Northumbria was reduced to the land between the Tweed & the Tees. The Northumbrian language includes Geordie & Pitmatic, while Lowland Scots is in the same language family.Over 1400 years the language has changed – the unruly borders, largely left to their own devices by the London government until the Union of the Crowns in 1603, helped preserve the language.
The use of the language has declined with compulsory education, the railways which brought people in remote areas in contact with the mainstream, and “the final blow” – the BBC & Received Pronunciation. Mass communication is bringing a universal American culture, eroding languages & dialects. However, a local language & culture gives a sense of identity & belonging, so many people speak Northumbrian in private & Standard English in public.
The Northumbrian language is well-placed with its oral traditions, music, dance, smallpipes & contemporary writers to maintain & transmit both itself & the culture. The Northumbrian Language Society was formed in the 1970s to perform prose & verse, old & new, to celebrate & pass on the language. The annual Northumbrian Gathering is similar to a Welsh Eisteddfod, with music & dance. The Society also holds a variation on a Burns Night supper, with a toast to a stottie instead of a haggis!
With poems, stories, a song & many jokes, John both informed & entertained us.
Pam Ratcliffe
November 2024
Cheviot air disasters – local WWII crashes remembered
Speaker: Dave Chappell
Our speaker had a 52-year-long career in the RAF: he joined in 1963 as an apprentice, was commissioned in 1976, became senior engineer in 1995, and then was Safety Officer at RAF Boulmer until 2015. He became interested in the crashes while serving in Northumberland.
During World War II, nineteen military aircrew crashed in (or very near) the Cheviots, with 58 fataliies: Briish, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, Polish, US and German airmen.
The common factors which either caused, or contributed significantly to, all these tragedies were the height of the Cheviot Hills and the often challenging weather.
Many aircraft flight paths from south east England, and from the battle grounds of mainland Europe and across the North Sea, went over high ground. They crossed above the North York Moors at 1750 ft and the Lammermuir Hills at 1755 ft, but between them the Cheviot is “surprisingly high” at 2674 ft.
The weather at this alitude is very changeable, and low cloud, heavy mist, high winds and blizzards are common. Several crashes resulted from a failure of navigaion equipment (or the enemy compromising Allied signals). Once off course, there are few landmarks in the area to aid navigaion and in such conditons some planes flew too low and into hillsides. In this sparsely populated area it was shepherds who saw or discovered the crashes and were first on scene to rescue survivors. Shepherds John Dagg and Frank Moscrop were awarded the BEM and Sheila the sheepdog was given the Dicken Medal.
Eight of the aircraft – Vickers Wellingtons, de Havilland Mosquitos (“wooden wonders”), a Handley Page Halifax and a Flying Fortress – were on operations. Here are more details of two disasters:
On 15th January 1942 a Wellington returning from a night-bombing mission on Hamburg. With its communication and navigation equipment inoperative, it flew in a blizzard into the north face of Cunyan Crags in the College Valley. One RNZAF crew member died in the crash, and two RNZAF crew members died from their wounds several days later. Three British and one Canadian survived despite serious injuries. Shepherds John Dagg, Arch Guthrie and James Goodfellow were involved in the rescue.
The next year, on 9th January 1943, a Wellington which had been laying mines in the Frisian Islands managed to return to England though damaged by the Luftwaffe. It got lost in the snow and crashed, and four of its five crew died. The rear gunner survived – of the seven aircraft with a rear gunner, five rear gunners survived, two of them the only survivors from the crew.
Eight of the 19 lost aircraft were on training flights – a Hawker Hart, Spitfire, Bristol Beaufort, Hawker Hurricane, Blackburn B??? – and three were being ferried between units. Teams examined the wreckage to discover the cause(s) of each British aircraR crash. The equipment in enemy aircraft – a Junkers JU88 and a Dornier 217 – was scrutinised to reveal any military secrets.
All crash sites are now protected by law, and nothing relating to the crashes can be taken.
In 1995 a memorial to the lives lost was erected near Cuddystone Hall in the College Valley. This was replaced by a stone memorial in 2018, as part of the RAF centenary celebrations, and a small wall was built around it in memory of the shepherds who saved many crewmen. Visitors from the USA, Poland, Germany and France have joined in paying their respects there.
A few miles away from the sites of the crashes on the Cheviots was RAF Milfield. When first opened in WWI it was known as RAF Woodbridge. In August 1942 it reopened as 59 Officer Training Unit to train crew on Hurricanes, then later to train pilots and instructors on Typhoons. Tragically, 80 airmen died training accidents. In 1944 the Unit was disbanded, and the training moved to RAF Wittering. RAF Milfeld finally closed in February 1946, though its hangers were used as emergency food stores. The site has been used by Borders Gliding Club since 1968.
Chrys Murphy
October 2024
The Black Death
Speaker: Isabel Gordon
On an evening of atrocious weather, more than 40 people came to hear this fascina8ng talk.
By referencing Ebola, HIV and Covid, Isabel made the Black Death of 1346 very relevant, and what came across was the sheer terror of the populace when 25% to 40% could die and in some cases where the number who succumbed was much higher. She also explained that the term ‘Black Death’ is a misnomer, first used by the Victorians, as at the 8me it was called ‘the Great Pes8lence’ among other epithets.
The pandemic is thought to have been first introduced to Europe during the siege of the Genoese trading port of Kaffa (now Feodosia) in Crimea by the Golden Horde army of Jani Beg in 1347. Thence it was probably carried by Genoese trading ships to Europe and spread along trading routes, transmiZed person to person as pneumonic plague. This explains its rapid spread, faster than a purely rat-borne disease, though it was probably carried by fleas living on the black rats spreading through the Mediterranean Basin and reaching North Africa, West Asia, and the rest of Europe via Constan8nople, Sicily, and the Italian peninsula.
The Black Death had far-reaching popula8on, economic, and cultural effects. It was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first was the Great Famine of 1315–1317) and it is es8mated to have killed 30% to 60% of the European popula8on, as well as approximately 33% of the popula8on of the Middle East. There were further outbreaks throughout the Late Middle Ages and, along with other contributory factors, the popula8on of Europe did not regain its 14th century level un8l the 16th century. There were further outbreaks every ficeen to twenty years un8l recent 8mes, including an outbreak in Los Angeles in the 1920s.
Isabel conveyed the sheer terror that people felt when faced by the onslaught of the pes8lence. About 90% of the popula8on were subsistence farmers who had few natural defences against the disease. If it was a punishment from God why did it affect good people, including the priesthood, as much as here8cs and the bad. For Muslims, death from the plague led to paradise for the faithful yet was a punishment for the infidel. There was no concept of contagion.
Isabel graphically described the plague pits for burying the dead, the death carts which traversed the streets of towns, and how people who were lec with no-one to say the last rites or hear final confession had to resort to confessing to women! An interes8ng footnote is that an8semi8sm had led to Jews being forced to live away from the popula8on, some8mes in gheZos and some8mes outside towns. The mortality rate of Jews was therefore lower as they were able to isolate, had a different diet, and beZer hygiene (washing was not considered a purifica8on in the Chris8an faith). Their higher survival rate fed further an8semi8sm.
In 1894, Alexandre Yersin, a pupil of Pasteur, deliberately went to an outbreak in Hong Kong to iden8fy the bacterium which was to bear his name – Yersinia Pes8s (or Y. Pes8s). He found that the bacterium is resident in host rats in central Asia, and that it is spread both by fleas and through the air. It needs two individuals to survive: a host which does not succumb to the disease and a recipient which does succumb and then spreads it.
Gene8c analysis suggests Yersinia pes8s bacteria evolved approximately 7,000 years ago, at the beginning of the Neolithic, with flea-mediated strains emerging around 3,800 years ago during the late Bronze Age.
This report does scarce jus8ce to the ambit of Isobel’s excellent lecture.
Peter Davies
The Black Death
Speaker: Isabel Gordon
On an evening of atrocious weather, more than 40 people came to hear this fascina8ng talk.
By referencing Ebola, HIV and Covid, Isabel made the Black Death of 1346 very relevant, and what came across was the sheer terror of the populace when 25% to 40% could die and in some cases where the number who succumbed was much higher. She also explained that the term ‘Black Death’ is a misnomer, first used by the Victorians, as at the 8me it was called ‘the Great Pes8lence’ among other epithets.
The pandemic is thought to have been first introduced to Europe during the siege of the Genoese trading port of Kaffa (now Feodosia) in Crimea by the Golden Horde army of Jani Beg in 1347. Thence it was probably carried by Genoese trading ships to Europe and spread along trading routes, transmiZed person to person as pneumonic plague. This explains its rapid spread, faster than a purely rat-borne disease, though it was probably carried by fleas living on the black rats spreading through the Mediterranean Basin and reaching North Africa, West Asia, and the rest of Europe via Constan8nople, Sicily, and the Italian peninsula.
The Black Death had far-reaching popula8on, economic, and cultural effects. It was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first was the Great Famine of 1315–1317) and it is es8mated to have killed 30% to 60% of the European popula8on, as well as approximately 33% of the popula8on of the Middle East. There were further outbreaks throughout the Late Middle Ages and, along with other contributory factors, the popula8on of Europe did not regain its 14th century level un8l the 16th century. There were further outbreaks every ficeen to twenty years un8l recent 8mes, including an outbreak in Los Angeles in the 1920s.
Isabel conveyed the sheer terror that people felt when faced by the onslaught of the pes8lence. About 90% of the popula8on were subsistence farmers who had few natural defences against the disease. If it was a punishment from God why did it affect good people, including the priesthood, as much as here8cs and the bad. For Muslims, death from the plague led to paradise for the faithful yet was a punishment for the infidel. There was no concept of contagion.
Isabel graphically described the plague pits for burying the dead, the death carts which traversed the streets of towns, and how people who were lec with no-one to say the last rites or hear final confession had to resort to confessing to women! An interes8ng footnote is that an8semi8sm had led to Jews being forced to live away from the popula8on, some8mes in gheZos and some8mes outside towns. The mortality rate of Jews was therefore lower as they were able to isolate, had a different diet, and beZer hygiene (washing was not considered a purifica8on in the Chris8an faith). Their higher survival rate fed further an8semi8sm.
In 1894, Alexandre Yersin, a pupil of Pasteur, deliberately went to an outbreak in Hong Kong to iden8fy the bacterium which was to bear his name – Yersinia Pes8s (or Y. Pes8s). He found that the bacterium is resident in host rats in central Asia, and that it is spread both by fleas and through the air. It needs two individuals to survive: a host which does not succumb to the disease and a recipient which does succumb and then spreads it.
Gene8c analysis suggests Yersinia pes8s bacteria evolved approximately 7,000 years ago, at the beginning of the Neolithic, with flea-mediated strains emerging around 3,800 years ago during the late Bronze Age.
This report does scarce jus8ce to the ambit of Isobel’s excellent lecture.
Peter Davies
September 2024
The Great Tapestry of Scotland
Speaker: Susie Finlayson
A lively audience much appreciated the first talk of the new season presented by Susie Finlayson, with an enthusiastic, informative and humorous account of the making of the Great Tapestry of Scotland.
Susie began by explaining that the term ‘tapestry’ is a misnomer (as with the Bayeux work) ─ this work is actually embroidery, using British Appleton’s woollen yarn stitched on Scottish linen from Kirkcaldy. The initial idea for the Tapestry came from Alexander McCall-Smith, who’d been impressed by a tapestry display at Prestonpans, where the pictures told the whole story. Conversing with artistic designer Andrew Crummy, Alexander suggested “How about we do the whole history of Scotland…?” So it began, with vision and drive. Alistair Moffat was recruited to provide explanatory text for each part of this mammoth work.
Divided into 165 panels, the story is told from the geological formation of the land we now call Scotland through prehistory, Viking invaders, kings, queens, battles, and many significant historical, sporting & political events; it also features the lives and stories of ordinary people such as miners, soldiers, teachers, fishermen and washerwomen.
To start the work, Andrew Crummy’s designs had to be drawn on the pieces of fabric. This task took place at the Hub at Eskbank, Dalkeith – using vodka to erase any mistakes with permanent markers! “The Boss”, Dorie Wilkie, who had coordinated the Prestonpans work, was brought in, and over 1000 volunteer stitchers (30 of whom were men) were recruited from all over Scotland, from Skye to Shetland. Each volunteer group received through the post a pack of material for “their” panel. The packs included their linen panel, a selection of crewel wool in a variety of colours, and a print of the original design. The mammoth undertaking of stitching started in December 2012, with an average of 800 hours of work per panel, and concluded with the first exhibition in September 2013. The stitchers chose their own selection of stitches and in most cases they included their own small, detailed motifs in the border – sometimes personal, sometimes as a humorous pun. Our speaker highlighted several panels as examples: the Fair Isle panel includes a tiny helicopter, commemorating the crash of an oil rig helicopter, while another border motif is the epitaph of the stitcher’s grandmother, a washerwoman.
The purpose-built museum in Galashiels now has a new panel headed ‘Welcome to Scotland’s Story’. It includes five figures representation people of the Borders, and a collection of 76 significant themes from local primary school children. A further panel, 2m tall and 1.5m wide, is scheduled to be unveiled at the end of September at the combined train & bus station of Galashiels. As part of the Borders Railway Community Rail Partnership, some 2,850 people have made stitches to create ‘The Interchange Panel’.
The talk provided fascinating background information for those who had seen the Tapestry, and encouragement to visit for the few who had yet to see it.
Rosemary Bell
The Great Tapestry of Scotland
Speaker: Susie Finlayson
A lively audience much appreciated the first talk of the new season presented by Susie Finlayson, with an enthusiastic, informative and humorous account of the making of the Great Tapestry of Scotland.
Susie began by explaining that the term ‘tapestry’ is a misnomer (as with the Bayeux work) ─ this work is actually embroidery, using British Appleton’s woollen yarn stitched on Scottish linen from Kirkcaldy. The initial idea for the Tapestry came from Alexander McCall-Smith, who’d been impressed by a tapestry display at Prestonpans, where the pictures told the whole story. Conversing with artistic designer Andrew Crummy, Alexander suggested “How about we do the whole history of Scotland…?” So it began, with vision and drive. Alistair Moffat was recruited to provide explanatory text for each part of this mammoth work.
Divided into 165 panels, the story is told from the geological formation of the land we now call Scotland through prehistory, Viking invaders, kings, queens, battles, and many significant historical, sporting & political events; it also features the lives and stories of ordinary people such as miners, soldiers, teachers, fishermen and washerwomen.
To start the work, Andrew Crummy’s designs had to be drawn on the pieces of fabric. This task took place at the Hub at Eskbank, Dalkeith – using vodka to erase any mistakes with permanent markers! “The Boss”, Dorie Wilkie, who had coordinated the Prestonpans work, was brought in, and over 1000 volunteer stitchers (30 of whom were men) were recruited from all over Scotland, from Skye to Shetland. Each volunteer group received through the post a pack of material for “their” panel. The packs included their linen panel, a selection of crewel wool in a variety of colours, and a print of the original design. The mammoth undertaking of stitching started in December 2012, with an average of 800 hours of work per panel, and concluded with the first exhibition in September 2013. The stitchers chose their own selection of stitches and in most cases they included their own small, detailed motifs in the border – sometimes personal, sometimes as a humorous pun. Our speaker highlighted several panels as examples: the Fair Isle panel includes a tiny helicopter, commemorating the crash of an oil rig helicopter, while another border motif is the epitaph of the stitcher’s grandmother, a washerwoman.
The purpose-built museum in Galashiels now has a new panel headed ‘Welcome to Scotland’s Story’. It includes five figures representation people of the Borders, and a collection of 76 significant themes from local primary school children. A further panel, 2m tall and 1.5m wide, is scheduled to be unveiled at the end of September at the combined train & bus station of Galashiels. As part of the Borders Railway Community Rail Partnership, some 2,850 people have made stitches to create ‘The Interchange Panel’.
The talk provided fascinating background information for those who had seen the Tapestry, and encouragement to visit for the few who had yet to see it.
Rosemary Bell
April 2024 Mr Bevin’s Raffle ─ the Bevin Boys of WWII
Speaker: Dr Liz O’Donnell
As World War II progressed, the desperate need to recruit workers for the coalmining industry became apparent. In the first two weeks of the war some 27,000 young, fit pit workers had left to join the military, attracted by better pay and a ‘glamourous’ uniform (perhaps more attractive to the girls!). In 1940 Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked Ernest Bevin – a Labour Party politician who as General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union was thought to be able to work well with the unions – to join the War Cabinet as Minister of Labour and National Service. By 1941, 40% of the mining work-force were over 40 years of age, and in June 1941 few ex-miners responded to the government’s appeal to return to the mines. Poor industrial relations, pre-existing vacancies, chronic absenteeism, and positioned 57th out of 97 in the league table of industrial wages all contributed to the problem.
By 1942 fuel shortages prompted a campaign for ‘Fuel Economy’ to save domestic electricity, & rationing was considered. Miners’ conditions of work were generally very poor and dangerous – it was a cold, wet, dirty, low-paid job. Portrayals of life in star-studded commercial films at the time, such as ‘The Stars Look Down’ and ‘How Green is My Valley’, also had a negative effect on the industry and its workers.
In January 1942 pit workers held unofficial strikes for improved pay, showing their industrial muscle. The Government was forced to encourage the privately owned mining companies to provide better conditions including pithead bath and canteens. Public sympathy was stretched to the limit by miners’ working practices, and both miners and mine owners were suspicious of the ‘reforms’, but by 1943 miners wages had increased to 10th place.
In December 1943 Mr Bevin established a lottery to select 10% of all conscripts for the mines. Each week, one conscript’s number, (sometimes two) out of ten was drawn from a hat (possibly Mr Bevin’s bowler hat), hence the title of the talk. These conscripts were to work in the coal mines rather than join the armed forces. The ’raffle’ began on 14th December 1943 and continued until V.E Day, 8th May 1945, and by this method some 21,000 pit workers were recruited, in addition to 30,000 volunteers for the work. However, despite the increased workforce, output from the mines fell continuously throughout the war.
Once conscripted there was little chance of escape, as coalmining became a reserved occupation. Although 40% appealed, 95% of the appeals were rejected, including those from men protesting that they were too tall (a height of 6 feet was surely too tall for a cramped 2-foot-high coal seam) or too well qualified (an electronics engineer surely would be better employed in the military). The Bevin Boys had to be fitter than men recruited for the army, Medical Grade 1. Initial training took place across the UK in training pits. It was an unfamiliar world, much disliked by many who thought it a death sentence. Little money was left after living expenses. However, with improved conditions and pay it became slightly more tolerable. Those living in hostels appreciated the comradeship, whereas the experiences of those living in private lodgings varied greatly depending on the relationships formed..
At the end of the war the ‘Bevin Boys’ were not included in demob plans. They were not demobbed until 1948 because of the need for fuel (similarly prisoners of war were also required for agricultural work for several years after the war ended). They received little money & not even demob suits.
Many felt their contribution to the war effort was insufficiently recognised. For many years the British Legion did not permit them to march past the Cenotaph along with other veterans. They received no medals, but they were finally awarded a commemorative badge.
Mining was dirty, gruelling work; recruits were often embarrassed to do what was widely seen as a socially inferior work; the mining villages were very insular with their own pitmatic language. However, these conscripts did not face armed conflict.
Our speaker told us she’d been privileged to interview 19 Bevin Boys, 9 in Northumberland and 10 from Scotland, London and the North-West. GLHS members felt equally privileged to hear Dr O’Donnnell’s detailed presentation.
Speaker: Dr Liz O’Donnell
As World War II progressed, the desperate need to recruit workers for the coalmining industry became apparent. In the first two weeks of the war some 27,000 young, fit pit workers had left to join the military, attracted by better pay and a ‘glamourous’ uniform (perhaps more attractive to the girls!). In 1940 Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked Ernest Bevin – a Labour Party politician who as General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union was thought to be able to work well with the unions – to join the War Cabinet as Minister of Labour and National Service. By 1941, 40% of the mining work-force were over 40 years of age, and in June 1941 few ex-miners responded to the government’s appeal to return to the mines. Poor industrial relations, pre-existing vacancies, chronic absenteeism, and positioned 57th out of 97 in the league table of industrial wages all contributed to the problem.
By 1942 fuel shortages prompted a campaign for ‘Fuel Economy’ to save domestic electricity, & rationing was considered. Miners’ conditions of work were generally very poor and dangerous – it was a cold, wet, dirty, low-paid job. Portrayals of life in star-studded commercial films at the time, such as ‘The Stars Look Down’ and ‘How Green is My Valley’, also had a negative effect on the industry and its workers.
In January 1942 pit workers held unofficial strikes for improved pay, showing their industrial muscle. The Government was forced to encourage the privately owned mining companies to provide better conditions including pithead bath and canteens. Public sympathy was stretched to the limit by miners’ working practices, and both miners and mine owners were suspicious of the ‘reforms’, but by 1943 miners wages had increased to 10th place.
In December 1943 Mr Bevin established a lottery to select 10% of all conscripts for the mines. Each week, one conscript’s number, (sometimes two) out of ten was drawn from a hat (possibly Mr Bevin’s bowler hat), hence the title of the talk. These conscripts were to work in the coal mines rather than join the armed forces. The ’raffle’ began on 14th December 1943 and continued until V.E Day, 8th May 1945, and by this method some 21,000 pit workers were recruited, in addition to 30,000 volunteers for the work. However, despite the increased workforce, output from the mines fell continuously throughout the war.
Once conscripted there was little chance of escape, as coalmining became a reserved occupation. Although 40% appealed, 95% of the appeals were rejected, including those from men protesting that they were too tall (a height of 6 feet was surely too tall for a cramped 2-foot-high coal seam) or too well qualified (an electronics engineer surely would be better employed in the military). The Bevin Boys had to be fitter than men recruited for the army, Medical Grade 1. Initial training took place across the UK in training pits. It was an unfamiliar world, much disliked by many who thought it a death sentence. Little money was left after living expenses. However, with improved conditions and pay it became slightly more tolerable. Those living in hostels appreciated the comradeship, whereas the experiences of those living in private lodgings varied greatly depending on the relationships formed..
At the end of the war the ‘Bevin Boys’ were not included in demob plans. They were not demobbed until 1948 because of the need for fuel (similarly prisoners of war were also required for agricultural work for several years after the war ended). They received little money & not even demob suits.
Many felt their contribution to the war effort was insufficiently recognised. For many years the British Legion did not permit them to march past the Cenotaph along with other veterans. They received no medals, but they were finally awarded a commemorative badge.
Mining was dirty, gruelling work; recruits were often embarrassed to do what was widely seen as a socially inferior work; the mining villages were very insular with their own pitmatic language. However, these conscripts did not face armed conflict.
Our speaker told us she’d been privileged to interview 19 Bevin Boys, 9 in Northumberland and 10 from Scotland, London and the North-West. GLHS members felt equally privileged to hear Dr O’Donnnell’s detailed presentation.
Members’ evening, March 2024
At the members’ evening, Val Glass & Mike Allport each gave talks, & in the interval we enjoyed a wonderful spread of nibbles, cheese, and wine laid on by Rosemary Bell & Muriel Edwin.
Belford’s anti-slave trade petition speaker: Val Glass
Val started with the ‘Belford Petition’ of 1792 in favour of the abolition of the slave trade.
Abraham Dixon had bought the entire Belford estate in about 1746 and built a tannery and woollen mill, re-built the Blue Bell, & established a quarry. By 1772 the population of the village was about 700 inhabitants, and despite these enterprises the main employment was in agriculture. When the Belford petition was eventually presented in Parliament by Charles Grey, M.P., some 433 people of Belford had signed it. Val explained that many of the signatories were women, whereas in Scotland women were denied permission to sign petitions. Although other towns and villages such as Rothbury, Alnwick, and Hexham also had petitions presented, that of Belford seems to have been signed by the highest proportion of inhabitants.
Val reminded us of Dr. Trotter of Wooler, who had been ship’s surgeon on a slave ship. He was so appalled by the conditions in which slaves were held that he was a key witness to the Report of Thomas Clarkson, which was instrumental in persuading William Wilberforce to embark on his campaign for abolition. The slave trade was abolished in 1807.
She noted the 1772 James Somerset case, decided by Lord Mansfield, which referred to the ‘odious’ practice’ and said that there was no case law which justified slavery, so that Somerset, who had been brought to England as a slave, was entitled to apply for habeas corpus and become free.
Val led the audience on to the links between the eminent families of Northumberland and slavery. Although she was at pains to point out that Northumbrian families were not directly involved in the shipping of slaves, many held substantial estates in the Caribbean, acquired through marriage, inheritance, and the payment of debts. The Trevelyans of Wallington Hall had plantations in Grenada and they have recently stated that they will pay reparations. John Graham Clarkson, a businessman from Newcastle, owned estates in Jamaica while the Cadogans of Brinkburn owned estates in Barbados. Val suggested that although the stately homes of such families were not built with the proceeds from slavery, they were often furnished from them. She specifically referred to the Chippendale furniture at Paxton House being so financed.
Val also referred to Ambrose Crowley and his ‘cottage’ ironworks on Tyneside, where local people manufactured in their own homes items such as candlesticks, pans, and knitting needles which were exported to West Africa along with shackles, leg irons and iron collars which served a much more sinister purpose. Thus, the income from slavery benefitted many social classes, even if the benefits were only indirectly from slavery. Crowley was however noted for his enlightened approach to his workforce, as his company had medical facilities for staff, there was a works committee, and so on.
The development of cameras speaker: Mike Allport
Mike showed us an antique Magic Lantern which would have been used to show glass slides, then several old photos of Newcastle, Tyneside and Northumberland, some from the collection of the late Jimmy Redpath, a founding member of the local camera club, which Mike had bought from Jimmy’s widow Molly.
A selection of original photographs on glass plate were displayed alongside more modern shots from the same viewpoint, showing how things had changed over time – or in some cases, hadn’t.
Mike showed us early, pre-first World War cameras and then two photographs taken by ‘vest’ cameras of American troops in the front line, which dated them to 1917-8. ‘Vest’ cameras were small, foldable cameras which could be put in one’s ‘vest’ pocket. It was illegal to take photographs in the front line without approval, so the photos which he showed are rare.
Mike demonstrated projectors from the same period and showed how the light was provided by oil lamps, poorly as one would expect, and then latterly by tungsten bulbs.
Peter Davies
At the members’ evening, Val Glass & Mike Allport each gave talks, & in the interval we enjoyed a wonderful spread of nibbles, cheese, and wine laid on by Rosemary Bell & Muriel Edwin.
Belford’s anti-slave trade petition speaker: Val Glass
Val started with the ‘Belford Petition’ of 1792 in favour of the abolition of the slave trade.
Abraham Dixon had bought the entire Belford estate in about 1746 and built a tannery and woollen mill, re-built the Blue Bell, & established a quarry. By 1772 the population of the village was about 700 inhabitants, and despite these enterprises the main employment was in agriculture. When the Belford petition was eventually presented in Parliament by Charles Grey, M.P., some 433 people of Belford had signed it. Val explained that many of the signatories were women, whereas in Scotland women were denied permission to sign petitions. Although other towns and villages such as Rothbury, Alnwick, and Hexham also had petitions presented, that of Belford seems to have been signed by the highest proportion of inhabitants.
Val reminded us of Dr. Trotter of Wooler, who had been ship’s surgeon on a slave ship. He was so appalled by the conditions in which slaves were held that he was a key witness to the Report of Thomas Clarkson, which was instrumental in persuading William Wilberforce to embark on his campaign for abolition. The slave trade was abolished in 1807.
She noted the 1772 James Somerset case, decided by Lord Mansfield, which referred to the ‘odious’ practice’ and said that there was no case law which justified slavery, so that Somerset, who had been brought to England as a slave, was entitled to apply for habeas corpus and become free.
Val led the audience on to the links between the eminent families of Northumberland and slavery. Although she was at pains to point out that Northumbrian families were not directly involved in the shipping of slaves, many held substantial estates in the Caribbean, acquired through marriage, inheritance, and the payment of debts. The Trevelyans of Wallington Hall had plantations in Grenada and they have recently stated that they will pay reparations. John Graham Clarkson, a businessman from Newcastle, owned estates in Jamaica while the Cadogans of Brinkburn owned estates in Barbados. Val suggested that although the stately homes of such families were not built with the proceeds from slavery, they were often furnished from them. She specifically referred to the Chippendale furniture at Paxton House being so financed.
Val also referred to Ambrose Crowley and his ‘cottage’ ironworks on Tyneside, where local people manufactured in their own homes items such as candlesticks, pans, and knitting needles which were exported to West Africa along with shackles, leg irons and iron collars which served a much more sinister purpose. Thus, the income from slavery benefitted many social classes, even if the benefits were only indirectly from slavery. Crowley was however noted for his enlightened approach to his workforce, as his company had medical facilities for staff, there was a works committee, and so on.
The development of cameras speaker: Mike Allport
Mike showed us an antique Magic Lantern which would have been used to show glass slides, then several old photos of Newcastle, Tyneside and Northumberland, some from the collection of the late Jimmy Redpath, a founding member of the local camera club, which Mike had bought from Jimmy’s widow Molly.
A selection of original photographs on glass plate were displayed alongside more modern shots from the same viewpoint, showing how things had changed over time – or in some cases, hadn’t.
Mike showed us early, pre-first World War cameras and then two photographs taken by ‘vest’ cameras of American troops in the front line, which dated them to 1917-8. ‘Vest’ cameras were small, foldable cameras which could be put in one’s ‘vest’ pocket. It was illegal to take photographs in the front line without approval, so the photos which he showed are rare.
Mike demonstrated projectors from the same period and showed how the light was provided by oil lamps, poorly as one would expect, and then latterly by tungsten bulbs.
Peter Davies
February 2024
St Cuthbert’s Chapel on Inner Farne
Speaker: Nick Lewis
Many of us will have briefly stepped ashore on Inner Farne as part of a boat trip from Seahouses, & wondered about the old stone buildings in the north-east corner of the island. Our eloquent speaker, who knows the island well as Collections & House Officer with the National Trust, explained the origin & varied uses of the buildings. In the 7th century, Aidan established an abbey on Holy Island. Cuthbert (635-687), a later prior of the abbey, sought a more remote hermitage & built on Inner Farne a circular cell of stone & turf, big enough to lie down & see the sky. He spent 10 years there. The royal stronghold at Bamburgh, the monastery on Holy Island & Inner Farne are within sight of each other, a triangle of key Northumbrian sites.
The association of Inner Farne with St Cuthbert meant that by the 13th century there were up to six monks in the House of Farne, under supervision of the bishop of Durham. The community lived in the rectangular enclosure we can see now – then made up of the chapel, the hospitium (guest house), walls& entrance gate. The water supply was enclosed in the base of the tower built in the 1490s by Thomas Castell, Prior of Durham Cathedral. The monastery was abandoned at the Dissolution (1536) and the islands passed into the ownership of the Dean and Chapter of Durham. From then until 1637, the building housed a small garrison, shown on Spede’s map of 1611, a defence against French or Spanish invaders.
In 1776 John Blackett, tenant of the Farne Islands, erected two fire baskets on the top of Prior Castell’s Tower - the first ‘lighthouse’ on the islands. The lighthouse keeper is thought to have lived in the chapel. In 1809 Trinity House built on the west side of the island the lighthouse which is still in use. In 1838 Archdeacon Charles Thorp of Durham Cathedral (& first Warden of Durham University) took on the tenancy himself & began a renovation of the tower & a major restoration of the chapel as a place of worship. He installed the extravagantly carved pews & panelling which had been made redundant as a result of the Dean’s refurbishment of the cathedral choir. New windows were added, & a memorial to Grace Darling was placed in the chapel. Far ahead of his time, Archdeacon Thorp also conserved the natural environment of the islands by employing a warden to protect the seals & the eggs of nesting seabirds. In 1861 he bought the Farne Islands, & his family gifted them to the National Trust in 1925. The Trust has renovated the chapel – it is not consecrated, though it is overseen by the priest at Bamburgh. The Trust’s rangers live in the tower for 9 months of the year.
I’m sure I won’t be the only person intent on (re)visiting Inner Farne, to enjoy it all the more after this inspiring talk.
St Cuthbert’s Chapel on Inner Farne
Speaker: Nick Lewis
Many of us will have briefly stepped ashore on Inner Farne as part of a boat trip from Seahouses, & wondered about the old stone buildings in the north-east corner of the island. Our eloquent speaker, who knows the island well as Collections & House Officer with the National Trust, explained the origin & varied uses of the buildings. In the 7th century, Aidan established an abbey on Holy Island. Cuthbert (635-687), a later prior of the abbey, sought a more remote hermitage & built on Inner Farne a circular cell of stone & turf, big enough to lie down & see the sky. He spent 10 years there. The royal stronghold at Bamburgh, the monastery on Holy Island & Inner Farne are within sight of each other, a triangle of key Northumbrian sites.
The association of Inner Farne with St Cuthbert meant that by the 13th century there were up to six monks in the House of Farne, under supervision of the bishop of Durham. The community lived in the rectangular enclosure we can see now – then made up of the chapel, the hospitium (guest house), walls& entrance gate. The water supply was enclosed in the base of the tower built in the 1490s by Thomas Castell, Prior of Durham Cathedral. The monastery was abandoned at the Dissolution (1536) and the islands passed into the ownership of the Dean and Chapter of Durham. From then until 1637, the building housed a small garrison, shown on Spede’s map of 1611, a defence against French or Spanish invaders.
In 1776 John Blackett, tenant of the Farne Islands, erected two fire baskets on the top of Prior Castell’s Tower - the first ‘lighthouse’ on the islands. The lighthouse keeper is thought to have lived in the chapel. In 1809 Trinity House built on the west side of the island the lighthouse which is still in use. In 1838 Archdeacon Charles Thorp of Durham Cathedral (& first Warden of Durham University) took on the tenancy himself & began a renovation of the tower & a major restoration of the chapel as a place of worship. He installed the extravagantly carved pews & panelling which had been made redundant as a result of the Dean’s refurbishment of the cathedral choir. New windows were added, & a memorial to Grace Darling was placed in the chapel. Far ahead of his time, Archdeacon Thorp also conserved the natural environment of the islands by employing a warden to protect the seals & the eggs of nesting seabirds. In 1861 he bought the Farne Islands, & his family gifted them to the National Trust in 1925. The Trust has renovated the chapel – it is not consecrated, though it is overseen by the priest at Bamburgh. The Trust’s rangers live in the tower for 9 months of the year.
I’m sure I won’t be the only person intent on (re)visiting Inner Farne, to enjoy it all the more after this inspiring talk.
February 2024 Outing to the Great Tapestry of Scotland at Galashiels
Our visit to the Great Tapestry of Scotland, housed in its purpose-built modern museum, did not disappoint. Members commented: “Thoroughly enjoyed the visit to The Great Tapestry of Scotland. A beautifully crafted and informative project, well displayed in an accessible building.” & “It was wonderful!”
We were welcomed with a brief introductory talk. We learnt that Galashiels had been chosen as the Tapestry’s permanent home owing to the town’s past association with the textile industry. One panel, on Rosslyn Chapel, had had to be re-worked, the original having been stolen and thought probably to be now overseas. “The introduction to the exhibition was very interesting and a great start to the visit”.
The 160 panels are colour coded into zones of several categories, but arranged in chronological order. The panels illustrate a wide range of subjects including Scottish history (from earliest geology), sociology, literature and the arts, culture, sport, warfare, politics and more. The Borders are very much included with mention of Carham, Yetholm, Wooler and Flodden. Reading the concise, informative narratives below each panel added hugely to understanding the general point of the exhibition: Scotland’s history and achievements. For example, who would have known why the first sheep in the world to be cloned was named ‘Dolly’! Many cryptic and meaningful details were embedded in the panel scenes, with puns too. “All magical!”
The exhibition offers so much of interest it is almost impossible to appreciate everything on one visit. Each panel is intricately stitched, providing a study of its own. “I thoroughly enjoyed looking closely at the detail in each panel and, of course, appreciated the skilful stitching.”
On a first visit the Tapestry can seem somewhat overwhelming, but the café and shop provided us with welcome breaks. All in all, visiting this truly impressive pictorial history of Scotland proved a most enjoyable day. “It was a real treat: an inspiring day out.”
Rosemary Bell
Our visit to the Great Tapestry of Scotland, housed in its purpose-built modern museum, did not disappoint. Members commented: “Thoroughly enjoyed the visit to The Great Tapestry of Scotland. A beautifully crafted and informative project, well displayed in an accessible building.” & “It was wonderful!”
We were welcomed with a brief introductory talk. We learnt that Galashiels had been chosen as the Tapestry’s permanent home owing to the town’s past association with the textile industry. One panel, on Rosslyn Chapel, had had to be re-worked, the original having been stolen and thought probably to be now overseas. “The introduction to the exhibition was very interesting and a great start to the visit”.
The 160 panels are colour coded into zones of several categories, but arranged in chronological order. The panels illustrate a wide range of subjects including Scottish history (from earliest geology), sociology, literature and the arts, culture, sport, warfare, politics and more. The Borders are very much included with mention of Carham, Yetholm, Wooler and Flodden. Reading the concise, informative narratives below each panel added hugely to understanding the general point of the exhibition: Scotland’s history and achievements. For example, who would have known why the first sheep in the world to be cloned was named ‘Dolly’! Many cryptic and meaningful details were embedded in the panel scenes, with puns too. “All magical!”
The exhibition offers so much of interest it is almost impossible to appreciate everything on one visit. Each panel is intricately stitched, providing a study of its own. “I thoroughly enjoyed looking closely at the detail in each panel and, of course, appreciated the skilful stitching.”
On a first visit the Tapestry can seem somewhat overwhelming, but the café and shop provided us with welcome breaks. All in all, visiting this truly impressive pictorial history of Scotland proved a most enjoyable day. “It was a real treat: an inspiring day out.”
Rosemary Bell
January 2024
A History of Norham – “The Most Dangerous Place in England”
Speaker: Martha Andrews
This intriguing title attracted a bumper audience!
Our speaker, Martha Andrews, gave an all-encompassing presentation with a superb selection of fine illustrations. In an hour she took us from prehistoric geology to the 21st century, when traditional salmon netting ended in 2009, including a wide range of details history topography, geography, saints and bishops, monarchs, warfare, architecture, treasures, and social history.
The glaciation which carved out the Tweed Valley left in its wake the small rocky hillock on which eventually Norham castle was built. Evidence of a midden with oyster shells suggests the site was used by early Neolithic hunter-gatherers.
Fast forward to the early Anglo-Saxon era, and it is likely that when St Aidan left Iona to found Lindisfarne Abbey he would have travelled via the Clyde to the Tweed valley, with only a small isthmus of land over which to transport his light-weight coracle ─ used for both transport and for shelter on land.
Cuthbert succeeded St Aidan as abbot, and he was buried at the monastery. When in 875 the monastery was sacked by marauding Vikings, the monks took St Cuthbert’s body to the abbey at Norham, where it is likely to have rested for many decades ─ hence St Cuthbert’s church became famed.
This region of Britain was unruly, governed by the Prince Bishops of Durham on behalf of the English monarch. The area is still known as Norham and Islandshire (the Isle of Lindisfarne) today, but interestingly it once included Bedlington.
The castle, built on a strategic defensive site, was frequently under attack from competing Anglo-Scottish forces; it was rebuilt in 1121 by Bishop Flambard to become a massively strong edifice. It was Queen Elizabeth 1 who decided finances were best spent re-fortifying Berwick rather than on the repair and maintenance of Norham Castle.
The church, which has impressive Norman architectural features, was likely to have been built at the same time, again on the site of earlier structures. We were shown images of fine Jacobean church furniture inherited from Durham Cathedral, and heard of tales concerning a past vicar of Norham.
Many famous names are linked with Norham. Here King Edward 1 chose John Balliol to become his “puppet king” of Scotland, not Robert the Bruce. The name of Sir Thomas Marmion, whose story was romanticised by Sir Walter Scott, is given to the iconic arch through which the remains of the castle can be viewed. Sir Thomas Grey, ancestor of the current Lord Howick of Howick Hall, once occupied the castle until a traitor caused it to fall to the Scots. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell led attacks from his base in Norham. King James IV of Scotland successfully besieged the castle at Norham, using a massive canon, Mons Meg, brought from Flanders. He survived a fall from an unstable wooden bridge and in gratitude he built the indestructible Ladykirk church – a completely stone structure – prior to his death at the Battle of Flodden with which Norham is also linked. To this day the ‘Common Riding’ from Coldstream includes Norham. Scottish John Knox, while in exile in England, married a woman from Norham.
Norham was given one of the earliest market charters in Northumberland, but the Market Cross was built in 1880 on an earlier foundation. The village retains its medieval street plan, and many houses have long gardens – burgage plots, used to grow food and to keep animals. Many buildings are thought to have been built with stone from the ruinous castle.
Norham village deserves a visit, and further reading, to do justice to its varied and turbulent history!
Rosemary Bell
A History of Norham – “The Most Dangerous Place in England”
Speaker: Martha Andrews
This intriguing title attracted a bumper audience!
Our speaker, Martha Andrews, gave an all-encompassing presentation with a superb selection of fine illustrations. In an hour she took us from prehistoric geology to the 21st century, when traditional salmon netting ended in 2009, including a wide range of details history topography, geography, saints and bishops, monarchs, warfare, architecture, treasures, and social history.
The glaciation which carved out the Tweed Valley left in its wake the small rocky hillock on which eventually Norham castle was built. Evidence of a midden with oyster shells suggests the site was used by early Neolithic hunter-gatherers.
Fast forward to the early Anglo-Saxon era, and it is likely that when St Aidan left Iona to found Lindisfarne Abbey he would have travelled via the Clyde to the Tweed valley, with only a small isthmus of land over which to transport his light-weight coracle ─ used for both transport and for shelter on land.
Cuthbert succeeded St Aidan as abbot, and he was buried at the monastery. When in 875 the monastery was sacked by marauding Vikings, the monks took St Cuthbert’s body to the abbey at Norham, where it is likely to have rested for many decades ─ hence St Cuthbert’s church became famed.
This region of Britain was unruly, governed by the Prince Bishops of Durham on behalf of the English monarch. The area is still known as Norham and Islandshire (the Isle of Lindisfarne) today, but interestingly it once included Bedlington.
The castle, built on a strategic defensive site, was frequently under attack from competing Anglo-Scottish forces; it was rebuilt in 1121 by Bishop Flambard to become a massively strong edifice. It was Queen Elizabeth 1 who decided finances were best spent re-fortifying Berwick rather than on the repair and maintenance of Norham Castle.
The church, which has impressive Norman architectural features, was likely to have been built at the same time, again on the site of earlier structures. We were shown images of fine Jacobean church furniture inherited from Durham Cathedral, and heard of tales concerning a past vicar of Norham.
Many famous names are linked with Norham. Here King Edward 1 chose John Balliol to become his “puppet king” of Scotland, not Robert the Bruce. The name of Sir Thomas Marmion, whose story was romanticised by Sir Walter Scott, is given to the iconic arch through which the remains of the castle can be viewed. Sir Thomas Grey, ancestor of the current Lord Howick of Howick Hall, once occupied the castle until a traitor caused it to fall to the Scots. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell led attacks from his base in Norham. King James IV of Scotland successfully besieged the castle at Norham, using a massive canon, Mons Meg, brought from Flanders. He survived a fall from an unstable wooden bridge and in gratitude he built the indestructible Ladykirk church – a completely stone structure – prior to his death at the Battle of Flodden with which Norham is also linked. To this day the ‘Common Riding’ from Coldstream includes Norham. Scottish John Knox, while in exile in England, married a woman from Norham.
Norham was given one of the earliest market charters in Northumberland, but the Market Cross was built in 1880 on an earlier foundation. The village retains its medieval street plan, and many houses have long gardens – burgage plots, used to grow food and to keep animals. Many buildings are thought to have been built with stone from the ruinous castle.
Norham village deserves a visit, and further reading, to do justice to its varied and turbulent history!
Rosemary Bell