Despite having been asked, in April 1917, to remove a testimonial from Peter Welsh from their website, Lonely Tower have still not done that. The testimonial is no longer appropriate.
The memorial to ‘The Brave Men of Harraton Parish’ was unveiled by Austin Kirkup (one of the agents for the Earl of Durham) on 22nd July 1922. Having spent a good 20 years researching the 102 Great War names listed thereon, we decided to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the unveiling. To this end we mounted an exhibition, with 7 ‘guiders’ available to explain and answer questions, at North Biddick Club – from 1-5pm on the afternoons of July 21st and 22nd. Peter Welsh gave a 50 minute illustrated talk on the memorial and the men in the Club on 23rd July and a group of 7, in appropriate costume, read out the names at the memorial on 24th July. Around 80 people, including relatives of the men, attended the various events. Everyone was given a print of the Chester le Street Chronicle of July 1922 which tells the full story of the unveiling. Only two days before the exhibition an original invite to the enclosure for families of the dead turned up on Facebook and so was included in the exhibition. Dorothy Hall of the North East War Memorials Project attended with her computer and her unrivalled knowledge of war memorials in general, and of the North East memorials (over 5000) in particular. Meanwhile on Facebook, Glenn Thomas, a local runner, put out a suggested route for those wanting to do a 4 mile Poppy Run – ie a run that goes past about 30 of the 100 buildings in Usworth, Washington and Harraton that were marked with a bronze resin poppy to indicate that a soldier had lived or worked in that building.
In addition, we decorated the railings of the war memorial with 102 yellow ribbons, a poppy cross and a label with details of each man. We also made 11 wreaths using fresh foliage to place on the steps of the memorial.
The bus stop opposite the memorial has a poster showing photographs of the 100 identified men (or their name on a grave or memorial) in one of the permanent display cases – as someone remarked on Facebook, ‘it’s more accurate than the timetables’. I couldn’t comment.
Given that many of the men were members of North Biddick Club, we framed one of the posters of the soldiers’ photographs and gave it to the Club to hang beside earlier donations of display material.
Facebook pages, Twitter, Wessington U3A website and wwmp website have all been regularly updated to keep people aware of the events.
The events were made possible by the generous grant of £500 by the Knott Trust.
In addition, we decorated the railings of the war memorial with 102 yellow ribbons, a poppy cross and a label with details of each man. We also made 11 wreaths using fresh foliage to place on the steps of the memorial.
The bus stop opposite the memorial has a poster showing photographs of the 100 identified men (or their name on a grave or memorial) in one of the permanent display cases – as someone remarked on Facebook, ‘it’s more accurate than the timetables’. I couldn’t comment.
Given that many of the men were members of North Biddick Club, we framed one of the posters of the soldiers’ photographs and gave it to the Club to hang beside earlier donations of display material.
Facebook pages, Twitter, Wessington U3A website and wwmp website have all been regularly updated to keep people aware of the events.
The events were made possible by the generous grant of £500 by the Knott Trust.
Now This Lousy War ……was really over.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919 and the war was over. The pain and suffering had not, of course, ended and for those who returned home the war stayed with them until they died. The group have been studying and researching from newspapers and from documents in the National Archives so that we have a better understanding of some of the issues of the time. The first was to get the soldiers home….but arriving home and returning to civilian life was not easy. The men who returned were different from the ones who went away…they’d seen and done things that they might only want to tell to other soldiers, perhaps at the Comrades of the Great War club or organisation. The women to whom they returned had also changed – many of them had been employed and had been responsible for family finances and decisions. Suddenly Tommy was back and, perhaps, assumed things would be as they always had been.
Trade Unions were keen to get men back into work, even if that meant women losing their jobs. The wholesale reorganisation of an economy based on a war-footing had to be carried through – who wanted munitions and army boots now?
The influenza epidemic came and went and came back again and tens of millions millions, across the world, died.
The map of Europe had to be re-drawn, taking into account (or not) promises made to various countries during the war. Russian Bolshevism was seen as a threat.
The National Federation of Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers lobbied the government over pensions and arrangements for the returning soldiers.
Peace Parties and street parties became common for a time – typically a sit down knife and fork supper with some brief speeches by a local dignitary, some recitations and songs, and then a gift for the ‘heroes’ and/or their wives/mothers – sometimes a 10 shilling note and/or a quarter of tea!
Many of these aspects have been covered in our recent three weekends at Beamish Museum (see photos) and the Peace Party to be held at Beamish, in the Pit Village on August 11th. Fool’s Gold will be leading the singalong. Kids have been getting cards with the names of Washington soldiers, making id tags, looking at photos of the soldiers (if we have them) and their parents and grandparents have been listening to and swapping stories. Thanks are due, of course to HLF, Beamish Museum and the indefatigable research and presentation efforts of the Poppy Girls.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919 and the war was over. The pain and suffering had not, of course, ended and for those who returned home the war stayed with them until they died. The group have been studying and researching from newspapers and from documents in the National Archives so that we have a better understanding of some of the issues of the time. The first was to get the soldiers home….but arriving home and returning to civilian life was not easy. The men who returned were different from the ones who went away…they’d seen and done things that they might only want to tell to other soldiers, perhaps at the Comrades of the Great War club or organisation. The women to whom they returned had also changed – many of them had been employed and had been responsible for family finances and decisions. Suddenly Tommy was back and, perhaps, assumed things would be as they always had been.
Trade Unions were keen to get men back into work, even if that meant women losing their jobs. The wholesale reorganisation of an economy based on a war-footing had to be carried through – who wanted munitions and army boots now?
The influenza epidemic came and went and came back again and tens of millions millions, across the world, died.
The map of Europe had to be re-drawn, taking into account (or not) promises made to various countries during the war. Russian Bolshevism was seen as a threat.
The National Federation of Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers lobbied the government over pensions and arrangements for the returning soldiers.
Peace Parties and street parties became common for a time – typically a sit down knife and fork supper with some brief speeches by a local dignitary, some recitations and songs, and then a gift for the ‘heroes’ and/or their wives/mothers – sometimes a 10 shilling note and/or a quarter of tea!
Many of these aspects have been covered in our recent three weekends at Beamish Museum (see photos) and the Peace Party to be held at Beamish, in the Pit Village on August 11th. Fool’s Gold will be leading the singalong. Kids have been getting cards with the names of Washington soldiers, making id tags, looking at photos of the soldiers (if we have them) and their parents and grandparents have been listening to and swapping stories. Thanks are due, of course to HLF, Beamish Museum and the indefatigable research and presentation efforts of the Poppy Girls.
Over the last month we have had 516 unique visitors and 876 page views.
November 1st – labels displayed on yew tree and poppy tree for men who died/were killed in November 1918 –
1/11/18 Philip Hope (H)
4/11/18 John Whitfield (H)
5/11/18 James Gaston (W)
9/11/18 Thomas W Witts (U)
14/11/18 Joseph Haydock (W)
20/11/18 John T Bates (H)
26/11/18 John Bannister (W)
27/11/18 John McGivern (U)
November 4th - Street naming – a street at the new Teal Farm Park development was named after Private William Forster of Pattinson Town. Barratt’s Homes gave £100 donation to SSAFA. Peter said a few words about William Forster and his brother John Douglas Forster and Deputy Mayor, David Snowdon, made some appropriate comments.
November 9th – Peter accompanied Year 5 pupils from JFK Primary School on the Poppy Walk.
November 11th - About 500 people attended for the annual Armistice/Remembrance service at Harraton Memorial. Pat Matthews of St George’s led a short service and then Anne, Liz, Peter and Margaret said something about each of the 102 Great War men listed on the memorial.
November 11th at North Biddick Club – about 150 to hear Fool’s Gold and Now This Lousy War is Over.
November 12th – about 50 at Usworth Church….
November 13th – about 55 at Band Hall in Beamish Museum….
November 16th – about 80 at Washington Holy Trinity………
November 19th – about 170 at N Biddick Club…
So, a total of around 500 people. Thanks to all who took part, shifted chairs, made a cake, served cake, welcomed people, took photos, made comments in person or by email or on Facebook and our website… etc etc. See comments below…..
November 20th – Peter spoke to West Denton ladies Fellowship about ‘Now This Lousy War is Over’. They gave a donation of £25 for SSAFA
COMMENTS ON RECENT PERFORMANCES 'NOW THIS LOUSY WAR IS OVER'
Hi Peter
Maureen Clare here, Chair of Houghton-le-Spring U3A. I just want to let you know that our members who came to your event absolutely loved it! They asked me to let you know how appreciative they were to be invited and to thank everyone concerned for all of the hard work and effort that had so clearly gone into it.
I thoroughly enjoyed (if that is the right word) the memorial at the club on Monday at the monthly meeting. From start to finish it was moving, funny, entertaining and educating. Fool’s Gold were excellent with their unique songs and amazing voices. Margaret, Peter and Hilary did a great job with the commentary and it moved me to tears! I know that Margaret and Peter have been the driving force behind it and with their tireless vigour, knowledge and enthusiasm produced an amazing afternoon. It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the Poppy Girls. Thank you!
Elaine Ferguson, 21/11/18
I would just like to add my thanks to everyone concerned in the War Memorial Group for the wonderful Commemoration with Now This Lousy War is Over.... with special thanks to Margaret and Peter and of course to Fool’s Gold for the music and lyrics.
Gordon Donkin and I were honoured to be singing in the choir at Danial Blake’s “Pages of the Sea” on Roker beach for the Centennial Remembrance Sunday, it was a wonderful day, although emotionally draining and I was equally moved by yesterday’s performance at the U3A.
Lesley Mccarthy. 20/11/18
I thought the presentation by Fools Gold and Margaret, Peter and Hilary was excellent. Absorbing and moving. Once again we were made to think about how much we all owe to those who were and are willing to defend us. I’m pleased that those who did return but had their lives altered forever were also remembered, they are sometimes forgotten in our praise for those who died. Altogether a very interesting and emotional afternoon.
Jean Scott, 20.11.
Joan Molloy Very moving and what a fantastic cake
Peter Barnett, 19/11/18
Today’s Remembrance event was an engrossing and deeply moving combination of prose, poetry, music and song, and let's not forget, cake as well. Well done to all concerned (you know who you are). It will stay in the memory a long time. Good to see such a big turnout of our own members and that we had many visitors also.
Dianne Elizabeth Snowdon It was brilliant. I had to rush off after the last post as I was on the school run. A very thought provoking performance. Well done everyone.
Hi Peter it was an amazing evening at Holy Trinity on Friday night. Could you please send me any information on Thomas Jeffrey I think he was my Grandma Bertha's brother who lived at one time at ShaftoTce. Washington. Norma
Janice Addison - This afternoon was brilliant, very moving. Massive well done to everyone who was involved in the project. Be very proud of your achievements xx
Tom Madden - Excellent show.
I just had to write to say thank you and to congratulate you for such a memorable performance yesterday afternoon. It was both a very moving and humbling experience and I wanted to let you know how much it was appreciated by Peter and myself.
It was a stark reminder of how my own existence was determined by the events of WWl. My grandfather was injured at the Battle of Loos: he awoke to find he was on a cart with dead bodies. I can only imagine how that must have felt and must have affected him for the rest of his life. Yesterday's commemoration was a reminder that we must never forget.
Thank you again
Marilyn
Hi Peter and Margaret
Just thought I would drop you a line to express our appreciation for tonight's performance. Very moving and poignant. John
Hi Peter it was an amazing evening at Holy Trinity on Friday night. Could you please send me any information on Thomas Jeffrey I think he was my Grandma Bertha's brother who lived at one time at Shafto Tce. Washington - Norma
Hi, Peter. I thought it was really interesting! It was nice to hear the local history and the stories that have been collected. It would’ve been nicer to see other people there my own age – Liv
A heartfelt thank you to you and Margaret for your continued efforts to prepare and produce such a poignant, memorable tribute to your local men who fought for us all.We laughed (and cried) at your presentation and had a truly lovely day spent with lovely people. Peter you are a budding thespian and your rendition of the Geordie accent and humour were unsurpassed! What a star!
The masses who turned out at your local cenotaph was unbelievable. Both young and old in attendance were moved by the tributes to all the fallen and it was an honour to be invited to join you on the Centenary dedicated to all who lost lives or lived through this "Bloody War".
We send our fondest wishes to you and Margaret and say thank you again for your continued loyalty to us. Tony and Marilyn M
Jennifer and D
I would just like to say how much we 'enjoyed' today's presentation highlighting the heroism and sacrifice of the men from Washington.
It so obviously represents such a lot of research by members of Wessington u3a and is a credit to you all.
Your research was complimented by the song writing skill of Fools Gold.
Sadly humanity does not appear to have learned too many lessons from the futility and waste of war. But we must live in hope.
We hope the rest of the presentations go well.
Today was wonderful, even though I cried all afternoon !What a wonderful thing you have done, those brave men should never be forgotten .Please pass my thanks on to Fools Gold too. I still haven’t managed the walk .Please can I do it before I get too ancient?
Wendy
Ron and Evelyn
We only became aware of your Washington WW1 work at a chance meeting with you on 13th September 2014 at a DLI exhibition at Durham Cathedral.
Since then our involvement (albeit on the extreme edges) with your projects has provided historical education, travel, friendship and fun (tinged with tears too.)
So thank you, Peter, for your work and commitment over these years and also to Margaret (you and I both know that what you've accomplished could never have been achieved without a good woman keeping you right !!)
I certainly enjoyed the presentation on Monday. It has been PRIVILEGE AND A PLEASURE to have been part of this project with Peter and Margaret and their team for the past four years.
Ann Huntley,
PS I am poppied out.
On behalf of Wessington U3A:
I would first of all like to thank Fool’s Gold. This is the second time you have entertained us but this time was special. You have written and performed songs based on research from our War Memorials Group, thus using a different medium to convey stories of Life During the Great war. Thank you Steve and Carol.
As to Wessington U3A War Memorials Group and the Poppy Girls, what can I say!
What a roller coaster ride over the last four years, though work started long before that…
When you buy your CD and booklet there is a page towards the back, ‘Let’s Remember…..’ where it lists the things the War Memorials Group and Poppy Girls have done….knit a poppy, visit war graves, make a film walk the walk, plant a cross… and the list goes on..
It would be difficult to quantify how many people have been involved in, or contributed to, the project. What started as a local community project has spread far and wide – across this country and abroad.
On occasion, Peter and Margaret have said the success is all down to the Pals Battalion and you know who you are….but those of us involved know that it happened because of two very inspirational people – Peter and Margaret.
Anne Phillipson
During the month we received photos of Tom Witts of Usworth (from Radio Wales, he played for Cardiff City), of Joseph Affleck from his great-great granddaughter and of Robert Patterson from a relative in Washington Village.
As the centenary of the end of the Great War winds down those of us in the loosely formed War Memorials Group would like to thank all those who've participated in one way or another - whether by doing research, taking photos, speaking, knitting, crafting, cake-making, shifting chairs, offering ideas, guiding at exhibitions, assisting with finances, attending talks, appearing in films, creating and upkeeping a website, spreading the word, walking the walk, using the app, buying the book, watching the films, gardening, clippy matting - or simply being supportive in a personal sense.
The website will be maintained and we're still looking for info to add to the stories and happy to answer queries. There may even be some Fool's Gold in the future..... and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. You'll be aware that there were also Treaties of Trianon, Neuilly, Sevres and St Germain but we'll not complicate matters, just yet.....
Peter Welsh, 20/11/18
November 29th – took David Brodie (English teacher at Biddick Academy) around the Poppy Walk in order to show him what was what. The English Department plan to do the walk, in connection with their study of ‘Private Peaceful’.
Recent donations from talks, Now This Lousy War is Over and Barratt’s Homes have taken the total donation made to SSAFA to £1783 (plus an earlier amount of £711 to Re.Org Trust) ie a total of £2494. Thanks to all who have bought books or DVDs, paid for talks or simply put cash into the ‘SSAFA shell case’.
November 1st – labels displayed on yew tree and poppy tree for men who died/were killed in November 1918 –
1/11/18 Philip Hope (H)
4/11/18 John Whitfield (H)
5/11/18 James Gaston (W)
9/11/18 Thomas W Witts (U)
14/11/18 Joseph Haydock (W)
20/11/18 John T Bates (H)
26/11/18 John Bannister (W)
27/11/18 John McGivern (U)
November 4th - Street naming – a street at the new Teal Farm Park development was named after Private William Forster of Pattinson Town. Barratt’s Homes gave £100 donation to SSAFA. Peter said a few words about William Forster and his brother John Douglas Forster and Deputy Mayor, David Snowdon, made some appropriate comments.
November 9th – Peter accompanied Year 5 pupils from JFK Primary School on the Poppy Walk.
November 11th - About 500 people attended for the annual Armistice/Remembrance service at Harraton Memorial. Pat Matthews of St George’s led a short service and then Anne, Liz, Peter and Margaret said something about each of the 102 Great War men listed on the memorial.
November 11th at North Biddick Club – about 150 to hear Fool’s Gold and Now This Lousy War is Over.
November 12th – about 50 at Usworth Church….
November 13th – about 55 at Band Hall in Beamish Museum….
November 16th – about 80 at Washington Holy Trinity………
November 19th – about 170 at N Biddick Club…
So, a total of around 500 people. Thanks to all who took part, shifted chairs, made a cake, served cake, welcomed people, took photos, made comments in person or by email or on Facebook and our website… etc etc. See comments below…..
November 20th – Peter spoke to West Denton ladies Fellowship about ‘Now This Lousy War is Over’. They gave a donation of £25 for SSAFA
COMMENTS ON RECENT PERFORMANCES 'NOW THIS LOUSY WAR IS OVER'
Hi Peter
Maureen Clare here, Chair of Houghton-le-Spring U3A. I just want to let you know that our members who came to your event absolutely loved it! They asked me to let you know how appreciative they were to be invited and to thank everyone concerned for all of the hard work and effort that had so clearly gone into it.
I thoroughly enjoyed (if that is the right word) the memorial at the club on Monday at the monthly meeting. From start to finish it was moving, funny, entertaining and educating. Fool’s Gold were excellent with their unique songs and amazing voices. Margaret, Peter and Hilary did a great job with the commentary and it moved me to tears! I know that Margaret and Peter have been the driving force behind it and with their tireless vigour, knowledge and enthusiasm produced an amazing afternoon. It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the Poppy Girls. Thank you!
Elaine Ferguson, 21/11/18
I would just like to add my thanks to everyone concerned in the War Memorial Group for the wonderful Commemoration with Now This Lousy War is Over.... with special thanks to Margaret and Peter and of course to Fool’s Gold for the music and lyrics.
Gordon Donkin and I were honoured to be singing in the choir at Danial Blake’s “Pages of the Sea” on Roker beach for the Centennial Remembrance Sunday, it was a wonderful day, although emotionally draining and I was equally moved by yesterday’s performance at the U3A.
Lesley Mccarthy. 20/11/18
I thought the presentation by Fools Gold and Margaret, Peter and Hilary was excellent. Absorbing and moving. Once again we were made to think about how much we all owe to those who were and are willing to defend us. I’m pleased that those who did return but had their lives altered forever were also remembered, they are sometimes forgotten in our praise for those who died. Altogether a very interesting and emotional afternoon.
Jean Scott, 20.11.
Joan Molloy Very moving and what a fantastic cake
Peter Barnett, 19/11/18
Today’s Remembrance event was an engrossing and deeply moving combination of prose, poetry, music and song, and let's not forget, cake as well. Well done to all concerned (you know who you are). It will stay in the memory a long time. Good to see such a big turnout of our own members and that we had many visitors also.
Dianne Elizabeth Snowdon It was brilliant. I had to rush off after the last post as I was on the school run. A very thought provoking performance. Well done everyone.
Hi Peter it was an amazing evening at Holy Trinity on Friday night. Could you please send me any information on Thomas Jeffrey I think he was my Grandma Bertha's brother who lived at one time at ShaftoTce. Washington. Norma
Janice Addison - This afternoon was brilliant, very moving. Massive well done to everyone who was involved in the project. Be very proud of your achievements xx
Tom Madden - Excellent show.
I just had to write to say thank you and to congratulate you for such a memorable performance yesterday afternoon. It was both a very moving and humbling experience and I wanted to let you know how much it was appreciated by Peter and myself.
It was a stark reminder of how my own existence was determined by the events of WWl. My grandfather was injured at the Battle of Loos: he awoke to find he was on a cart with dead bodies. I can only imagine how that must have felt and must have affected him for the rest of his life. Yesterday's commemoration was a reminder that we must never forget.
Thank you again
Marilyn
Hi Peter and Margaret
Just thought I would drop you a line to express our appreciation for tonight's performance. Very moving and poignant. John
Hi Peter it was an amazing evening at Holy Trinity on Friday night. Could you please send me any information on Thomas Jeffrey I think he was my Grandma Bertha's brother who lived at one time at Shafto Tce. Washington - Norma
Hi, Peter. I thought it was really interesting! It was nice to hear the local history and the stories that have been collected. It would’ve been nicer to see other people there my own age – Liv
A heartfelt thank you to you and Margaret for your continued efforts to prepare and produce such a poignant, memorable tribute to your local men who fought for us all.We laughed (and cried) at your presentation and had a truly lovely day spent with lovely people. Peter you are a budding thespian and your rendition of the Geordie accent and humour were unsurpassed! What a star!
The masses who turned out at your local cenotaph was unbelievable. Both young and old in attendance were moved by the tributes to all the fallen and it was an honour to be invited to join you on the Centenary dedicated to all who lost lives or lived through this "Bloody War".
We send our fondest wishes to you and Margaret and say thank you again for your continued loyalty to us. Tony and Marilyn M
Jennifer and D
I would just like to say how much we 'enjoyed' today's presentation highlighting the heroism and sacrifice of the men from Washington.
It so obviously represents such a lot of research by members of Wessington u3a and is a credit to you all.
Your research was complimented by the song writing skill of Fools Gold.
Sadly humanity does not appear to have learned too many lessons from the futility and waste of war. But we must live in hope.
We hope the rest of the presentations go well.
Today was wonderful, even though I cried all afternoon !What a wonderful thing you have done, those brave men should never be forgotten .Please pass my thanks on to Fools Gold too. I still haven’t managed the walk .Please can I do it before I get too ancient?
Wendy
Ron and Evelyn
We only became aware of your Washington WW1 work at a chance meeting with you on 13th September 2014 at a DLI exhibition at Durham Cathedral.
Since then our involvement (albeit on the extreme edges) with your projects has provided historical education, travel, friendship and fun (tinged with tears too.)
So thank you, Peter, for your work and commitment over these years and also to Margaret (you and I both know that what you've accomplished could never have been achieved without a good woman keeping you right !!)
I certainly enjoyed the presentation on Monday. It has been PRIVILEGE AND A PLEASURE to have been part of this project with Peter and Margaret and their team for the past four years.
Ann Huntley,
PS I am poppied out.
On behalf of Wessington U3A:
I would first of all like to thank Fool’s Gold. This is the second time you have entertained us but this time was special. You have written and performed songs based on research from our War Memorials Group, thus using a different medium to convey stories of Life During the Great war. Thank you Steve and Carol.
As to Wessington U3A War Memorials Group and the Poppy Girls, what can I say!
What a roller coaster ride over the last four years, though work started long before that…
When you buy your CD and booklet there is a page towards the back, ‘Let’s Remember…..’ where it lists the things the War Memorials Group and Poppy Girls have done….knit a poppy, visit war graves, make a film walk the walk, plant a cross… and the list goes on..
It would be difficult to quantify how many people have been involved in, or contributed to, the project. What started as a local community project has spread far and wide – across this country and abroad.
On occasion, Peter and Margaret have said the success is all down to the Pals Battalion and you know who you are….but those of us involved know that it happened because of two very inspirational people – Peter and Margaret.
Anne Phillipson
During the month we received photos of Tom Witts of Usworth (from Radio Wales, he played for Cardiff City), of Joseph Affleck from his great-great granddaughter and of Robert Patterson from a relative in Washington Village.
As the centenary of the end of the Great War winds down those of us in the loosely formed War Memorials Group would like to thank all those who've participated in one way or another - whether by doing research, taking photos, speaking, knitting, crafting, cake-making, shifting chairs, offering ideas, guiding at exhibitions, assisting with finances, attending talks, appearing in films, creating and upkeeping a website, spreading the word, walking the walk, using the app, buying the book, watching the films, gardening, clippy matting - or simply being supportive in a personal sense.
The website will be maintained and we're still looking for info to add to the stories and happy to answer queries. There may even be some Fool's Gold in the future..... and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. You'll be aware that there were also Treaties of Trianon, Neuilly, Sevres and St Germain but we'll not complicate matters, just yet.....
Peter Welsh, 20/11/18
November 29th – took David Brodie (English teacher at Biddick Academy) around the Poppy Walk in order to show him what was what. The English Department plan to do the walk, in connection with their study of ‘Private Peaceful’.
Recent donations from talks, Now This Lousy War is Over and Barratt’s Homes have taken the total donation made to SSAFA to £1783 (plus an earlier amount of £711 to Re.Org Trust) ie a total of £2494. Thanks to all who have bought books or DVDs, paid for talks or simply put cash into the ‘SSAFA shell case’.
September and October
Contact from Steve Duffy at BBC Wales – he added a photo to our store – Thomas Witts of Usworth who played for Cardiff City; a documentary is being made about them. In return we sent him all the info we had on Thomas.
Lisa Douglas provided another photo that we hadn’t seen before – this one of Robert Patterson of Barmston.
Barratt Homes are naming a street at part of Teal Park Farm after Private William Forster (of Pattinson Town, died in Rouen in August 1916) – that’ll be on November 8th at 11am,
NE38 8QL
Labels were hung on the yew and poppy trees for:
September 1918 deaths
John Allsop 3/9/18 (W)
Thomas Scorer 16/9/18 (W)
William Tappenden 10/9/18 (U)
William H Ogle 28/9/18 (U)
Bowman Paterson 30/9/18 (U)
Lawrence McKeon 5/9/18 (H)
John F Potter 10/9/18 (H)
Benjamin Dean 21/9/18 (H)
Robert Brown 29/9/18 (H)
Wallace Layfield 24/9/18 (H) also Washington
Robert Wilkinson 18/9/18 (W)
October 1918 deaths
William Mason 8/10/18 (W)
Henry McMenam 27/10/18 (W)
Joseph W Rawling 4/10/18 (W)
Ralph Saint 11/10/18 (W)
John Smith 31/10/18 (W)
George Golden 21/10/18 (W)
Albert Watson 25/10/18 (W)
Thomas Kenny 4/10/18 (U)
Robert Pestell 23/10/18 (U)
Thomas Morrow 25/10/18 (U)
Thomas Alexander 27/10/18 (U)
Thomas Sanderson 28/10/18 (U)
Richardson H Davison 1/10/18 (H)
Thomas N Lonsdale 5/10/18 (H)
Matthew Grass 8/10/18 (H)
George Usher 25/10/18 (H)
George H Ainsley 30/10/18 (H)
October 10th – Peter spoke to Ewesley Rd Ladies Fellowship on ‘Now This Lousy war is Over’ and received a £30 donation for SSAFA.
Many thanks due to Fool’s Gold for preparing the album to accompany the commemorations in November. It is available for £10. It includes a CD of Fool’s Gold’s specially written songs about Washington in the Great War (six songs) and photographs of over 270 of the men who died; for those for whom we could find no photo we have included a photo of their grave, or name on a memorial or will or ship they served on…. Only 2 men have no photo – A Brown and W Hunter, about whom we know nothing…yet.
The Poppy Girls have used 1918 ‘Let’s Remember’ cards to write on the names of groups of soldiers so that each scout attending the Harraton memorial on November 11th will get a card. They may then choose to find out about some of the men from wwmp.weebly.com
Tickets for November are going quite quickly – so far …………….
Marilyn Ward from the Washington Video Editing group has agreed to film the first ‘Now This Lousy War is Over’- as a record, not for sale or distribution.
5,000 flyers have been put through the doors of Washington houses
The following schools have received a free copy of Now This Lousy War is Over
Primaries – Fatfield, Wessington, Rickleton, Blackfell, Usworth Colliery, Oxclose, Barmston, Biddick, Holley Park, Albany, St Bede’s, Marlborough, Springwell, Lambton, John F Kennedy, St Joseph’s
Comprehensives - St Robert’s, Biddick, Oxclose, Washington.
Washington Library also received a free copy
The group exhibited at Cornerstones Chester le Street as part of the Durham WFA Annual Conference.
Pauline, Gavin and Anne Huntley took a War Memorials Group group exhibition to County Hall for Durham at War Conference sponsored by Durham County Record Office.
Jordan Tough, local genius, has only gone and remade the worpoppywalk.com phone app after Apple decided to make changes which made the original unusable. Thanks Apple. Just google it and one click downloads it.
Where have all the Poppies gone?
It is a question we have been asked since the ranks of poppies have begun to thin and that gives us the clue as to why the poppies are disappearing…
The knitted poppy started with one poppy and a pattern…thanks to Barbara…a member of Wessington U3A and so was born a Poppies group…women who have met weekly-ish since 2014. It supported the War Memorials Group and their research about the men of the First World War remembered on the three memorials in Washington…
One poppy – One man…102 poppies were knitted and hung from the tree at Harraton War Memorial garden in 2014…one poppy for each man who did not return from World War 1 …an idea from Judy, another member of Wessington U3A…
People enjoyed knitting the poppies… they wanted to be part of remembering Washington men…so what next?
One poppy – One man…410 poppies were placed onto streamers and laid with traditional greenery – laurel, ivy, rosemary and eucalyptus – in November 2015 around Harraton Memorial. Why 410 poppies? The number of men who left Harraton Parish to go war…
One poppy – One man…2016 poppies were placed onto streamers and hung from Fatfield Bridge? Why 2016? One hundred years on from the Battles of the Somme and Laraine had the idea of remembering the men ‘going over the top.’ Some of those poppies were loaned to Beamish to ‘go over the top’ in The Masonic Temple.
One poppy – One man…word was spreading and poppies were being knit by members of the other U3As thanks to Jenny – by local Knit and Natter groups thanks to Norma – by the Zumba girls from Fusion Studio in Birtley thanks to Lesley – by members of local WIs thanks to Lynn – by people who visited our exhibitions at Beamish - by friends and families of all…
What to do? 12557 was the magic number…one poppy for each DLI man lost in the First World War…and gradually we placed poppies onto the streamers to hang from Fatfield Bridge…
383 poppies provided the backdrop to a ‘Let’s Remember’ banner made by Canada Ann and Washington U3A members…410 white poppies were placed on knitting needle stalks in Harraton War Memorial garden to remember ‘conscientious objectors’ and those who sought peace…
One poppy… One man…410 red poppies on knitting needle stalks have been placed in Harraton War Memorial garden – 102 of those with ID tags to remind us of those who did not return…102 poppies have been placed on two bicycle wheels – as wreaths which will be laid at the Memorial…
So, where have all the poppies gone? Those that have survived on the streamers and fence are being removed and they are being placed in the ‘trench’ along the side of the bridge. They will be left there with crosses and small bunches of greenery to remind us of where those men lie today…
One man – One poppy…let’s remember 100 years on…
Check out this story in photos in the Bus Stop opposite Harraton Memorial
Contact from Steve Duffy at BBC Wales – he added a photo to our store – Thomas Witts of Usworth who played for Cardiff City; a documentary is being made about them. In return we sent him all the info we had on Thomas.
Lisa Douglas provided another photo that we hadn’t seen before – this one of Robert Patterson of Barmston.
Barratt Homes are naming a street at part of Teal Park Farm after Private William Forster (of Pattinson Town, died in Rouen in August 1916) – that’ll be on November 8th at 11am,
NE38 8QL
Labels were hung on the yew and poppy trees for:
September 1918 deaths
John Allsop 3/9/18 (W)
Thomas Scorer 16/9/18 (W)
William Tappenden 10/9/18 (U)
William H Ogle 28/9/18 (U)
Bowman Paterson 30/9/18 (U)
Lawrence McKeon 5/9/18 (H)
John F Potter 10/9/18 (H)
Benjamin Dean 21/9/18 (H)
Robert Brown 29/9/18 (H)
Wallace Layfield 24/9/18 (H) also Washington
Robert Wilkinson 18/9/18 (W)
October 1918 deaths
William Mason 8/10/18 (W)
Henry McMenam 27/10/18 (W)
Joseph W Rawling 4/10/18 (W)
Ralph Saint 11/10/18 (W)
John Smith 31/10/18 (W)
George Golden 21/10/18 (W)
Albert Watson 25/10/18 (W)
Thomas Kenny 4/10/18 (U)
Robert Pestell 23/10/18 (U)
Thomas Morrow 25/10/18 (U)
Thomas Alexander 27/10/18 (U)
Thomas Sanderson 28/10/18 (U)
Richardson H Davison 1/10/18 (H)
Thomas N Lonsdale 5/10/18 (H)
Matthew Grass 8/10/18 (H)
George Usher 25/10/18 (H)
George H Ainsley 30/10/18 (H)
October 10th – Peter spoke to Ewesley Rd Ladies Fellowship on ‘Now This Lousy war is Over’ and received a £30 donation for SSAFA.
Many thanks due to Fool’s Gold for preparing the album to accompany the commemorations in November. It is available for £10. It includes a CD of Fool’s Gold’s specially written songs about Washington in the Great War (six songs) and photographs of over 270 of the men who died; for those for whom we could find no photo we have included a photo of their grave, or name on a memorial or will or ship they served on…. Only 2 men have no photo – A Brown and W Hunter, about whom we know nothing…yet.
The Poppy Girls have used 1918 ‘Let’s Remember’ cards to write on the names of groups of soldiers so that each scout attending the Harraton memorial on November 11th will get a card. They may then choose to find out about some of the men from wwmp.weebly.com
Tickets for November are going quite quickly – so far …………….
Marilyn Ward from the Washington Video Editing group has agreed to film the first ‘Now This Lousy War is Over’- as a record, not for sale or distribution.
5,000 flyers have been put through the doors of Washington houses
The following schools have received a free copy of Now This Lousy War is Over
Primaries – Fatfield, Wessington, Rickleton, Blackfell, Usworth Colliery, Oxclose, Barmston, Biddick, Holley Park, Albany, St Bede’s, Marlborough, Springwell, Lambton, John F Kennedy, St Joseph’s
Comprehensives - St Robert’s, Biddick, Oxclose, Washington.
Washington Library also received a free copy
The group exhibited at Cornerstones Chester le Street as part of the Durham WFA Annual Conference.
Pauline, Gavin and Anne Huntley took a War Memorials Group group exhibition to County Hall for Durham at War Conference sponsored by Durham County Record Office.
Jordan Tough, local genius, has only gone and remade the worpoppywalk.com phone app after Apple decided to make changes which made the original unusable. Thanks Apple. Just google it and one click downloads it.
Where have all the Poppies gone?
It is a question we have been asked since the ranks of poppies have begun to thin and that gives us the clue as to why the poppies are disappearing…
The knitted poppy started with one poppy and a pattern…thanks to Barbara…a member of Wessington U3A and so was born a Poppies group…women who have met weekly-ish since 2014. It supported the War Memorials Group and their research about the men of the First World War remembered on the three memorials in Washington…
One poppy – One man…102 poppies were knitted and hung from the tree at Harraton War Memorial garden in 2014…one poppy for each man who did not return from World War 1 …an idea from Judy, another member of Wessington U3A…
People enjoyed knitting the poppies… they wanted to be part of remembering Washington men…so what next?
One poppy – One man…410 poppies were placed onto streamers and laid with traditional greenery – laurel, ivy, rosemary and eucalyptus – in November 2015 around Harraton Memorial. Why 410 poppies? The number of men who left Harraton Parish to go war…
One poppy – One man…2016 poppies were placed onto streamers and hung from Fatfield Bridge? Why 2016? One hundred years on from the Battles of the Somme and Laraine had the idea of remembering the men ‘going over the top.’ Some of those poppies were loaned to Beamish to ‘go over the top’ in The Masonic Temple.
One poppy – One man…word was spreading and poppies were being knit by members of the other U3As thanks to Jenny – by local Knit and Natter groups thanks to Norma – by the Zumba girls from Fusion Studio in Birtley thanks to Lesley – by members of local WIs thanks to Lynn – by people who visited our exhibitions at Beamish - by friends and families of all…
What to do? 12557 was the magic number…one poppy for each DLI man lost in the First World War…and gradually we placed poppies onto the streamers to hang from Fatfield Bridge…
383 poppies provided the backdrop to a ‘Let’s Remember’ banner made by Canada Ann and Washington U3A members…410 white poppies were placed on knitting needle stalks in Harraton War Memorial garden to remember ‘conscientious objectors’ and those who sought peace…
One poppy… One man…410 red poppies on knitting needle stalks have been placed in Harraton War Memorial garden – 102 of those with ID tags to remind us of those who did not return…102 poppies have been placed on two bicycle wheels – as wreaths which will be laid at the Memorial…
So, where have all the poppies gone? Those that have survived on the streamers and fence are being removed and they are being placed in the ‘trench’ along the side of the bridge. They will be left there with crosses and small bunches of greenery to remind us of where those men lie today…
One man – One poppy…let’s remember 100 years on…
Check out this story in photos in the Bus Stop opposite Harraton Memorial
Last month there were 269 unique visitors and 480 page views.
2nd July – labels at Usworth Church for
15/7/18 Andrew Smith (U)
20/7/18 William G Pretsell (U)
22/7/18 John Dawson (U)
23/7/18 George Gibson (U)
27/7/18 John Harbin (U)
Nobody from Washington or Harraton killed in July 1918
3rd July – exhibition at Beamish Museum
4th July spoke and sang!! to Cestria U3A re Now This Lousy War is Over
5th July – continued research into Lord Durham at DCRO
Visited Tyne Cot Cemetery and memorial for photographs of George Robertson, John P Hutchinson, Joseph James (all Usworth) and Westhof Farm, near Ypres, for William Hedley’s grave.
Contacted One Centenary/100 Stories to see if they were interested in any of our research, events, projects.
Continued (nearly done) research into Lord Durham in the Great War – at DCRO through the Durham Chronicle.
Rotary North East have asked for an article about Wor Poppy Walk for their magazine. Currently the app is being updated by Jordan after the problems caused by Apple’s changes (which affected Kudlian who originally provided the software for the app). The new app, when complete, will be available through Google at http://www.worpoppywalk.com
August 2018
Labels hung for the following:
17/8/18 Robert Devlin (U)
22//8/18 Collingwood Hunter (U)
22/8/18 Thomas Hanlon (W)
24/8/18 John T Corps (H)
29/8/18 Frank Embleton (W)
25/8/18 Robert Patterson (W)
27/8/18 Ralph C Hodgson (U)
In doing so located the family grave of David Trotter in Usworth Holy Trinity cemetery (see photo below) – even though CWGC has him listed as killed on July 1st 1916 and commemorated at Thiepval
12th – spoke to Fool’s Gold to finalise booklet to accompany CD. Listened to completed CD of Now This Lousy War is Over.
15th met Andrew Cresswell to organise small exhibition for Washington Holy Trinity for HoD weekend.
16th – exhibition at Beamish Museum – met a man who lives at Montrueil-aux –Lions – about 8km from where Michael Grafton (first Washington man to die) is commemorated at La Ferte sous Jouarre.
21st – spoke and sang!! to Houghton le Spring U3A re Now This Lousy War is Over
23rd - Continued research into Lord Durham at DCRO, Received photocopies of letter a)Sir William Lambton (brother of Lord Durham) to Sir Ivor Maxse about the German use of gas in April 1915 and b) from Lord Durham to Prime Minister Asquith asking for better wages for volunteers. Also found a copy of Melbourne Argus dated 1884 with long article about Lord Durham’s attempt (1884) to divorce his wife on the grounds of her insanity – he lost the case.
Current scores for watching our DVDs on Youtube
Wad thou gan? – 4,680
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt – 2364
Washington Men at the Somme – 2364
The Wear at War - 2167
2nd July – labels at Usworth Church for
15/7/18 Andrew Smith (U)
20/7/18 William G Pretsell (U)
22/7/18 John Dawson (U)
23/7/18 George Gibson (U)
27/7/18 John Harbin (U)
Nobody from Washington or Harraton killed in July 1918
3rd July – exhibition at Beamish Museum
4th July spoke and sang!! to Cestria U3A re Now This Lousy War is Over
5th July – continued research into Lord Durham at DCRO
Visited Tyne Cot Cemetery and memorial for photographs of George Robertson, John P Hutchinson, Joseph James (all Usworth) and Westhof Farm, near Ypres, for William Hedley’s grave.
Contacted One Centenary/100 Stories to see if they were interested in any of our research, events, projects.
Continued (nearly done) research into Lord Durham in the Great War – at DCRO through the Durham Chronicle.
Rotary North East have asked for an article about Wor Poppy Walk for their magazine. Currently the app is being updated by Jordan after the problems caused by Apple’s changes (which affected Kudlian who originally provided the software for the app). The new app, when complete, will be available through Google at http://www.worpoppywalk.com
August 2018
Labels hung for the following:
17/8/18 Robert Devlin (U)
22//8/18 Collingwood Hunter (U)
22/8/18 Thomas Hanlon (W)
24/8/18 John T Corps (H)
29/8/18 Frank Embleton (W)
25/8/18 Robert Patterson (W)
27/8/18 Ralph C Hodgson (U)
In doing so located the family grave of David Trotter in Usworth Holy Trinity cemetery (see photo below) – even though CWGC has him listed as killed on July 1st 1916 and commemorated at Thiepval
12th – spoke to Fool’s Gold to finalise booklet to accompany CD. Listened to completed CD of Now This Lousy War is Over.
15th met Andrew Cresswell to organise small exhibition for Washington Holy Trinity for HoD weekend.
16th – exhibition at Beamish Museum – met a man who lives at Montrueil-aux –Lions – about 8km from where Michael Grafton (first Washington man to die) is commemorated at La Ferte sous Jouarre.
21st – spoke and sang!! to Houghton le Spring U3A re Now This Lousy War is Over
23rd - Continued research into Lord Durham at DCRO, Received photocopies of letter a)Sir William Lambton (brother of Lord Durham) to Sir Ivor Maxse about the German use of gas in April 1915 and b) from Lord Durham to Prime Minister Asquith asking for better wages for volunteers. Also found a copy of Melbourne Argus dated 1884 with long article about Lord Durham’s attempt (1884) to divorce his wife on the grounds of her insanity – he lost the case.
Current scores for watching our DVDs on Youtube
Wad thou gan? – 4,680
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt – 2364
Washington Men at the Somme – 2364
The Wear at War - 2167
We had 342 unique visitors in June and 648 page views.
June 2018 – ongoing links with Fool’s Gold re booklet and words for the performances of @now This Lousy war is Over’.
Labels were hung at Washington Church and on Harraton Poppy tree for the following men (and woman) who died, or were killed, in 1916.
3/6/18 Michael Thompson (W)
6/6/18 Robert Stanners (W)
9/6/18 William J Marley (W)
15/6/18 Robert Jefferson (W)
18/6/18 John Ross (H)
23/6/18 Sarah Ferguson (W)
No one from Usworth was killed in June 1918
4th June Washington History Society were offered tickets for ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’
7th June Washington Village U3A – Peter spoke and sang to them to invite them to ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’ Cries of ‘More’ were not heard.
14th June research in DCRO – specifically about the Earl of Durham but other relevant information was collected eg:-
11/2/21(Durham Chronicle) Sacred to the memory of my dear brother, Pte Joseph Sproul, 6th Yorkshire Regt, who was killed in action Feb 8th, 1917.
Dear is the grave where he is laid,
Sweet is the memory that will never fade,
So swift, so sudden, was the call,
His sudden death surprised us all.
Ever remembered by his loving brother Jim and sister in law Eliza.
AND
(Durham Chronicle) 1/4/21 WASHINGTON WAR MEMORIAL
Out of 1,084 men employed at the Washington F Pit, 436 volunteered for service in the Great War, and of this number 64 made the supreme sacrifice. To the memory of the fallen a tablet was unveiled on Saturday by Mr Joseph Olds, miners’ treasurer.
The oak memorial stands on a stone base, and in the centre panel, in letters of gold, are the names of the heroes who fell in the war. The tablet, which has been executed by the Cooperative Wholesale Society at a cost of £200, is an excellent piece of workmanship.
At Saturday night’s unveiling ceremony in the Miners’ Hall Mr J Cullen presided, and a musical programme was contributed by the Elder family from Eighton Banks. The Rev A Begg (father of Lt JAB Begg, killed in March 1918), rector of Usworth, was present when Mr Robinson, the miners’ secretary, placed a wreath on the tablet.
During the evening the following interesting statement was submitted :- Fourteen hundred and twenty five parcels were sent to soldiers and sailors at a cost of £450; to the Red Cross Society a donation of £180 was given for ambulance work; to the Prisoners of War Fund £50; to the Welcome Home Fund, whereby 372 lads received a gift of £1 each; for medals £217 was expended; over entertaining the lads £60; to war widows and aged persons £100; and to other war charities £450. The grand total of money subscribed exceeded £1890.
18th June ‘Now This Lousy War is Over,’ first tranche of tickets were issued to members of Wessington U3A.
19th June Washington Station WI - Peter spoke and sang to them to invite them to ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’ Most of them survived the singing.
20th June - Les Burn created a composite image of some aspects of group’s activities over the centennial period – big thanks to Les.
June 2018 – ongoing links with Fool’s Gold re booklet and words for the performances of @now This Lousy war is Over’.
Labels were hung at Washington Church and on Harraton Poppy tree for the following men (and woman) who died, or were killed, in 1916.
3/6/18 Michael Thompson (W)
6/6/18 Robert Stanners (W)
9/6/18 William J Marley (W)
15/6/18 Robert Jefferson (W)
18/6/18 John Ross (H)
23/6/18 Sarah Ferguson (W)
No one from Usworth was killed in June 1918
4th June Washington History Society were offered tickets for ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’
7th June Washington Village U3A – Peter spoke and sang to them to invite them to ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’ Cries of ‘More’ were not heard.
14th June research in DCRO – specifically about the Earl of Durham but other relevant information was collected eg:-
11/2/21(Durham Chronicle) Sacred to the memory of my dear brother, Pte Joseph Sproul, 6th Yorkshire Regt, who was killed in action Feb 8th, 1917.
Dear is the grave where he is laid,
Sweet is the memory that will never fade,
So swift, so sudden, was the call,
His sudden death surprised us all.
Ever remembered by his loving brother Jim and sister in law Eliza.
AND
(Durham Chronicle) 1/4/21 WASHINGTON WAR MEMORIAL
Out of 1,084 men employed at the Washington F Pit, 436 volunteered for service in the Great War, and of this number 64 made the supreme sacrifice. To the memory of the fallen a tablet was unveiled on Saturday by Mr Joseph Olds, miners’ treasurer.
The oak memorial stands on a stone base, and in the centre panel, in letters of gold, are the names of the heroes who fell in the war. The tablet, which has been executed by the Cooperative Wholesale Society at a cost of £200, is an excellent piece of workmanship.
At Saturday night’s unveiling ceremony in the Miners’ Hall Mr J Cullen presided, and a musical programme was contributed by the Elder family from Eighton Banks. The Rev A Begg (father of Lt JAB Begg, killed in March 1918), rector of Usworth, was present when Mr Robinson, the miners’ secretary, placed a wreath on the tablet.
During the evening the following interesting statement was submitted :- Fourteen hundred and twenty five parcels were sent to soldiers and sailors at a cost of £450; to the Red Cross Society a donation of £180 was given for ambulance work; to the Prisoners of War Fund £50; to the Welcome Home Fund, whereby 372 lads received a gift of £1 each; for medals £217 was expended; over entertaining the lads £60; to war widows and aged persons £100; and to other war charities £450. The grand total of money subscribed exceeded £1890.
18th June ‘Now This Lousy War is Over,’ first tranche of tickets were issued to members of Wessington U3A.
19th June Washington Station WI - Peter spoke and sang to them to invite them to ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’ Most of them survived the singing.
20th June - Les Burn created a composite image of some aspects of group’s activities over the centennial period – big thanks to Les.
We borrowed an aluminium Tommy from Sunderland City Council. He was given a guided tour of Washington (see photos above) and also appeared at Francis Street, Beamish.
Poppy Girls stole some bicycle parts (see photo above)
20th June Sunderland City Council and members of Wessington U3A planted up new begonias at Harraton memorial.
22nd June - Visit to Fool’s Gold to organise CD/album for November. Heard ‘On the Stair’ for the first time. The story of a lad from Musgrave Terrace. Lovely.
27th June – contacted St George’s Church re tickets for November.
Poppy Girls stole some bicycle parts (see photo above)
20th June Sunderland City Council and members of Wessington U3A planted up new begonias at Harraton memorial.
22nd June - Visit to Fool’s Gold to organise CD/album for November. Heard ‘On the Stair’ for the first time. The story of a lad from Musgrave Terrace. Lovely.
27th June – contacted St George’s Church re tickets for November.
We had 360 unique visitors in May and 531 page views.
Labels hung in Usworth and Washington churchyards for:
2/5/18 Matthew Dobson (U)
8/5/18 Liddle B Elliott (U)
12/5/18 James Wilson (U)
15/5/18 Patrick Murphy (W)
27/5/18 Harry J Oswald (W)
27/5/18 William JB Stokoe (W)
Nobody from Harraton was killed in May 1918
Labels hung in Usworth and Washington churchyards for:
2/5/18 Matthew Dobson (U)
8/5/18 Liddle B Elliott (U)
12/5/18 James Wilson (U)
15/5/18 Patrick Murphy (W)
27/5/18 Harry J Oswald (W)
27/5/18 William JB Stokoe (W)
Nobody from Harraton was killed in May 1918
The great granddaughter of Harry Oswald and the great niece of Jack Wilson got in touch and were provided with photos and information
A relation of WG Pretsell (Usworth, he lived in Sugarwell Cottage) got in touch with photographs of Lt Pretsell and his Military Cross.
DCRO research on Lord Durham continued. Lord Durham said – well, he said quite a lot.
Attendance by Peter and Ann H at SSAFA AGM where the ‘entertainment’ was by Fool’s Gold performing selections from Beat the Drum – the story of Michael Heavisides, VC, from Craghead
Seeds planted at the end of Fatfield Bridge – daisies and poppies coming through nicely (see photo)
9th May at Beamish Museum met family of VC winner Richard Kelliher (WW2) from Tralee and then later Australia (if grandson of Michael Heaviside from Craghead was at work families of 2 VCs on site at the same time) and five minutes later a man asked about Varennes cemetery, where we stay when in France visiting battlefields. Small world.
11th May – telephoned by lady in Scarborough to check out our poppy walk plans and ideas
10th May - Registered loss of Tom Garnham’s watch with Artloss
11th May - issues re Kudlian, Calvium and Apple re Poppy Walk phone app.
15th May - Peter Hart, from the Imperial War Museum, spoke to about 60 people at N Biddick Club, the topic The Last Battle. Excellent, as usual.
16th May - Friends of Durham County Record Office: evening exhibition at County Hall (see photo)
19th May – met with relation of James William Robinson who lived at Stone Cellars, Usworth. Provided a pre-army photograph of JW (see photo)
Meetings with Fool’s Gold re songs and words for November: Now This Lousy War is Over. Songs are marvellous, hope the words we produce live up to them. There will be an album of the songs and words.
May 24th Completed the downloading of Washington men to ‘Shrouds of the Somme.’
Tickets ready for November – Now This Lousy War is Over (see photo). If you’d like a ticket then please get in touch.
A relation of WG Pretsell (Usworth, he lived in Sugarwell Cottage) got in touch with photographs of Lt Pretsell and his Military Cross.
DCRO research on Lord Durham continued. Lord Durham said – well, he said quite a lot.
Attendance by Peter and Ann H at SSAFA AGM where the ‘entertainment’ was by Fool’s Gold performing selections from Beat the Drum – the story of Michael Heavisides, VC, from Craghead
Seeds planted at the end of Fatfield Bridge – daisies and poppies coming through nicely (see photo)
9th May at Beamish Museum met family of VC winner Richard Kelliher (WW2) from Tralee and then later Australia (if grandson of Michael Heaviside from Craghead was at work families of 2 VCs on site at the same time) and five minutes later a man asked about Varennes cemetery, where we stay when in France visiting battlefields. Small world.
11th May – telephoned by lady in Scarborough to check out our poppy walk plans and ideas
10th May - Registered loss of Tom Garnham’s watch with Artloss
11th May - issues re Kudlian, Calvium and Apple re Poppy Walk phone app.
15th May - Peter Hart, from the Imperial War Museum, spoke to about 60 people at N Biddick Club, the topic The Last Battle. Excellent, as usual.
16th May - Friends of Durham County Record Office: evening exhibition at County Hall (see photo)
19th May – met with relation of James William Robinson who lived at Stone Cellars, Usworth. Provided a pre-army photograph of JW (see photo)
Meetings with Fool’s Gold re songs and words for November: Now This Lousy War is Over. Songs are marvellous, hope the words we produce live up to them. There will be an album of the songs and words.
May 24th Completed the downloading of Washington men to ‘Shrouds of the Somme.’
Tickets ready for November – Now This Lousy War is Over (see photo). If you’d like a ticket then please get in touch.
In March there were 481 page views and 316 unique visitors.
April 2018
Films still available to watch on youtube – Wad thou Gan?
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt
Washington Men at the Somme
The Wear at War
Labels were hung on yew trees and the Poppy Tree at Washington, Usworth and Harraton for these men, killed in April 1918
2/4/18 John R Pittilla (W)
2/4/18 Sam Dawson (H)
9/4/18 Stephen C Self (W)
9/4/18 George Meek (U)
11/4/18 George Black (U)
11/4/18 Robert Marshall (H)
12/4/18 William Culine (H)
16/4/18 George Robertson (U)
22/4/18 James McTernan (U)
25/4/18 Fred Armstrong (W)
30/4/18 John G Thornton (U)
7/4/18 Wor Poppy Walk with Fool’s Gold – whose song about Wor Poppy Walk is currently called The Poppy Road
8/4/18 contact from Thomas Ellison in Palm Beach – re his great great great grandfather, Turner Ellison and the latter’s brother John Edward Ellison.
10/4/18 Wor Poppy Walk with three of Seaham U3A – cancelled because of weather! See how to download in easy instructions……
11/4/18 Fatfield in the Great War talk to St Gabriel’s Ladies fellowship. Donation to SSAFA
13th,14th and 15th exhibition at Beamish - T Garnham’s watch stolen. Police and Beamish informed. Crime number issued. We had a total of 23 guides in the exhibition and they were able to explain and develop the exhibits and to listen to stories of visitors. As ever, lovely people to whom what their Grandads, Dads, Great Uncles (and not forgetting the contribution of their Mams, Grans etc) did. With one notable exception…….. (Press coverage of the theft led to a contact with a direct descendant of Thomas Garnham; he lives in Chester-le-Street and recalls the memorial to him in St George’s churchyard, after his death in the pit.)
17th PW and MW, HM went to St John’s School at Bishop Auckland to talk to two history teachers about their Great War project and to talk to Jacqui Holloway (Art Coordinator) about the work done by Years 10 and 11 on glass postcards from war – working with veterans from Afghanistan, Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and trips to Ouseburn, Catterick and Phoenix House. 11 pupils happy to talk about the project, one had been at Thiepval on 1st July 1916, one included part of his great grandad’s death penny in his work.
25th – Eight of the War Memorials Group attended an evening of Northern Songs and Stories – hosted by Friends of Washington Old Hall at the Old Hall – performed by Fool’s Gold. They included two of the songs they’ve written for November (Now This Lousy War is Over) and they were Roll Call (based on the story of Joseph Affleck and his pals) and Sketches (based on the artwork and letters home from Canon Lomax of Washington Holy Trinity Church). Loved both songs (first time of hearing). Suffice to say that Roll Call is a tour de force with an emotional kick like a very powerful and angry mule, a mule that’s been up to its neck in muck and bullets for a week with a driver whose method of encouragement for angry and powerful mules is a big stick and bad language.
April 2018
Films still available to watch on youtube – Wad thou Gan?
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt
Washington Men at the Somme
The Wear at War
Labels were hung on yew trees and the Poppy Tree at Washington, Usworth and Harraton for these men, killed in April 1918
2/4/18 John R Pittilla (W)
2/4/18 Sam Dawson (H)
9/4/18 Stephen C Self (W)
9/4/18 George Meek (U)
11/4/18 George Black (U)
11/4/18 Robert Marshall (H)
12/4/18 William Culine (H)
16/4/18 George Robertson (U)
22/4/18 James McTernan (U)
25/4/18 Fred Armstrong (W)
30/4/18 John G Thornton (U)
7/4/18 Wor Poppy Walk with Fool’s Gold – whose song about Wor Poppy Walk is currently called The Poppy Road
8/4/18 contact from Thomas Ellison in Palm Beach – re his great great great grandfather, Turner Ellison and the latter’s brother John Edward Ellison.
10/4/18 Wor Poppy Walk with three of Seaham U3A – cancelled because of weather! See how to download in easy instructions……
11/4/18 Fatfield in the Great War talk to St Gabriel’s Ladies fellowship. Donation to SSAFA
13th,14th and 15th exhibition at Beamish - T Garnham’s watch stolen. Police and Beamish informed. Crime number issued. We had a total of 23 guides in the exhibition and they were able to explain and develop the exhibits and to listen to stories of visitors. As ever, lovely people to whom what their Grandads, Dads, Great Uncles (and not forgetting the contribution of their Mams, Grans etc) did. With one notable exception…….. (Press coverage of the theft led to a contact with a direct descendant of Thomas Garnham; he lives in Chester-le-Street and recalls the memorial to him in St George’s churchyard, after his death in the pit.)
17th PW and MW, HM went to St John’s School at Bishop Auckland to talk to two history teachers about their Great War project and to talk to Jacqui Holloway (Art Coordinator) about the work done by Years 10 and 11 on glass postcards from war – working with veterans from Afghanistan, Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and trips to Ouseburn, Catterick and Phoenix House. 11 pupils happy to talk about the project, one had been at Thiepval on 1st July 1916, one included part of his great grandad’s death penny in his work.
25th – Eight of the War Memorials Group attended an evening of Northern Songs and Stories – hosted by Friends of Washington Old Hall at the Old Hall – performed by Fool’s Gold. They included two of the songs they’ve written for November (Now This Lousy War is Over) and they were Roll Call (based on the story of Joseph Affleck and his pals) and Sketches (based on the artwork and letters home from Canon Lomax of Washington Holy Trinity Church). Loved both songs (first time of hearing). Suffice to say that Roll Call is a tour de force with an emotional kick like a very powerful and angry mule, a mule that’s been up to its neck in muck and bullets for a week with a driver whose method of encouragement for angry and powerful mules is a big stick and bad language.
Shrouds of the Somme – have now uploaded to https://shroudsofthesomme.com/ details of 52 Washington men whose names are listed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. Just ten to go.
Poppy Girls have started work on the tickets for November – Fool’s Gold and Wessington U3A present Now This Lousy War is Over – a tribute in song and spoken word.
William Hedley – we now know, we think, who William was. He was a Private in RAMC, lived mostly at Bill Quay but is listed on the Washington Memorial. He was killed in action on 7/6/17 and buried at Westhof Farm, not too far from Armentieres.
Peter and Margaret have continued their searches in Durham County Record Office and have collected new material and information on Lord Lambton (Lord Lt of the County and much quoted), John Stafford of Washington, Ernest Coxon of Glebe Terrace, Benjamin Brown of Shiney Row (on Harraton memorial), Alfred Potter of West Bridge St, Tom Holbrook MM of Havannah Terrace, Eric Heatherington of Ouston (also named on Harraton Memorial), Robert Purvis (late of Muton) and John Todd of Usworth.
Other family contacts during the month with relations of Patrick Murphy and James O’Neil (the men were cousins), Michael Kelly of South View and Douglas Pretsell of Sugarwell Cottage at Springwell.
Poppy Girls have started work on the tickets for November – Fool’s Gold and Wessington U3A present Now This Lousy War is Over – a tribute in song and spoken word.
William Hedley – we now know, we think, who William was. He was a Private in RAMC, lived mostly at Bill Quay but is listed on the Washington Memorial. He was killed in action on 7/6/17 and buried at Westhof Farm, not too far from Armentieres.
Peter and Margaret have continued their searches in Durham County Record Office and have collected new material and information on Lord Lambton (Lord Lt of the County and much quoted), John Stafford of Washington, Ernest Coxon of Glebe Terrace, Benjamin Brown of Shiney Row (on Harraton memorial), Alfred Potter of West Bridge St, Tom Holbrook MM of Havannah Terrace, Eric Heatherington of Ouston (also named on Harraton Memorial), Robert Purvis (late of Muton) and John Todd of Usworth.
Other family contacts during the month with relations of Patrick Murphy and James O’Neil (the men were cousins), Michael Kelly of South View and Douglas Pretsell of Sugarwell Cottage at Springwell.
March 5th updated labels at Usworth yew tree, Harraton Poppy Tree and Washington Church yew tree.
Frank Blair and Robert Appleby - Harraton
William C Webb, David Meek, Alexander JB Begg, James W Williams, James Kelly, Robert Prest - Usworth
Heatherington Atkinson, George W Harrison, Sam Baggott, Robert Mason and Fred Sandy - Washington – all killed in March 1918.
13/3 11 of the group went to DLI Collection for the morning – Eileen, Peter R, Jeff and Judy, Edith, Hilary, Canada, Pete, Margaret, Mali and Barbara
13/3 wrote to Carol Ann Duffy to see if we can use her poem Last Post in November.
5/3/18 meeting with Fool’s Gold to discuss progress of the November shows. Four songs are written and two in development.
Peter Hart arranged for Tuesday May 15th at North Biddick Club, 7.00pm. Peter will talk on the subject of how and why the Allies won in 1918. Free to everyone.
27/3/18 Peter spent the day at Francis Street, Beamish Museum, listening to stories and telling those of Washington men.
20-26th March Five days in France offered freezing weather, some battlefield walks and a visit or two – Vimy, Carriere Wellington, a wall at Auchonvillers (see Billy Jonas’ name). Boots were made for walking and shells were made not to be picked up! We also met up with Phil Adams, author of ‘Idle and Dissolute’, a nickname for the 160th Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Wearside Brigade). He was commemorating the death of his grandad near Croisilles on 21st March 1918 (see pic above).
Research from the Durham Chronicle has thrown up extra details about William Borthwick, John William Eltringham, Ernie Seed, Harold Sidney George Palmer, Albert Victor Futers, William Jonas and much about Lord Durham’s attitude to recruitment, conscription and various other matters..
This poem was sent in to the paper by the family of William Holmes Borthwick of Biddick Terrace
'He marched away so bravely
His young head proudly held;
His footsteps never faltered,
His courage never failed.
Then on the field of battle
He calmly took his place,
He fought and died for Britain
And the honour of his race.’
Information about these men has been added to the website Shrouds of Somme.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/770927/armstrong,-james/
Joseph Affleck (U)
James Armstrong (W)
James L Ash (W)
John Askew (U)
Ralph Atkinson (W)
Robert Bateman (W)
Robert Bland (U)
John Bradshaw (U)
Jacob Branton (W)
Francis James Raine Claughan (W)
John William Cook (W)
Newrick Crow (H)
Joseph Cumpson (H)
George Robert Davison (W)
James Drummond (U)
Francis J Duffy (W)
Edward Foster (H)
Albert Victor Futers (W)
John Gilmaney (W)
Thomas Hayton (U)
Holmes Thomas (W)
Helm James Percival (W)
James Hepplewhite (U)
Joseph Humble (W and H)
Thomas Jeffrey U)
Michael Kelly (H)
Thomas Lennon (U)
Joseph Roper Lightburn(U)
Henry Marriner (U)
John H McLahaney (W)
Thomas Penaluna (W)
William Riddle (U)
Contact from daughter of Aisne Marsden – related to JG Charlton (see photos above), William Marsden and Frank Blair
Hello again, can't begin to thank you for this information. I'm indebted to you. The photographs are astounding and the revelations of their bravery very humbling. So proud. William Marsden received a similar watch from the villagers of Harraton and I will send you a photograph for your records. Apparently he gave it to his baby daughter Aisne , my mother.
I can confirm that W Marsden 's first wife was Hannah Charlton daughter of Esther .They had 3 children - John, Thomas and Aisne who was my mother.
She was given this French name (a river in France) at the request of John Charlton,Hannah's brother. Apparently she was born when he was in that area of France. (The other Aisne you mentioned , married name Rutherford, was the daughter of Hannah's son John.)Sadly Hannah died when my Mam was only 2 years old and was brought up by Esther Charlton and was never part of William's household although her brother John and Thomas were.
I was so thrilled to get the information regarding Frank and his achievements . My Dad mentioned his brother with great affection and was sad regarding his loss especially for their Mother . Although just a boy he tried to comfort her he said. Such sad times for so many families.
Frank Blair and Robert Appleby - Harraton
William C Webb, David Meek, Alexander JB Begg, James W Williams, James Kelly, Robert Prest - Usworth
Heatherington Atkinson, George W Harrison, Sam Baggott, Robert Mason and Fred Sandy - Washington – all killed in March 1918.
13/3 11 of the group went to DLI Collection for the morning – Eileen, Peter R, Jeff and Judy, Edith, Hilary, Canada, Pete, Margaret, Mali and Barbara
13/3 wrote to Carol Ann Duffy to see if we can use her poem Last Post in November.
5/3/18 meeting with Fool’s Gold to discuss progress of the November shows. Four songs are written and two in development.
Peter Hart arranged for Tuesday May 15th at North Biddick Club, 7.00pm. Peter will talk on the subject of how and why the Allies won in 1918. Free to everyone.
27/3/18 Peter spent the day at Francis Street, Beamish Museum, listening to stories and telling those of Washington men.
20-26th March Five days in France offered freezing weather, some battlefield walks and a visit or two – Vimy, Carriere Wellington, a wall at Auchonvillers (see Billy Jonas’ name). Boots were made for walking and shells were made not to be picked up! We also met up with Phil Adams, author of ‘Idle and Dissolute’, a nickname for the 160th Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Wearside Brigade). He was commemorating the death of his grandad near Croisilles on 21st March 1918 (see pic above).
Research from the Durham Chronicle has thrown up extra details about William Borthwick, John William Eltringham, Ernie Seed, Harold Sidney George Palmer, Albert Victor Futers, William Jonas and much about Lord Durham’s attitude to recruitment, conscription and various other matters..
This poem was sent in to the paper by the family of William Holmes Borthwick of Biddick Terrace
'He marched away so bravely
His young head proudly held;
His footsteps never faltered,
His courage never failed.
Then on the field of battle
He calmly took his place,
He fought and died for Britain
And the honour of his race.’
Information about these men has been added to the website Shrouds of Somme.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/770927/armstrong,-james/
Joseph Affleck (U)
James Armstrong (W)
James L Ash (W)
John Askew (U)
Ralph Atkinson (W)
Robert Bateman (W)
Robert Bland (U)
John Bradshaw (U)
Jacob Branton (W)
Francis James Raine Claughan (W)
John William Cook (W)
Newrick Crow (H)
Joseph Cumpson (H)
George Robert Davison (W)
James Drummond (U)
Francis J Duffy (W)
Edward Foster (H)
Albert Victor Futers (W)
John Gilmaney (W)
Thomas Hayton (U)
Holmes Thomas (W)
Helm James Percival (W)
James Hepplewhite (U)
Joseph Humble (W and H)
Thomas Jeffrey U)
Michael Kelly (H)
Thomas Lennon (U)
Joseph Roper Lightburn(U)
Henry Marriner (U)
John H McLahaney (W)
Thomas Penaluna (W)
William Riddle (U)
Contact from daughter of Aisne Marsden – related to JG Charlton (see photos above), William Marsden and Frank Blair
Hello again, can't begin to thank you for this information. I'm indebted to you. The photographs are astounding and the revelations of their bravery very humbling. So proud. William Marsden received a similar watch from the villagers of Harraton and I will send you a photograph for your records. Apparently he gave it to his baby daughter Aisne , my mother.
I can confirm that W Marsden 's first wife was Hannah Charlton daughter of Esther .They had 3 children - John, Thomas and Aisne who was my mother.
She was given this French name (a river in France) at the request of John Charlton,Hannah's brother. Apparently she was born when he was in that area of France. (The other Aisne you mentioned , married name Rutherford, was the daughter of Hannah's son John.)Sadly Hannah died when my Mam was only 2 years old and was brought up by Esther Charlton and was never part of William's household although her brother John and Thomas were.
I was so thrilled to get the information regarding Frank and his achievements . My Dad mentioned his brother with great affection and was sad regarding his loss especially for their Mother . Although just a boy he tried to comfort her he said. Such sad times for so many families.
February 2018 viewing figures for the site are 394 page views and 579 unique visitors.
February 10th and 11th at Beamish Museum – Two Talks about Women in the War in the Chapel (about 25 attended). On the 10th we had 3 Poppy Girls involved in the return to Rowley Station of a local hero. On the 11th 5 Poppy Girls were involved.
Peter spent 7 hours in Lambton Estates archives researching what the Earl of Durham, or his brothers and relations, said or wrote during the War years. The archive holds a range of fascinating sources including letters to and from King and Prince of Wales to General Sir William Lambton. The Diary of Claud Lambton is also fascinating.
6 hours of research at DCRO about local events with particular reference to what Lord Durham said
We made a visit, with Fool’s Gold, to DLI Museum and Bishop Auckland Library for DLI exhibition called Follow the Bugle, in connection with our HLF project, ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’
Uploaded to Shrouds of the Somme website info on the following men who are named on the Thiepval Memorial. There are others to follow (see next month’s list.)
Joseph Affleck (U)
James Armstrong (W)
James L Ash (W)
John Askew (U)
Ralph Atkinson (W)
Robert Bateman (W)
Robert Bland (U)
John Bradshaw (U)
Jacob Branton (W)
Francis James Raine Claughan (W)
John William Cook (W)
Newrick Crow (H)
Joseph Cumpson (H)
George Robert Davison (W)
James Drummond (U)
Edward Foster (H)
Albert Victor Futers (W)
John Gilmaney (W)
Thomas Hayton (U)
James Hepplewhite (U)
Thomas Jeffrey U)
Thomas Lennon (U)
Joseph Roper Lightburn(U)
William Riddle (U)
Peter and Margaret spent 5 days at Kew researching Great War topics.
Wad thou gan? was shown on Made in Tyne and Wear TV again on 18/2/18. Available on youtube
20th Feb 2018 Peter spoke at Howden le Wear History Society about what Mammy did in the Great War –about 17/18 attended. Donation to SSAFA
‘Thank you for a very interesting evening. The History Society ladies who attend the Wednesday morning Craft Group said how interesting your talk was. It was the topic of conversation this morning passing on all the information to the rest of the group.
Joan’
22nd Feb 2018 Peter delivered the same talk on Mammy to Dunelm U3A. About 60 attended.
March 5th updated labels at Usworth yew tree, Harraton Poppy Tree and Washington Church yew tree for Frank Blair and Robert Appleby - Harraton
William C Webb, David Meek, Alexander JB Begg, James W Williams, James Kelly, Robert Prest - Usworth
Heatherington Atkinson, George W Harrison, Sam Baggott, Robert Mason and Fred Sandy - Washington – all killed in March 1918.
February 10th and 11th at Beamish Museum – Two Talks about Women in the War in the Chapel (about 25 attended). On the 10th we had 3 Poppy Girls involved in the return to Rowley Station of a local hero. On the 11th 5 Poppy Girls were involved.
Peter spent 7 hours in Lambton Estates archives researching what the Earl of Durham, or his brothers and relations, said or wrote during the War years. The archive holds a range of fascinating sources including letters to and from King and Prince of Wales to General Sir William Lambton. The Diary of Claud Lambton is also fascinating.
6 hours of research at DCRO about local events with particular reference to what Lord Durham said
We made a visit, with Fool’s Gold, to DLI Museum and Bishop Auckland Library for DLI exhibition called Follow the Bugle, in connection with our HLF project, ‘Now This Lousy War is Over.’
Uploaded to Shrouds of the Somme website info on the following men who are named on the Thiepval Memorial. There are others to follow (see next month’s list.)
Joseph Affleck (U)
James Armstrong (W)
James L Ash (W)
John Askew (U)
Ralph Atkinson (W)
Robert Bateman (W)
Robert Bland (U)
John Bradshaw (U)
Jacob Branton (W)
Francis James Raine Claughan (W)
John William Cook (W)
Newrick Crow (H)
Joseph Cumpson (H)
George Robert Davison (W)
James Drummond (U)
Edward Foster (H)
Albert Victor Futers (W)
John Gilmaney (W)
Thomas Hayton (U)
James Hepplewhite (U)
Thomas Jeffrey U)
Thomas Lennon (U)
Joseph Roper Lightburn(U)
William Riddle (U)
Peter and Margaret spent 5 days at Kew researching Great War topics.
Wad thou gan? was shown on Made in Tyne and Wear TV again on 18/2/18. Available on youtube
20th Feb 2018 Peter spoke at Howden le Wear History Society about what Mammy did in the Great War –about 17/18 attended. Donation to SSAFA
‘Thank you for a very interesting evening. The History Society ladies who attend the Wednesday morning Craft Group said how interesting your talk was. It was the topic of conversation this morning passing on all the information to the rest of the group.
Joan’
22nd Feb 2018 Peter delivered the same talk on Mammy to Dunelm U3A. About 60 attended.
March 5th updated labels at Usworth yew tree, Harraton Poppy Tree and Washington Church yew tree for Frank Blair and Robert Appleby - Harraton
William C Webb, David Meek, Alexander JB Begg, James W Williams, James Kelly, Robert Prest - Usworth
Heatherington Atkinson, George W Harrison, Sam Baggott, Robert Mason and Fred Sandy - Washington – all killed in March 1918.
The viewing figures for January 2018 are 623 unique visitors and 1,066 page views.
Irene O’Brien kindly got in touch and sent a photograph of Tommy Scorer and his mother from a locket held in the family. Tommy, who had married Mary Ellen Lindsay in July 1918 (her husband Norman had been killed at the Somme in July 1916) died of his injuries in September 1918 when the ship he was serving on, HMS Glatton, blew up in Dover Harbour. Tommy is buried in Gillingham Cemetery with other casualties from that accident.
January 2018 – contact from Gary Richardson at Seaham re Poppy Walk – they may be going ahead with an order for 600!! bronze-resin poppies…see how this develops.
Labels were hung on Harraton Poppy Tree for William Taylor Dunn and Matthew Grass
An art and remembrance project called Shrouds of the Somme has asked for details of all men listed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. So far we have added these men and their details:
Joseph Affleck (U)
James Armstrong (W)
James L Ash (W)
John Askew (U)
Ralph Atkinson (W)
Robert Bateman (W)
Robert Bland (U)
John Bradshaw (U)
Jacob Branton (W)
Francis James Raine Claughan (W)
Newrick Crow (H)
Joseph Cumpson (H)
James Drummond (U)
Edward Foster (H)
Thomas Hayton (U)
James Hepplewhite (U)
Thomas Jeffrey U)
Thomas Lennon (U)
Joseph Roper Lightburn(U)
William Riddle (U)
7th January 2018 – Wad thou gan? shown on Made in Tyne and Wear – available on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFviyhRI_Hg&t=8s
Washington Men at The Somme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyTc8KKF_s
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8opE4znQzWA
The Wear at War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-geXMhrVJE
29th January 2018. We have been allowed access to the Lambton Estate Archives to inform a piece in our November 2018 with research on the contribution of the family – a couple of Lieutenants, a General, an Admiral and, of course the Third Earl of Durham who was Lord Lieutenant of the County during the war and had much to say on recruiting and, later, at the opening of memorials.
Hive Radio broadcast a 35 minute discussion between Peter and Diane Gray of Hive Radio about the War Memorials Project. You can listen, at any time, on
https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&feed=%2FHive_Radio%2Fpeter-welsh-u3a-wessington-war-memorial-project%2F
Irene O’Brien kindly got in touch and sent a photograph of Tommy Scorer and his mother from a locket held in the family. Tommy, who had married Mary Ellen Lindsay in July 1918 (her husband Norman had been killed at the Somme in July 1916) died of his injuries in September 1918 when the ship he was serving on, HMS Glatton, blew up in Dover Harbour. Tommy is buried in Gillingham Cemetery with other casualties from that accident.
Irene O’Brien kindly got in touch and sent a photograph of Tommy Scorer and his mother from a locket held in the family. Tommy, who had married Mary Ellen Lindsay in July 1918 (her husband Norman had been killed at the Somme in July 1916) died of his injuries in September 1918 when the ship he was serving on, HMS Glatton, blew up in Dover Harbour. Tommy is buried in Gillingham Cemetery with other casualties from that accident.
January 2018 – contact from Gary Richardson at Seaham re Poppy Walk – they may be going ahead with an order for 600!! bronze-resin poppies…see how this develops.
Labels were hung on Harraton Poppy Tree for William Taylor Dunn and Matthew Grass
An art and remembrance project called Shrouds of the Somme has asked for details of all men listed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. So far we have added these men and their details:
Joseph Affleck (U)
James Armstrong (W)
James L Ash (W)
John Askew (U)
Ralph Atkinson (W)
Robert Bateman (W)
Robert Bland (U)
John Bradshaw (U)
Jacob Branton (W)
Francis James Raine Claughan (W)
Newrick Crow (H)
Joseph Cumpson (H)
James Drummond (U)
Edward Foster (H)
Thomas Hayton (U)
James Hepplewhite (U)
Thomas Jeffrey U)
Thomas Lennon (U)
Joseph Roper Lightburn(U)
William Riddle (U)
7th January 2018 – Wad thou gan? shown on Made in Tyne and Wear – available on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFviyhRI_Hg&t=8s
Washington Men at The Somme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyTc8KKF_s
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8opE4znQzWA
The Wear at War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-geXMhrVJE
29th January 2018. We have been allowed access to the Lambton Estate Archives to inform a piece in our November 2018 with research on the contribution of the family – a couple of Lieutenants, a General, an Admiral and, of course the Third Earl of Durham who was Lord Lieutenant of the County during the war and had much to say on recruiting and, later, at the opening of memorials.
Hive Radio broadcast a 35 minute discussion between Peter and Diane Gray of Hive Radio about the War Memorials Project. You can listen, at any time, on
https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&feed=%2FHive_Radio%2Fpeter-welsh-u3a-wessington-war-memorial-project%2F
Irene O’Brien kindly got in touch and sent a photograph of Tommy Scorer and his mother from a locket held in the family. Tommy, who had married Mary Ellen Lindsay in July 1918 (her husband Norman had been killed at the Somme in July 1916) died of his injuries in September 1918 when the ship he was serving on, HMS Glatton, blew up in Dover Harbour. Tommy is buried in Gillingham Cemetery with other casualties from that accident.
John levers, great nephew of Robert Ievers (killed in April 1917 near Arras) got in touch from Sheffield and kindly supplied photos of Robert and some information --
“This awkward name. Usually comes back as Levers!! Pronounced I-verz...
The first Mr Henry Ievers started off as Henry Ivers but found that there was already an established family called Ivers.
So he added another “e” to set apart and cause loads of havoc ever since.
That said, Robert W Ievers was one of 3 Irish protestant brothers from New Ross, Wexford who signed up in 1914.
My grandfather Edwin was the oldest and had already established a family in Southwick – wife and 3 children.
He joined the Northumberland Fusiliers and killed at Passchendaele in 1917. No grave, just a name on that huge wall of names.
Both he and Robert worked on North East Railways before the war and are commemorated on the big NER memorial in York, just inside the city walls near the Grand Hotel and railway stations (old and new).
The third brother, John, was in the Royal Engineers, and survived the war, went back to Bangor in Northern Ireland and grew his family of 7 children. His eldest son was named Robert and was killed in 1942 serving in the RAF. John lived until 1972.”
(Robert’s family received a letter from his Platoon Sergeant saying he’d last been seen lying in a shell hole.)
“This awkward name. Usually comes back as Levers!! Pronounced I-verz...
The first Mr Henry Ievers started off as Henry Ivers but found that there was already an established family called Ivers.
So he added another “e” to set apart and cause loads of havoc ever since.
That said, Robert W Ievers was one of 3 Irish protestant brothers from New Ross, Wexford who signed up in 1914.
My grandfather Edwin was the oldest and had already established a family in Southwick – wife and 3 children.
He joined the Northumberland Fusiliers and killed at Passchendaele in 1917. No grave, just a name on that huge wall of names.
Both he and Robert worked on North East Railways before the war and are commemorated on the big NER memorial in York, just inside the city walls near the Grand Hotel and railway stations (old and new).
The third brother, John, was in the Royal Engineers, and survived the war, went back to Bangor in Northern Ireland and grew his family of 7 children. His eldest son was named Robert and was killed in 1942 serving in the RAF. John lived until 1972.”
(Robert’s family received a letter from his Platoon Sergeant saying he’d last been seen lying in a shell hole.)
Les Tilly got in touch re John Robert Punshon and we were able to confirm that a photograph he had was that of his great uncle, killed in November 1916 and buried at Warlencourt, near the Butte (Warlencourt Cross can be found in Durham Cathedral).
We bought from Tim Godden Smith a Billy Jonas caricature – he’s drawn a series of Great War footballers. Billy was killed in September 1916 and had played for Clapton Orient.
We bought from Tim Godden Smith a Billy Jonas caricature – he’s drawn a series of Great War footballers. Billy was killed in September 1916 and had played for Clapton Orient.
Target Reached – the idea, ‘Over the Top’ came from the Poppy Girls and the knitting came from kind ladies (almost all) and blokes (just the two of them) – that’s ladies from local WIs, local U3As, Zumba Girls, Knit and Natterers, Knitters in Public and Knitters in the Pub, the Poppy Girls and friends and ‘sisters’ (doing it for…. others) from Benwell and Glasgow and Hull and Birtley and Chester-le-Street. The total of knitted or crocheted poppies hung over Fatfield Bridge has now reached 12557 – one for each man of the Durham Light Infantry killed in the Great War. The majority of those blokes were North Eastern but there were men from all over the country in the DLI.
The weather – wind, rain, ice and snow has thinned the ranks somewhat but the idea was a splendid one and the execution has been down to hard work and community spirit. Thanks to all involved and all who’ve ‘liked’ the photographs in person and via social media.
The weather – wind, rain, ice and snow has thinned the ranks somewhat but the idea was a splendid one and the execution has been down to hard work and community spirit. Thanks to all involved and all who’ve ‘liked’ the photographs in person and via social media.
The viewing figures for 2017 are 7,379 unique visitors and a whopping 28,431 page views. We must be doing something right.
December Recent Events
Labels for
2/12/17 George R Brown (W)
12/12/17 Edward Bell (W)
20/12/17 Matthew Wardle (U)
22/12/17 Richard Jameson (W)
22/12/17 Charles Smith (H)
December 4th – Eileen and Colin Appleby+John Laybourn+Christine Scott were guided round Wor Poppy Walk – The Famous Five
December 5th – John (friend of Colin and Eileen) + Margaret, Edith, Anne Garner, Barbara, Talbot did Wor Poppy Walk – The
Secret/Magnificent Seven
Phone call from Sara at HLF confirming bid had been accepted for ‘Now This Lousy War is Over’ –a collaboration between Fool’s Gold and Wessington U3A with support from DCRO, Lanchester Brass Band and others.
December 12th – Research Day at Beamish.
Jordan in the Bulletin edition of December 2017 – WFA national magazine – liked by Paul Reed, Peter Hart of Imperial War Museum and Taff Gillingham.
December Recent Events
Labels for
2/12/17 George R Brown (W)
12/12/17 Edward Bell (W)
20/12/17 Matthew Wardle (U)
22/12/17 Richard Jameson (W)
22/12/17 Charles Smith (H)
December 4th – Eileen and Colin Appleby+John Laybourn+Christine Scott were guided round Wor Poppy Walk – The Famous Five
December 5th – John (friend of Colin and Eileen) + Margaret, Edith, Anne Garner, Barbara, Talbot did Wor Poppy Walk – The
Secret/Magnificent Seven
Phone call from Sara at HLF confirming bid had been accepted for ‘Now This Lousy War is Over’ –a collaboration between Fool’s Gold and Wessington U3A with support from DCRO, Lanchester Brass Band and others.
December 12th – Research Day at Beamish.
Jordan in the Bulletin edition of December 2017 – WFA national magazine – liked by Paul Reed, Peter Hart of Imperial War Museum and Taff Gillingham.
December 20th – took some photos of a collection of postcards belonging to the Seager family. John Frederick won the Belgian Croix de Guerre in the Great War and his son, Albert, was drowned in WW2 when his ship, Empire Lakeland, was sunk by a German submarine.
December 20th Northern Echo carried a feature about Maria Scratcher on 100th anniversary of her death – see their website.
December 25th – email from HLF with attached Permission to Start and Grant Payment Request Form. HLF always working, even on Christmas Day………..
Began adding names of Washington Men to Shrouds of the Somme ----https://shroudsofthesomme.com/
Emma at Shrouds of the Somme ‘Wow - what a wonderful site. It looks like your community really get involved.’
Began adding names of Washington Men to Shrouds of the Somme ----https://shroudsofthesomme.com/
Emma at Shrouds of the Somme ‘Wow - what a wonderful site. It looks like your community really get involved.’
November 1st – 1000 knitted poppies were hung from the balcony at Beamish Masonic Hall by the Poppy Girls.
November 4th – Day Exhibition at County Hall under auspices of Durham at War Conference, Peter spoke about Jordan’s phone app – made link with DLI Museum ….
7 November - End of phone app Grant - signed off by HLF.
7th November – information supplied to Leon about the Murphy Family (related to the O’Neills). Pat Murphy of Washington was killed in the RFC in 1918. Photo sent to us of Pat in 10th DLI. (see attached: Pat is 5 to the left of the bugler)
November 4th – Day Exhibition at County Hall under auspices of Durham at War Conference, Peter spoke about Jordan’s phone app – made link with DLI Museum ….
7 November - End of phone app Grant - signed off by HLF.
7th November – information supplied to Leon about the Murphy Family (related to the O’Neills). Pat Murphy of Washington was killed in the RFC in 1918. Photo sent to us of Pat in 10th DLI. (see attached: Pat is 5 to the left of the bugler)
Nov 9th - Peter spoke to Durham U3A about ‘What did you do in the war Mammy?’ They made a donation to SSAFA – see comment below.
Hello Peter,
I am sure you could tell from the response from our members how much we enjoyed your presentation yesterday. Just the sort of speaker I like to book, clear strong voice, very interesting subject and a tale told with great wit, humour and depth of feeling for your subject, and, like a good History teacher, lots of visual aids to give a real sense of bringing the dreadful stories of the Great War to life for us all.
Thank you so much for coming to …….- I wanted to have this talk at this very special time and you fulfilled all my expectations.
I made my usual visit to the Little Theatre in Gateshead in the evening and the play was "The Prisoner's Friend" which was - all set on the Somme in WW1 and was about the "Durham Pals" - how appropriate! I ended up with poppies floating around me and the Last Post being played. So I did really have a full day of Remembrance.
Thank you once again from all of us.
Kind regards
Pat
November 10th – re-painting the barrels in the memorial and setting out different length printed strips with names and dates of some of the main battles of the war, on the grass beside Harraton Memorial
November 11th – Anne, Liz, Judy, Lynn and Peter reading the names of the 26 men from Harraton who died or were killed in 1917 and Last Post played by Stuart Major – at Harraton Memorial. Attendance of about 35.
November 12th Organisation of Harraton Remembrance Service. Last Post by Stuart Major. Scouts to attend. Road closures organised near Harraton memorial. After the service Peter outlined the work of the Memorials Group and explained the white poppies – those on the bridge to represent the 7 men from DLI shot at dawn and those who served in Non Combatant Corps and those who stuck to their principles; those in the Memorial to represent all 410 Harraton Men who served. He suggested that we didn’t know what men who’d served might think about white poppies, or indeed red ones, and advised people to know a bit more before making comments on Facebook. Several people came up to say well said and there was an unexpected round of applause. See below for comments
Eileen Appleby- Beautiful ceremony yesterday. Amazing poppy display. Thank you to all the Poppy girls and men
Emmet O’Leary - Thank you all for working year-round to keep alive in such a personal way the memory of those from our community who have sacrificed or seen their lives irreversibly changed.
Chris Scott - I echo all the above tributes but will add the Let’s Remember tribute is so beautiful
John Harrop - Beautifully done this morning - great to see so many kids there.
November 10th – setting up exhibition at Beamish for 11th/12th November.
During the 2 days of our exhibition at Beamish we had help from the usual guides – CanadAnn, Judy, Hilary, Peter, Margaret, Gavin, Pauline and Barbara (and Andy always helps with the dismounting of the exhibition). Margaret recited In Flanders Fields at 11.00am outside the Chapel. We saw hundreds of people at the exhibition. See below -
Nov 11th re Beamish
Hello Pete,
I really enjoyed meeting you and your colleagues this afternoon. I think you have all managed to make an amazingly important contribution to the commemoration of the end of the first world war and of the contribution that people of Washington and surrounding villages made in that conflict. Not only was it a work of history but I would say it is a work of art too: brilliantly conceived, researched and realised. I felt privileged to see it.
I would be very grateful for any ideas and research pointers that you feel would help me on my journey in the same direction.
Kind regards
Peter Dawson
Hello Peter,
I am sure you could tell from the response from our members how much we enjoyed your presentation yesterday. Just the sort of speaker I like to book, clear strong voice, very interesting subject and a tale told with great wit, humour and depth of feeling for your subject, and, like a good History teacher, lots of visual aids to give a real sense of bringing the dreadful stories of the Great War to life for us all.
Thank you so much for coming to …….- I wanted to have this talk at this very special time and you fulfilled all my expectations.
I made my usual visit to the Little Theatre in Gateshead in the evening and the play was "The Prisoner's Friend" which was - all set on the Somme in WW1 and was about the "Durham Pals" - how appropriate! I ended up with poppies floating around me and the Last Post being played. So I did really have a full day of Remembrance.
Thank you once again from all of us.
Kind regards
Pat
November 10th – re-painting the barrels in the memorial and setting out different length printed strips with names and dates of some of the main battles of the war, on the grass beside Harraton Memorial
November 11th – Anne, Liz, Judy, Lynn and Peter reading the names of the 26 men from Harraton who died or were killed in 1917 and Last Post played by Stuart Major – at Harraton Memorial. Attendance of about 35.
November 12th Organisation of Harraton Remembrance Service. Last Post by Stuart Major. Scouts to attend. Road closures organised near Harraton memorial. After the service Peter outlined the work of the Memorials Group and explained the white poppies – those on the bridge to represent the 7 men from DLI shot at dawn and those who served in Non Combatant Corps and those who stuck to their principles; those in the Memorial to represent all 410 Harraton Men who served. He suggested that we didn’t know what men who’d served might think about white poppies, or indeed red ones, and advised people to know a bit more before making comments on Facebook. Several people came up to say well said and there was an unexpected round of applause. See below for comments
Eileen Appleby- Beautiful ceremony yesterday. Amazing poppy display. Thank you to all the Poppy girls and men
Emmet O’Leary - Thank you all for working year-round to keep alive in such a personal way the memory of those from our community who have sacrificed or seen their lives irreversibly changed.
Chris Scott - I echo all the above tributes but will add the Let’s Remember tribute is so beautiful
John Harrop - Beautifully done this morning - great to see so many kids there.
November 10th – setting up exhibition at Beamish for 11th/12th November.
During the 2 days of our exhibition at Beamish we had help from the usual guides – CanadAnn, Judy, Hilary, Peter, Margaret, Gavin, Pauline and Barbara (and Andy always helps with the dismounting of the exhibition). Margaret recited In Flanders Fields at 11.00am outside the Chapel. We saw hundreds of people at the exhibition. See below -
Nov 11th re Beamish
Hello Pete,
I really enjoyed meeting you and your colleagues this afternoon. I think you have all managed to make an amazingly important contribution to the commemoration of the end of the first world war and of the contribution that people of Washington and surrounding villages made in that conflict. Not only was it a work of history but I would say it is a work of art too: brilliantly conceived, researched and realised. I felt privileged to see it.
I would be very grateful for any ideas and research pointers that you feel would help me on my journey in the same direction.
Kind regards
Peter Dawson
Victoria delivered her 2017 November cake (see photos above)
Unique Visits and Page Visits to our website.
Sept 2015 385 1045
Feb 2016 422 837
March 2016 403 900
April 464 967
May 356 828
Aug 485 927
September 584 1074
Oct 798 2351
Jan 2017 477 3001
Feb 612 3889
March 641 2111
May 1116 3768
June 621 3314
July+Aug 1046 4942
September 559 1938
Oct 444 855
Nov 577 1,077
9990 33,842
Unique Visits and Page Visits to our website.
Sept 2015 385 1045
Feb 2016 422 837
March 2016 403 900
April 464 967
May 356 828
Aug 485 927
September 584 1074
Oct 798 2351
Jan 2017 477 3001
Feb 612 3889
March 641 2111
May 1116 3768
June 621 3314
July+Aug 1046 4942
September 559 1938
Oct 444 855
Nov 577 1,077
9990 33,842
Jordan Tough’s phone app was featured in Third Age matters – the national magazine of U3A. (see photo)
14th November - Peter Hart discussed ‘1917 on the Western Front’ at N Biddick Club to an audience of 50+. The talk was free, done in Peter’s usual all-action style and included plenty of statements from men who’d been part of the events and whose words Peter had recorded as part of his work at the Imperial War Museum. He mounted a defence of General Haig and explained that the war wasn’t ‘a learning curve’ – more a pair of parallel roller-coasters with both sides learning and adapting.
17th November – the poppies that had previously been in Beamish Masonic Hall (see Nov 1st) were added to the ones on Fatfield Bridge. As we were doing it a man stopped his Land Rover in the middle of the bridge to say – ‘you’re not tekking them doon?’ Not yet, sir.
November 20th - 20 members of Wessington U3A delivered a talk about 1917 to our monthly meeting.
November 20th– this conversation on Twitter re Jordan’s phone app
PW - Might have 5 minutes on 'The phoneapp genius of Jordan Tough'. As featured in Third Age Matters for @U3A_UK. Thanks @HLFNorthEast
Pierre Guéret Retweeted WashingtonGreatWar and answered Très bonne idée !
PW tweeted ‘Merci’ and asked if he was French
Pierre. ‘Non pas du tout, je suis de Normandie (né à Cherbourg), et maintenant j'habite à Avranches, pas très loin du Mont-Saint-Michel.’
PW ‘Why are you interested in Jordan’s phone app?’
Pierre ‘Parce que tout le monde se promène avec un smartphone dans la poche et que ce serait génial de pouvoir connaître l'histoire des lieux précis que l'on voit en campagne (maisons, tombes, chapelles...) en photographiant un flashcode.’
PW ‘Merci, Pierre - Puis-je utiliser votre post pour montrer à HLF comment le travail de Jordan est devenu international?’
Pierre ‘Avec Plaisir. L'idée est excellente et il ne faut pas la restreindre à l'histoire des anciens combattants. Il faut la proposer à tous les propriétaires de lieux privés anciens qui seraient ravis de communiquer sur l'histoire de leur maison en collant sur leur boîte à lettre un QRcode.’
November 21st - Peter spoke to West Denton ladies on ‘The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.’Another donation to SSAFA
November 23rd – Peter spent the day in a cosy Beamish pit cottage offering a small Great War exhibition and advice on Great War research.
14th November - Peter Hart discussed ‘1917 on the Western Front’ at N Biddick Club to an audience of 50+. The talk was free, done in Peter’s usual all-action style and included plenty of statements from men who’d been part of the events and whose words Peter had recorded as part of his work at the Imperial War Museum. He mounted a defence of General Haig and explained that the war wasn’t ‘a learning curve’ – more a pair of parallel roller-coasters with both sides learning and adapting.
17th November – the poppies that had previously been in Beamish Masonic Hall (see Nov 1st) were added to the ones on Fatfield Bridge. As we were doing it a man stopped his Land Rover in the middle of the bridge to say – ‘you’re not tekking them doon?’ Not yet, sir.
November 20th - 20 members of Wessington U3A delivered a talk about 1917 to our monthly meeting.
November 20th– this conversation on Twitter re Jordan’s phone app
PW - Might have 5 minutes on 'The phoneapp genius of Jordan Tough'. As featured in Third Age Matters for @U3A_UK. Thanks @HLFNorthEast
Pierre Guéret Retweeted WashingtonGreatWar and answered Très bonne idée !
PW tweeted ‘Merci’ and asked if he was French
Pierre. ‘Non pas du tout, je suis de Normandie (né à Cherbourg), et maintenant j'habite à Avranches, pas très loin du Mont-Saint-Michel.’
PW ‘Why are you interested in Jordan’s phone app?’
Pierre ‘Parce que tout le monde se promène avec un smartphone dans la poche et que ce serait génial de pouvoir connaître l'histoire des lieux précis que l'on voit en campagne (maisons, tombes, chapelles...) en photographiant un flashcode.’
PW ‘Merci, Pierre - Puis-je utiliser votre post pour montrer à HLF comment le travail de Jordan est devenu international?’
Pierre ‘Avec Plaisir. L'idée est excellente et il ne faut pas la restreindre à l'histoire des anciens combattants. Il faut la proposer à tous les propriétaires de lieux privés anciens qui seraient ravis de communiquer sur l'histoire de leur maison en collant sur leur boîte à lettre un QRcode.’
November 21st - Peter spoke to West Denton ladies on ‘The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.’Another donation to SSAFA
November 23rd – Peter spent the day in a cosy Beamish pit cottage offering a small Great War exhibition and advice on Great War research.
At the Durham at War Conference we met Mark Smith from the Antiques Roadshow who saw the Clapton Orient shirt as worn by Billy Jonas and came to talk to us. Turns out he’s an O’s fan. He knows all there is to know about medals (and much else) and has set about trying to collect a set of medals from a man who died on each day of the war – that’s 1553. So far he has got 725 (he has every day for July 1916) including the medals of a Canadian who died/was killed on 11th November 1918. He has seen, but been unable to buy, the medals of the first man killed in the war – a Private John Parr, aged 17, of the 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment.
Lovely day – sold a few books and CDs and heard some good stories and research.
Lovely day – sold a few books and CDs and heard some good stories and research.
Visits to the site are unique visitors 444 and page views 855.
Wad thou gan? – 4489 watches
Ed Pickford Wad thou gan? (inspired by the film) - 213 views
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt - 2273 views
Washington Men at the Somme - 1421 views
The Wear at War - 1616 views
Washington in the Great War currently stands at 1,265,549 on Amazon books! That’s 5,671 in Great War books. It costs £12.99 and their tax arrangements are suspect. You can buy it from the author for £3. His tax arrangements are entirely above board.
3rd October. Beamish Research Day in Pit Cottage
14th October. WFA Conference David Murphy, Eric Grove, Matthias Strohn and Bryn Hammond – exhibition by Wessington U3A
16th October. Witton Park 5-7pm as expert on Great War research and then, at 7.30, talk on Mammy in the Great War. Donation to SSAFA
30th October. Washington Men’s Group – spoke to 20 men at Millennium Centre – What did you do in the War Mammy. Donation to SSAFA.
31st October. Morpeth U3A – spoke to about 75 at Morpeth Rugby Club on the topic – What has the U3A/HLF ever done for us – an outline of our project with photos and artefacts. Donation to SSAFA. Sold a book to a ldy who said that the only 2 signed books she owns are Washington in the Great War and one by Catherine Cookson! Also learned from a lady whose mother had taught in Fatfield post Great War that some of the ex soldiers had set up a cafechanty – French for a singing café. Her mother had been involved in running it.
1st November. Labels for:
5/11/17 Edward Hall (W)
11/11/17 John P Hutchinson (U)
13/11/17 Fred Wilson (W)
16/11/17 Charles Watson (H)
20/11/17 Percy Helm (W)
23/11/17 John W Noble (H)
30/11/17 Jacob Branton (W)
Wad thou gan? – 4489 watches
Ed Pickford Wad thou gan? (inspired by the film) - 213 views
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt - 2273 views
Washington Men at the Somme - 1421 views
The Wear at War - 1616 views
Washington in the Great War currently stands at 1,265,549 on Amazon books! That’s 5,671 in Great War books. It costs £12.99 and their tax arrangements are suspect. You can buy it from the author for £3. His tax arrangements are entirely above board.
3rd October. Beamish Research Day in Pit Cottage
14th October. WFA Conference David Murphy, Eric Grove, Matthias Strohn and Bryn Hammond – exhibition by Wessington U3A
16th October. Witton Park 5-7pm as expert on Great War research and then, at 7.30, talk on Mammy in the Great War. Donation to SSAFA
30th October. Washington Men’s Group – spoke to 20 men at Millennium Centre – What did you do in the War Mammy. Donation to SSAFA.
31st October. Morpeth U3A – spoke to about 75 at Morpeth Rugby Club on the topic – What has the U3A/HLF ever done for us – an outline of our project with photos and artefacts. Donation to SSAFA. Sold a book to a ldy who said that the only 2 signed books she owns are Washington in the Great War and one by Catherine Cookson! Also learned from a lady whose mother had taught in Fatfield post Great War that some of the ex soldiers had set up a cafechanty – French for a singing café. Her mother had been involved in running it.
1st November. Labels for:
5/11/17 Edward Hall (W)
11/11/17 John P Hutchinson (U)
13/11/17 Fred Wilson (W)
16/11/17 Charles Watson (H)
20/11/17 Percy Helm (W)
23/11/17 John W Noble (H)
30/11/17 Jacob Branton (W)
Visitors to site in September are 559 unique visitors and 1,938 page views.
Film watches are as follows
Wad thou gan? – 4,458
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt - 2,259
Washington Men at The Somme - 1,414
The Wear at War - 1,562
Ed Pickford’s song Wad thou gan? based on the film has been watched 184 times – all are available on Youtube
Washington in the Great War currently stands at 1,253,611 on Amazon books! That’s 5,499 in Great War books. It costs £12.99 and their tax arrangements are suspect. You can buy it from the author for £3. His tax arrangements are entirely above board.
1st - labels put on yew trees for Ernest Smith, Thomas Megan and Richard Gloyne
5th - Attended the Heritage Open Day launch at The Old Low Light. An intro by John Grundy and a lady from Port of Tyne who sponsored the event. Mr Grundy spoke until a lady mayoress keeled over. It was very warm in the room.
12th - Research Day at Beamish
18th - Talk to Great Lumley WI - £25 donation to SSAFA
24th September Made in Tyne and Wear showed ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt again.’
27th - Talk to All Saints Ladies fellowship – Mammy what did you do in the war – donation of £25 to SSAFA
Flyers for Wor Poppy Walk phone app placed in ……Old Hall, St Robert’s Biddick Academy, JFK Primary, Washington School, Usworth Colliery primary, Wessington primary, Oxclose, Harraton Surgery, Washington Library, Sunderland Library, Sunderland Winter Gardens, The Biddick, St Joseph’s Primary, Fatfield Primary, Rickleton Primary, Fatfield Scouts, Harraton Community Centre, HLF office, Arts Centre Washington, WFA (and the magazine produced for members), Black Bush, Vinyl café, Washington Arms, Sainsbury’s, River Bar, Celtic Club, Westwood Club, Concord Coop, Great Lumley WI, St George’s Church, Bell’s Fish and Chips, Harraton Post Office, The Works, Sunderland Heritage Forum, Washington History Society, Washington Mind, North Biddick Club, U3A magazine for Northumbria, Third Age Matters (U3A National magazine), every poppy house in Washington, Durham County Record Office and website Durham at War, The Muffin Break, Washington Holy Trinity, Usworth Holy Trinity.
October 2017 – we have sent an Expression of Interest Form to HLF with a view to applying for an HLF grant for Fool’s Gold (see their website at Fool’s Gold Acoustic) to write some original songs for the end of the war. A working title is ‘Now this lousy war is over…’
We have made arrangements, in the event of a successful grant application, for live performances at North Biddick Club, Usworth Holy Trinity, Washington Holy Trinity, Beamish Museum, Wessington U3A and, possibly, Biddick Academy. Details of times and dates later. The events will probably be ticketed.
There are now over 10,000 poppies hanging from Fatfield Bridge; well on the way to our target of 12557, one for each DLI man lost in the Great War. Thanks to all involved in supporting this.
Labels for these men have been hung from the yew trees in Usworth and Washington Churches and the poppy tree at Harraton Memorial. Some men were named on 2 memorials
3/10/17 Alfred Braban (W) and (H)
3/10/17 John T Forster (W) and (H)
3/10/17 Marker Wake (W)
4/10/17 Benjamin A Brown (H)
5/10/17 James H Maughan (U)
5/10/17 Leonard SC Davison (H)
6/10/17 Henry Tait (U)
7/10/17 Turner Ellison (U) and (W)
9/10/17 Joseph James (U)
9/10/17 William Matthews (U)
9/10/17 James H Nesbitt (W) and (U)
10/10/17 Robert B Nesbitt (W)
10/10/17 Robert W Syson (H)
17/10/17 Ernest W Coxon (W)
21/10/17 James O’Neil (H)
26/10/17 Walter Brown (W)
26/10/17 Thomas Crow (H)
28/10/17 Benjamin Turnbull (W)
29/10/17 Thomas Allen (W)
30/10/17 Dr David Anderson (H)
We’d be delighted if you’d take 2 minutes to download Wor Poppy Walk phone app and write in to tell Jordan, the designer, what you make of it. This is him at The Old Hall.
Film watches are as follows
Wad thou gan? – 4,458
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt - 2,259
Washington Men at The Somme - 1,414
The Wear at War - 1,562
Ed Pickford’s song Wad thou gan? based on the film has been watched 184 times – all are available on Youtube
Washington in the Great War currently stands at 1,253,611 on Amazon books! That’s 5,499 in Great War books. It costs £12.99 and their tax arrangements are suspect. You can buy it from the author for £3. His tax arrangements are entirely above board.
1st - labels put on yew trees for Ernest Smith, Thomas Megan and Richard Gloyne
5th - Attended the Heritage Open Day launch at The Old Low Light. An intro by John Grundy and a lady from Port of Tyne who sponsored the event. Mr Grundy spoke until a lady mayoress keeled over. It was very warm in the room.
12th - Research Day at Beamish
18th - Talk to Great Lumley WI - £25 donation to SSAFA
24th September Made in Tyne and Wear showed ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt again.’
27th - Talk to All Saints Ladies fellowship – Mammy what did you do in the war – donation of £25 to SSAFA
Flyers for Wor Poppy Walk phone app placed in ……Old Hall, St Robert’s Biddick Academy, JFK Primary, Washington School, Usworth Colliery primary, Wessington primary, Oxclose, Harraton Surgery, Washington Library, Sunderland Library, Sunderland Winter Gardens, The Biddick, St Joseph’s Primary, Fatfield Primary, Rickleton Primary, Fatfield Scouts, Harraton Community Centre, HLF office, Arts Centre Washington, WFA (and the magazine produced for members), Black Bush, Vinyl café, Washington Arms, Sainsbury’s, River Bar, Celtic Club, Westwood Club, Concord Coop, Great Lumley WI, St George’s Church, Bell’s Fish and Chips, Harraton Post Office, The Works, Sunderland Heritage Forum, Washington History Society, Washington Mind, North Biddick Club, U3A magazine for Northumbria, Third Age Matters (U3A National magazine), every poppy house in Washington, Durham County Record Office and website Durham at War, The Muffin Break, Washington Holy Trinity, Usworth Holy Trinity.
October 2017 – we have sent an Expression of Interest Form to HLF with a view to applying for an HLF grant for Fool’s Gold (see their website at Fool’s Gold Acoustic) to write some original songs for the end of the war. A working title is ‘Now this lousy war is over…’
We have made arrangements, in the event of a successful grant application, for live performances at North Biddick Club, Usworth Holy Trinity, Washington Holy Trinity, Beamish Museum, Wessington U3A and, possibly, Biddick Academy. Details of times and dates later. The events will probably be ticketed.
There are now over 10,000 poppies hanging from Fatfield Bridge; well on the way to our target of 12557, one for each DLI man lost in the Great War. Thanks to all involved in supporting this.
Labels for these men have been hung from the yew trees in Usworth and Washington Churches and the poppy tree at Harraton Memorial. Some men were named on 2 memorials
3/10/17 Alfred Braban (W) and (H)
3/10/17 John T Forster (W) and (H)
3/10/17 Marker Wake (W)
4/10/17 Benjamin A Brown (H)
5/10/17 James H Maughan (U)
5/10/17 Leonard SC Davison (H)
6/10/17 Henry Tait (U)
7/10/17 Turner Ellison (U) and (W)
9/10/17 Joseph James (U)
9/10/17 William Matthews (U)
9/10/17 James H Nesbitt (W) and (U)
10/10/17 Robert B Nesbitt (W)
10/10/17 Robert W Syson (H)
17/10/17 Ernest W Coxon (W)
21/10/17 James O’Neil (H)
26/10/17 Walter Brown (W)
26/10/17 Thomas Crow (H)
28/10/17 Benjamin Turnbull (W)
29/10/17 Thomas Allen (W)
30/10/17 Dr David Anderson (H)
We’d be delighted if you’d take 2 minutes to download Wor Poppy Walk phone app and write in to tell Jordan, the designer, what you make of it. This is him at The Old Hall.
Visitors to site in July and August were 1,046 unique visitors and 4,942 page views.
Contact was made by a relative of Matthew Wardle of Springwell (Usworth memorial)– full information was supplied to them and they gave us a few additional facts about Matthew. He is buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery.
Jean Baptiste Hintjens of CWGC responded after we’d asked him some questions in Ypres
Fricourt British Cemetery
You mentioned there’s a headstone at Fricourt British Cemetery with no inscriptions on it, just an engraved cross.
These aren’t uncommon. They’re normally included in trench burial graves where it wasn’t possible to include a religious symbol/emblem on the individual headstones, because each stone commemorates multiple casualties.
Serre Cemetery
You mentioned there are some additional numbers on the right side of the headstone.
When headstones are made, each one gets its own serial number. So when it’s placed in a cemetery, they know where to place the headstone. So every stone has a serial number, but they’re not always visible.
It is now possible to download a phone app called Wor Poppy Walk. Simply follow the instructions on the sheet below – the download is free but there is a facility to contribute 50p to the upkeep of the app.
Contact was made by a relative of Matthew Wardle of Springwell (Usworth memorial)– full information was supplied to them and they gave us a few additional facts about Matthew. He is buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery.
Jean Baptiste Hintjens of CWGC responded after we’d asked him some questions in Ypres
Fricourt British Cemetery
You mentioned there’s a headstone at Fricourt British Cemetery with no inscriptions on it, just an engraved cross.
These aren’t uncommon. They’re normally included in trench burial graves where it wasn’t possible to include a religious symbol/emblem on the individual headstones, because each stone commemorates multiple casualties.
Serre Cemetery
You mentioned there are some additional numbers on the right side of the headstone.
When headstones are made, each one gets its own serial number. So when it’s placed in a cemetery, they know where to place the headstone. So every stone has a serial number, but they’re not always visible.
It is now possible to download a phone app called Wor Poppy Walk. Simply follow the instructions on the sheet below – the download is free but there is a facility to contribute 50p to the upkeep of the app.
Labels for the following men have been hung from the yew trees in Usworth and Washington Churchyards and from the Poppy Tree beside Harraton/Fatfield Memorial
4/8/17 John G Charlton (H)
5/8/17 John Wilkinson (W)
5/8/17 Joseph Laverty (H)
5/8/17 George Johnson (H)
10/8/17 Joseph D Thompson (U)
13/8/17 Robert Taylor (U)
14/8/17 George A Thompson (H)
16/8/17 George Forster (W)
16/8/17 Matthew Harding (W)
16/8/17 Richard Bell (H)
18/8/17 John D Forster (W)
19/8/17 George Tindale (W)
19/8/17 Daniel Todd (U)
27/8/17 William Moore (H)
30/8/17 Ernest Hunter (W)
Peter spoke about the war memorials project to over 100 members of Bishop Auckland U3A. The talk was well received.
Research day at Beamish was busy, with the normal range of interesting people and stories about what grandads had done in various wars.
The Heritage Open Day Walk has been fixed for Thursday 7th September. You need to let us know via the website or via [email protected] who is coordinating. The walk leaves the Miner’ Statue at Concord Bus Station at 1.30pm.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen to Ed Pickford’s specially written song, Wad thou gan?, you can find it on youtube. It’s a tribute to those that went and to Richard Drummond in particular.
More poppies have been hung from the bridge – there are now over 9,500. Well done Poppy Girls and ALL THOSE FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHO HAVE HELPED.
We have had a query from Hugh Macrae who is compiling a Roll of Honour for Dundee Training College – the site where JFG Ashworth trained as a teacher from 1911-13. Mr Ashworth taught at Fatfield Council School, was killed in June 1916 and buried at La Clytte Cemetery in Belgium. He is listed on the Harraton Memorial. We were able to supply photos of Mr Ashworth, his grave and the memorial, on which he features, at Ulverston High School.
Contact with Hugh MacRae who was asking about James Francis Gordon Ashworth (Harraton Memorial). JFG taught at Fatfield Council School and was killed in June 1916. His grave is at La Clytte in Belgium. JFG trained at Dundee and this is the memorial to men who trained as teachers at Dundee College.
4/8/17 John G Charlton (H)
5/8/17 John Wilkinson (W)
5/8/17 Joseph Laverty (H)
5/8/17 George Johnson (H)
10/8/17 Joseph D Thompson (U)
13/8/17 Robert Taylor (U)
14/8/17 George A Thompson (H)
16/8/17 George Forster (W)
16/8/17 Matthew Harding (W)
16/8/17 Richard Bell (H)
18/8/17 John D Forster (W)
19/8/17 George Tindale (W)
19/8/17 Daniel Todd (U)
27/8/17 William Moore (H)
30/8/17 Ernest Hunter (W)
Peter spoke about the war memorials project to over 100 members of Bishop Auckland U3A. The talk was well received.
Research day at Beamish was busy, with the normal range of interesting people and stories about what grandads had done in various wars.
The Heritage Open Day Walk has been fixed for Thursday 7th September. You need to let us know via the website or via [email protected] who is coordinating. The walk leaves the Miner’ Statue at Concord Bus Station at 1.30pm.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen to Ed Pickford’s specially written song, Wad thou gan?, you can find it on youtube. It’s a tribute to those that went and to Richard Drummond in particular.
More poppies have been hung from the bridge – there are now over 9,500. Well done Poppy Girls and ALL THOSE FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHO HAVE HELPED.
We have had a query from Hugh Macrae who is compiling a Roll of Honour for Dundee Training College – the site where JFG Ashworth trained as a teacher from 1911-13. Mr Ashworth taught at Fatfield Council School, was killed in June 1916 and buried at La Clytte Cemetery in Belgium. He is listed on the Harraton Memorial. We were able to supply photos of Mr Ashworth, his grave and the memorial, on which he features, at Ulverston High School.
Contact with Hugh MacRae who was asking about James Francis Gordon Ashworth (Harraton Memorial). JFG taught at Fatfield Council School and was killed in June 1916. His grave is at La Clytte in Belgium. JFG trained at Dundee and this is the memorial to men who trained as teachers at Dundee College.
Last month this website saw 621 unique visitors and a whopping 3,314 page views.
29th May – Peter offered research services at Beamish, in the Chapel. Elvis was in there, I saw him crying.
Labels put up on the poppy tree at Harraton and in the yew trees at Usworth Holy Trinity and Washington Holy Trinity to remember -
2/6/17 Robert W Taylor (U)
7/6/17 Richard Richings (U)
7/6/17 Robert N Jobson (W)
7/6/17 John Sweeney (W)
9/6/17 James Bohill (H)
17/6/17 Michael McHugh (W)
18/6/17 Joseph Gibson (U)
24/6/17 James W Robinson (U)
28/6/17 George S Huddart (W)
9th June – instead of running the Blaydon Races, Peter gave a talk about Wessington U3A War memorial project to about 100 members of Wearside U3A at the Bangladeshi Centre in Sunderland. Donation to SSAFA.
10th June – World Knitting in Public Day had to be shortened because of the weather, so what we did was shorten it to World Knitting in the Pub Day. Thanks to The Biddick Inn for hosting us and to Mrs Parker and her friend from Hull for arriving and giving about 50 knitted poppies to a complete stranger. Twenty four knitters did their bit, some bits faster and better than others – but we remain an equal opportunities group! Process rather than outcome.
16th June – another day with Elvis in the Beamish Chapel. As ever, it was good to meet the great British public and listen to their stories of black market tales from the Brit army in Cyprus, ‘why Churchill was so unpopular in our house’ and why we’re going to Arras in 2017 (to visit the grave of Jossy Cork, 19th DLI).
20th June – Peter spoke to Windy Nook and Heworth History Society about What Mammy did in the Great War. About 50 attended; donation to SSAFA.
We’ve heard from, in the last month, direct relatives of AJB Begg, son of the Rector of Usworth (Antonia from the USA whose son is studying the Great War) and George Smith Huddart. Full info was sent to them, with photos and we may be able to add to the archive when they reply with family info.
Another donation to SSAFA arrived courtesy of Mali Saha (current Vice Chair of Wessington U3A) who’d given a talk to Washington Station WI. Total donation of £140 sent to SSAFA.
22nd June – Peter guided Lynne and Jan from Seaham and District U3A round Wor Poppy Walk – well, the half from N Biddick Club to the Black Bush. Second half in September.
24th June – Peter attended a showing of The Wear at War – arranged at Lanchester Community centre for members of Lanchester Brass Band and friends. It was good to meet them and answer questions about the making of the film, for which they supplied some of the background music.
Knitted Poppies – our aim is 12557 (one for each DLI man killed in the Great War) – we currently have 9336.
29th June – got a call from John. Had that ‘which John?’ moment. Turned out it was John from Leeds who’d picked up one of our cards in Mendinghem cemetery and just decided to ring to find out more. Nice to meet you by phone, John.
Living legacies – we have been put in touch with a programme called Living Legacies (see their website
http://www.livinglegacies1914-18.ac.uk/CommunityResources/CommunityProjects/Warandthemoraloutdoors/ Dr Paul Wright has offered help with ideas, possible events and how Living Legacies could help with funding, research the phone app and possible archiving of the project after 2018. Discussions are ongoing.
Jordan Tough from Biddick Academy, with some support from other pupils and staff, has completed the phone app for Wor Poppy Walk It will be available in August for Apple and Android phones. Only one or two final details to iron out.
Graham and Enid Hunton from Sussex, ex Washington, visited last night. Graham can be seen talking about the death of Fred Armstrong (Enid’s grandad) in ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ (google it, it’s on youtube). Now they have relatives in Washington knitting poppies. Just like that!
Labels put up on the poppy tree at Harraton and in the yew trees at Usworth Holy Trinity and Washington Holy Trinity to remember -
17/7/17 Alexander Dobson (W)
17/7/17 Patrick Dowd (W)
19/7/17 James WR Stephenson (U) and (W)
25/7/17 Edward Dean (W)
26/7/17 Robert W Lumsden (U)
27/7/17 William Coulson (U)
29/7/17 John Whittaker (U)
29/7/17 Robert H Ross (W)
30/7/17 Philip G Ramsey (U)
31/7/17 Charles W Baister (W)
Annemie from the WW1 Research Centre at Poperinghe (near Ypres) has added the info we sent to her. Poperinghe is close to Remy Siding where 4 Casualty Clearing Stations were established and much excellent medical care was offered (see info on Wessington U3A History group page if you want more detail about the work done there, details gleaned from Tom Scotland’s excellent lecture to Durham WFA in April.
The three men noted below all died at Remy and are buried in Lijssenthoek cemetery. A fourth man, G Norman Hall, is also buried there but we have no photograph of him.
http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/3205/-ralph-mcneil.html
http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/8616/-john-rooney.html
http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/7521/-norman-hall.html
Visitors to website for May are 1.116 Unique Visitors and 3,768 Page Views. Quite impressive.
Val Kelley has given me a copy of Ed Pickford’s song called Wad thou gan? It is available through Youtube and was written after Ed had watched, and been impressed by, the film Wad thou gan? The song is a tribute to all the men that went but features the story of Richard Drummond, fatally wounded in the head at Loos, died in Charing Cross Hospital and buried in Usworth Holy Trinity Churchyard.
We have had contact from a relative of James W Robinson who lived at Stone Cellars, Usworth. He served in 8th Durham Light Infantry and was one of two men from the battalion killed on 24th June 1917 near Vis-en-Artois. He is buried in Wancourt cemetery. According to the battalion war diary he was probably filled by shell or trench mortar fire. The relative can provide us with a photograph and other biographical details. See photo below.
The three men noted below all died at Remy and are buried in Lijssenthoek cemetery. A fourth man, G Norman Hall, is also buried there but we have no photograph of him.
http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/3205/-ralph-mcneil.html
http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/8616/-john-rooney.html
http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/7521/-norman-hall.html
Visitors to website for May are 1.116 Unique Visitors and 3,768 Page Views. Quite impressive.
Val Kelley has given me a copy of Ed Pickford’s song called Wad thou gan? It is available through Youtube and was written after Ed had watched, and been impressed by, the film Wad thou gan? The song is a tribute to all the men that went but features the story of Richard Drummond, fatally wounded in the head at Loos, died in Charing Cross Hospital and buried in Usworth Holy Trinity Churchyard.
We have had contact from a relative of James W Robinson who lived at Stone Cellars, Usworth. He served in 8th Durham Light Infantry and was one of two men from the battalion killed on 24th June 1917 near Vis-en-Artois. He is buried in Wancourt cemetery. According to the battalion war diary he was probably filled by shell or trench mortar fire. The relative can provide us with a photograph and other biographical details. See photo below.
Two of our group attended the AGM of SSAFA (established in 1885) where we were able to hand over a donation of £200 to help with their work. This takes the total of donations to service charities to over £1400. Thanks to everyone who has bought books and DVDs – all of which are still available.
The Poppy Bridge continues to attract favourable attention – recently met a cyclist from Blackpool who is riding the coast of Britain (he set off 68 days ago) and happened to find himself in Fatfield. He goes where the bike happens to take him and finds food and shelter where and whenever. Bloody hippy! Lovely guy called Tony Wallis – he has a Facebook and Just Giving page. I sang him the Lambton Worm and, he told me later, he’d nearly responded with Paddy’s Sicknote – a song of which I am as unaware as he was of the Lambton Worm. At the time of writing over 6,000 poppies on the bridge.
There are currently 4,555, poppies on the bridge, about one third of the total we are aiming at.
During the research session at Beamish Museum Peter met an ex teacher from Fatfield School (see photo) who talked about the Fatfield School Memorial (see photo) and why it disappeared into a cupboard rather than be displayed. The memorial has 40 names of old boys and teachers killed in the Great War and one killed in the Boer War. It is currently on display at Harraton Community centre.
The end of grant form for HLF bid for the film The Wear at War has been completed and signed off by HLF.
We have managed to negotiate a deal with Pen and Sword books that makes it possible for us to sell Washington in the Great War for £3.
We have managed to negotiate a deal with Pen and Sword books that makes it possible for us to sell Washington in the Great War for £3.
“This do in remembrance of me” are the words carved in half relief on a memorial table recently donated to Beamish Museum. The table was commissioned by Mr and Mrs Henry Greener in memory of their two sons, 2nd Lieutenant Henry Greener, 6th Durham Light Infantry, and Corporal John William Greener, 19th Northumberland Fusiliers, who lost their lives serving in the First World War.
The memorial table was unveiled in The Pit Village chapel at 1.30pm on 14th April, during a dedication event which marks 100 years to the day since 2nd Lt Henry Greener lost his life. Joined by a relative of the soldiers, we commemorated the lives of these young men with the Last Post, performed by local buglers.
Wessington U3A War Memorials group joined was there with a fascinating First World War display in The Pit Village chapel. The group have been researching the names on the three Washington Great War memorials for over a decade and have recently made three HLF-funded films about Washington in the Great War and another about the Wear at War. These films will be shown over the course of the two days.
An associated group, “The Poppy Girls”, have produced the knitted and crocheted poppies that were also on display.
The memorial table was unveiled in The Pit Village chapel at 1.30pm on 14th April, during a dedication event which marks 100 years to the day since 2nd Lt Henry Greener lost his life. Joined by a relative of the soldiers, we commemorated the lives of these young men with the Last Post, performed by local buglers.
Wessington U3A War Memorials group joined was there with a fascinating First World War display in The Pit Village chapel. The group have been researching the names on the three Washington Great War memorials for over a decade and have recently made three HLF-funded films about Washington in the Great War and another about the Wear at War. These films will be shown over the course of the two days.
An associated group, “The Poppy Girls”, have produced the knitted and crocheted poppies that were also on display.
March 1st - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ at Cestria U3A. Excellent venue at Cornerstones. Met relative of JR Punshon, buried at Warlencourt (killed 1916). 140 present; £40 donation to SSAFA.
March 6th - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ at Roker Fellowship. £25 donation to SSAFA. About 40 present at Salvation Army on Roker Avenue.
So far this year we have donated £400 to SSAFA ie a total of £711. Earlier we donated £728 from talks and sales of DVDs to Re.Org charity.
March 4th - showing of Wear at War at Witton Park as part of their commemoration of the Bradford Brothers. Subsequently sold 20 DVDs to people at Witton Park.
March 14th - Peter offered the first Research Clinic at Beamish Museum. The idea is a small exhibition at the back of the newly refurbished Chapel and anyone interested can get some help on researching a Great War family member.
March 18-19th - Tanfield Railway Great War weekend. This featured various re-enactment groups, steam trains, men (mostly) with huge cameras and lenses, and displays by Wor Women, NEWMP, Wessington U3A, British Legion, Sunderland at War, Teesside Archaeology Group. Sadly we (nor any of the other display groups) didn’t make the cut in Lonely Tower’s short film of the weekend.
March 23rd – 250 poppies from Washington U3A
March 24th - Hetton Ladies Group - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ £20 donation to SSAFA.
March 29th - Wheatley Hill History group - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ £30 donation to SSAFA.
March 30/31 Objects in and After Conflict at Newcastle and Northumbria Unis. PW spoke about GH Ainsley, William Jonas, Richard Drummond, Tom Garnham, Ernie Seed, Tom Nattrass and Tipper Wilcox + Poppy Walk, Phone app, Bus Stop and Poppies on the bridge -to about 50 academics from all over the country. Armstrong Building at Newcastle Uni.
March also saw 641 unique visitors to the website and 2,111 page views.
March 6th - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ at Roker Fellowship. £25 donation to SSAFA. About 40 present at Salvation Army on Roker Avenue.
So far this year we have donated £400 to SSAFA ie a total of £711. Earlier we donated £728 from talks and sales of DVDs to Re.Org charity.
March 4th - showing of Wear at War at Witton Park as part of their commemoration of the Bradford Brothers. Subsequently sold 20 DVDs to people at Witton Park.
March 14th - Peter offered the first Research Clinic at Beamish Museum. The idea is a small exhibition at the back of the newly refurbished Chapel and anyone interested can get some help on researching a Great War family member.
March 18-19th - Tanfield Railway Great War weekend. This featured various re-enactment groups, steam trains, men (mostly) with huge cameras and lenses, and displays by Wor Women, NEWMP, Wessington U3A, British Legion, Sunderland at War, Teesside Archaeology Group. Sadly we (nor any of the other display groups) didn’t make the cut in Lonely Tower’s short film of the weekend.
March 23rd – 250 poppies from Washington U3A
March 24th - Hetton Ladies Group - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ £20 donation to SSAFA.
March 29th - Wheatley Hill History group - Talk on ‘What did you do in the Great War, Mammy?’ £30 donation to SSAFA.
March 30/31 Objects in and After Conflict at Newcastle and Northumbria Unis. PW spoke about GH Ainsley, William Jonas, Richard Drummond, Tom Garnham, Ernie Seed, Tom Nattrass and Tipper Wilcox + Poppy Walk, Phone app, Bus Stop and Poppies on the bridge -to about 50 academics from all over the country. Armstrong Building at Newcastle Uni.
March also saw 641 unique visitors to the website and 2,111 page views.
Washington U3A has sent 250 poppies for TinTin to guard.
Beamish Exhibition resulted in us being called #favourite group by Beamish staff. There were lots of visitors, keen to hear our stories and to tell theirs. A few of them were direct relations of Washington soldiers. Angela, Mali, Eileen, Laraine, Anne, Liz, Hilary, Andy, Gavin, Pauline, Judy, Ann, Margaret and Peter were responsible for guiding duties.
This website has had 612 unique visitors in February 2017 and a whopping 2,889 page views.
‘Wessington U3A Poppy Girls group organised a visit, by 16 of us, to Durham School. The invitation rose from the contacts between Durham School and ourselves in the making of The Wear at War – our most recent film – which featured the story of William Noel Hodgson, a war poet famous for his ‘Before Action’. William attended Durham School before going to Oxford and then becoming a 2nd Lieutenant in the Devonshire Regiment. He was killed in the attack on Mametz on 1st July 1916 and was buried in the Devonshire Trench Cemetery. During the visit we climbed the 98 steps to the chapel, built in 1927, that represent the 98 Old Dunelmians killed in the Great War and saw Hodgson’s name carved both on one of the pews and, in stone, on one of the side pillars.
£180 sent to SSAFA from sales of DVDs and talk fees. Another £100 has since been sent to SSAFA from same sources.
Banner ‘hooked’ by Canada Ann.
Peter and Margaret spent three days researching from original war diaries in Public Record Office at Kew. Professor Gary Sheffield was working there at the same time. This may not seem very exciting but by being close to a Professor of Great War Studies some of his aura must rub off? No? Oh, well, it seemed exciting.
In looking at info about a Pelton man in 6th Northumberland Fusiliers, my eye was drawn to ‘A Belgian’ in the sick list. ‘A Belgian’ seems to have reported sick on several occasions. So, in fact did ‘B Belgian’. What’s the story? Who were those Belgians? From Birtley? Well, it turns out that Walter William Belgian, the oldest of three brothers (a glass packer in 1911) was a Sergeant in 6NF and the 1911 Census shows that Walter William (who was married with his own children) and his younger brothers, Arthur (18 in 1911 and Bertie (14 in 1911) were living in the same house in Gateshead and had, presumably, joined up together. Walter William died (perhaps from wounds) in 1915 and was buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery but the other two appear to have survived the war. Walter William’s son, also Walter, died in 1943 in Burma. The Gateshead Belgians.
Another story we discovered (while searching out info on Pelton Men) was that of Captain Francis Thornton 171 Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, who died in November of 1917 of a ruptured bladder. He had gone out at night to urinate, didn’t bother to walk as far as the latrine, and fell off a small bridge over a stream. Thinking not much more of it he went to bed. Lt Ellis confirmed the story. A few days later Captain Thornton died in hospital.
Another man, this time from Washington, to die in an accident features in the War Diary for 1st Field, Company Royal Engineers:
1st Field Coy Royal Engineers was located at Mametz Camp in January 1917. The war diary states, ‘25th Jan – Driver 1128 George Lowrie received injuries through falling from a pontoon wagon on to a road hardened by frost and was taken to hospital.
Papers relating to work on MG posts were handed over to officers of 1st and 2nd Field Coys of Australian Engineers.
26th Jan No 1128 Driver Lowrie G died whilst being taken to 1/1st South Midland Casualty Clearing Station from injuries received on 25th inst. He was buried at Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension.
Work handed over to 1st and 2nd Coys Australian Engineers. Guides supplied to take their parties to the sites at dusk
Clearing up of camp, disinfecting, , packing stores etc preparatory to handing over camp to 3rd Field Coy Australian Engineers.
Coy moved from camp at 10am and proceeded to Contalmaison.
In looking at info about a Pelton man in 6th Northumberland Fusiliers, my eye was drawn to ‘A Belgian’ in the sick list. ‘A Belgian’ seems to have reported sick on several occasions. So, in fact did ‘B Belgian’. What’s the story? Who were those Belgians? From Birtley? Well, it turns out that Walter William Belgian, the oldest of three brothers (a glass packer in 1911) was a Sergeant in 6NF and the 1911 Census shows that Walter William (who was married with his own children) and his younger brothers, Arthur (18 in 1911 and Bertie (14 in 1911) were living in the same house in Gateshead and had, presumably, joined up together. Walter William died (perhaps from wounds) in 1915 and was buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery but the other two appear to have survived the war. Walter William’s son, also Walter, died in 1943 in Burma. The Gateshead Belgians.
Another story we discovered (while searching out info on Pelton Men) was that of Captain Francis Thornton 171 Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, who died in November of 1917 of a ruptured bladder. He had gone out at night to urinate, didn’t bother to walk as far as the latrine, and fell off a small bridge over a stream. Thinking not much more of it he went to bed. Lt Ellis confirmed the story. A few days later Captain Thornton died in hospital.
Another man, this time from Washington, to die in an accident features in the War Diary for 1st Field, Company Royal Engineers:
1st Field Coy Royal Engineers was located at Mametz Camp in January 1917. The war diary states, ‘25th Jan – Driver 1128 George Lowrie received injuries through falling from a pontoon wagon on to a road hardened by frost and was taken to hospital.
Papers relating to work on MG posts were handed over to officers of 1st and 2nd Field Coys of Australian Engineers.
26th Jan No 1128 Driver Lowrie G died whilst being taken to 1/1st South Midland Casualty Clearing Station from injuries received on 25th inst. He was buried at Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension.
Work handed over to 1st and 2nd Coys Australian Engineers. Guides supplied to take their parties to the sites at dusk
Clearing up of camp, disinfecting, , packing stores etc preparatory to handing over camp to 3rd Field Coy Australian Engineers.
Coy moved from camp at 10am and proceeded to Contalmaison.
It seems a lot of people like our films. The viewing figures to date are:
Wad thou gan? 4027 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFviyhRI_Hg
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt 1942 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8opE4znQzWA
Washington Men at The Somme 1170 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyTc8KKF_s
The Wear at War 688 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-geXMhrVJE
You can watch the films by clicking the link next to them.
This website had 477 unique visitors in January, and 3,001 page views.
Wad thou gan? 4027 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFviyhRI_Hg
From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt 1942 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8opE4znQzWA
Washington Men at The Somme 1170 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyTc8KKF_s
The Wear at War 688 views https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-geXMhrVJE
You can watch the films by clicking the link next to them.
This website had 477 unique visitors in January, and 3,001 page views.
13 things you would know all about if you are from Washington...
so the article says, and yes we are one of them. Check out the link below
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/13-things-you-would-know-12371115
so the article says, and yes we are one of them. Check out the link below
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/13-things-you-would-know-12371115
19 December Peter sent £180 donation to Durham Branch SSAFA – this does not include profits from DVD sales, which will be sent in January.
The Wear at War is now available on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-geXMhrVJE. Also still available via the contact form as DVD - £3 or £4.66 posted in the UK.
Washington School – Nicola Williamson asked Peter to attend a meeting of parents and pupils who’d been involved in exchange visits with a school in Amiens. It seems that they are planning to use sponsored Wor Poppy Walking to raise money for a visit to Arnhem next year. More Wor Poppy Walk leaflets will be available before January 2017.
Cheryl on WDYTYA laid a wreath at Pozieres and the camera then closed in on several DLI names – one of them Sam Baggott of Washington. You can see Edith Wardlaw’s piece about Sam at https://youtu.be/Nr_VZ_jv1eQ
Keith Cockerill has given us a copy of his annual CD of The River Wear in Four Seasons, 2016 Year of the Poppy. It is, as usual, lovely and relaxing and clever.
Phone app is making progress but needs some further amendments.
The Wear at War is now available on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-geXMhrVJE. Also still available via the contact form as DVD - £3 or £4.66 posted in the UK.
Washington School – Nicola Williamson asked Peter to attend a meeting of parents and pupils who’d been involved in exchange visits with a school in Amiens. It seems that they are planning to use sponsored Wor Poppy Walking to raise money for a visit to Arnhem next year. More Wor Poppy Walk leaflets will be available before January 2017.
Cheryl on WDYTYA laid a wreath at Pozieres and the camera then closed in on several DLI names – one of them Sam Baggott of Washington. You can see Edith Wardlaw’s piece about Sam at https://youtu.be/Nr_VZ_jv1eQ
Keith Cockerill has given us a copy of his annual CD of The River Wear in Four Seasons, 2016 Year of the Poppy. It is, as usual, lovely and relaxing and clever.
Phone app is making progress but needs some further amendments.
Facebook post by Durham County Council at 15.10 on 26 November – PW talking about the project at Durham at War Conference
https://www.facebook.com/anne.phillipson.12
https://www.facebook.com/anne.phillipson.12
Waiting for bums…Drink, snack and schmooze while waiting for the premiere at Durham School
November 25th – Wear at War shown at Howden le Wear Community House to around 45 people including relatives of John Hook who is featured in the film
November 26th – Wear at War shown to over 100 staff, Old Dunelmians and pupils + some guests, at Durham School. Durham School had kindly put on wine and canapes. Andrew, from DS, is happy to host a visit to the school memorial chapel by any interested parties – probably in the new year.
November 26th – Peter attended Durham at War Conference for volunteers at DCRO. There were several presentations, a Great War bake-off and a chance to see what other people have done – and pinch any ideas we/they could. Presentations included John Sheen, the descendants of German pork butchers who’d had a recent reunion, a piece on pork butchers by Malcolm Goodwin and Anthea Lang; a Canadian researcher, Jim Busby, described his research into Durham men in Canada, Sarah Price on the DLI collection at Palace Green and I showed parts of Washington Men at The Somme and The Wear at War and sang a couple of songs. The session had started with Zelda from HLF showing the film which features Wessington U3A as one of ‘six really great projects’ (their phrase). Durham County Council made a short film of the day.
November 30th – Peter, John and Gavin planted, with help from council gardeners, new primulas. We thought we were going to be winter pansies – but primulas is fine.
Wad thou gan? has been accessed 3,800 times on youtube; From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt is heading for 1750 and
Washington men at The Somme is heading towards 1,000 views.
DVDs of The Wear at War have sold very well – nearly 500. All profits to SSAFA, Durham Branch.
November 3rd – the 2016 poppies from Fatfield Bridge were displayed over the balcony in the Masonic Hall at Beamish. Taken down on
November 18th.
November 10th – a showing of Washington Men at The Somme was arranged for The Black Bush in Washington Village. £102 was raised for Help for Heroes.
November 11th – meeting at Harraton War Memorial of around 80-90 people. Anne, Liz, Peter Russell, Lynn Kennedy, Peter, Barbara and Judy read out the names of the 37 Harraton Men killed in 1916. Ken Moore played The Last Post and Reveille.
November 11th at 7.30 at Wolsingham School. Showing of The Wear at War. The film had been showed to Years 7&8 in the afternoon. Around 40-45 attended in the evening.
November 11th -13th exhibition at Beamish Museum attended by Hilary, Anne, Liz, Pauline, Gavin, Ann Huntley and Peter, as guides. As usual we met some people with stories to tell and told them some of our stories. We showed the short pieces filmed for the phoneapp.
November 13th – around 400 people attended the service at Harraton Memorial. The Last Post was played by Stuart Major.
November 15th – at noon, showing of The Wear at War in the Masonic Hall at Beamish Museum. About 40-45 visitors to the Museum attended. One of the guides turned out to be the grandson of Michael Heavisides – the VC, who now lies in Craghead cemetery.
November 18th – at noon in North Biddick Social Club – showing of The Wear at War, a film by Lonely Tower. The cake (see photos) was made by Victoria Graham. About 60-70 people attended (see photos below).
November 19th – Peter gave a talk – What did you do in the war in Washington, Mammy? to Friends of Sunderland Museum. About 60 people attended. Gavin did the techy bits, properly apart from the ‘waving at 30 minutes’ task. He claims he did but…..
November 20th – at 2.30 at St John’s Chapel. Showing of The Wear at War. Good to see the McDowells from Spennymoor and some local people. Superb film venue, if a little cool by the end of the afternoon and excellent steak pie and peas from the Chatterbox Café. About 35 people attended.
November 21st – talk by the War Memorials group to Wessington U3A monthly meeting. The subject was Remembering 1916. Peter R, Peter, Eileen, Margaret, Judy, Wendy Ann Huntley, John L, Barbara and Adele took part in the reading. Gavin battled with the technology – and the computer proved that it had a mind of its own.
November 21st – showing at 2.30 the Riverview Brasserie, Stadium of Light, for The Wear at War. Around 45 people attended. Excellent venue – pity so few were there but all were complimentary.
November 21st at 7.30 – showing of The Wear at War at Crook RAFA Spitfire Club. It was a filthy night and it seems two roads into Crook were blocked by floodwater. Around 20 people attended, including three of the local historians seen in the film. This was the first showing of any film by the group dedicated to restoring the Empire Electric Palace – which opened, coincidentally, on November 21st in 1910, 106 years ago.
November 18th.
November 10th – a showing of Washington Men at The Somme was arranged for The Black Bush in Washington Village. £102 was raised for Help for Heroes.
November 11th – meeting at Harraton War Memorial of around 80-90 people. Anne, Liz, Peter Russell, Lynn Kennedy, Peter, Barbara and Judy read out the names of the 37 Harraton Men killed in 1916. Ken Moore played The Last Post and Reveille.
November 11th at 7.30 at Wolsingham School. Showing of The Wear at War. The film had been showed to Years 7&8 in the afternoon. Around 40-45 attended in the evening.
November 11th -13th exhibition at Beamish Museum attended by Hilary, Anne, Liz, Pauline, Gavin, Ann Huntley and Peter, as guides. As usual we met some people with stories to tell and told them some of our stories. We showed the short pieces filmed for the phoneapp.
November 13th – around 400 people attended the service at Harraton Memorial. The Last Post was played by Stuart Major.
November 15th – at noon, showing of The Wear at War in the Masonic Hall at Beamish Museum. About 40-45 visitors to the Museum attended. One of the guides turned out to be the grandson of Michael Heavisides – the VC, who now lies in Craghead cemetery.
November 18th – at noon in North Biddick Social Club – showing of The Wear at War, a film by Lonely Tower. The cake (see photos) was made by Victoria Graham. About 60-70 people attended (see photos below).
November 19th – Peter gave a talk – What did you do in the war in Washington, Mammy? to Friends of Sunderland Museum. About 60 people attended. Gavin did the techy bits, properly apart from the ‘waving at 30 minutes’ task. He claims he did but…..
November 20th – at 2.30 at St John’s Chapel. Showing of The Wear at War. Good to see the McDowells from Spennymoor and some local people. Superb film venue, if a little cool by the end of the afternoon and excellent steak pie and peas from the Chatterbox Café. About 35 people attended.
November 21st – talk by the War Memorials group to Wessington U3A monthly meeting. The subject was Remembering 1916. Peter R, Peter, Eileen, Margaret, Judy, Wendy Ann Huntley, John L, Barbara and Adele took part in the reading. Gavin battled with the technology – and the computer proved that it had a mind of its own.
November 21st – showing at 2.30 the Riverview Brasserie, Stadium of Light, for The Wear at War. Around 45 people attended. Excellent venue – pity so few were there but all were complimentary.
November 21st at 7.30 – showing of The Wear at War at Crook RAFA Spitfire Club. It was a filthy night and it seems two roads into Crook were blocked by floodwater. Around 20 people attended, including three of the local historians seen in the film. This was the first showing of any film by the group dedicated to restoring the Empire Electric Palace – which opened, coincidentally, on November 21st in 1910, 106 years ago.
Wessington U3A was chosen as one of 6 projects to highlight the work done by HLF groups.
Here is a link to youtube where a video of the 6 chosen projects can be seen.
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B80HDbY4du4 …for HLF link
Didn't we do well!
Here is a link to youtube where a video of the 6 chosen projects can be seen.
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B80HDbY4du4 …for HLF link
Didn't we do well!
Harraton War Memorial Remembrance Service 2016
In October there were 708 unique visitors to the website and 2,351 page views. Wow!
Gavin Butterfield has successfully created a composite image of our poppy installation and the sculpture 'Tommy' who normally resides at Seaham.
During August there have been 485 unique visitors to the site and 927 page views.
Met with Councillor Kelly and Sue Brown re possibility of a Washington Heritage Forum – more details as and when
Poppy Girls have mapped out a programme of activities for 2017 – more details later.
Filming at Beamish for Wear at War.
Completed a review process of Wear at War for researcher from HLF – to be put on HLF website as a case study.
Contact from Douglas Pretsell, who lives in Australia – relation of WG Pretsell who lived at Sugarwell Cottage, Springwell and was killed in 1918. Received photos of WGP and of his MC – which the family still hold.
Contact from Megan, relation of Hubert Wilden (Washington memorial) – info and photos reciprocated.
Poppy Girls have mapped out a programme of activities for 2017 – more details later.
Filming at Beamish for Wear at War.
Completed a review process of Wear at War for researcher from HLF – to be put on HLF website as a case study.
Contact from Douglas Pretsell, who lives in Australia – relation of WG Pretsell who lived at Sugarwell Cottage, Springwell and was killed in 1918. Received photos of WGP and of his MC – which the family still hold.
Contact from Megan, relation of Hubert Wilden (Washington memorial) – info and photos reciprocated.
Over the past month there have been 584 unique visitors to the website and 1,074 page views.
Fatfield Bridge Poppy Montage by Keith Cockerill.
Beamish Exhibition
We met lots of people from the usual wide geographical spread and, Anne, Liz, Canada Ann, Hilary, Gavin and Pauline will have their own favourites and tales to tell but relatives of Thomas Foster were there and also of Willie Appleby and we hope that connections can be developed. We also met Georgia Brown from Newton Aycliffe who’d just been to The Somme and came with her brilliant hoodie and the memento she had from Thiepval memorial commemorations. The young aren’t interested? Tell that to Georgia, on a rainy night or any other time. Stevie blew in and out as his usual hurricane, there were people we’d met before at Beamish and at other exhibitions and plenty of good crack about what this all means to us as a community.
The film was shown in the Chapel at various times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and, I’m gratified to report, well received by all.
On Sunday, after the exhibition, the film was shown and a question and answer session took place at Wheatley Hill All Saints Church - a congregation of about 30, several of whom then read a Great War related poem of their choice. They also had a display of local war-themed art and stories of Wheatley Hill men, including Thomas Kenny VC.
As a result of book and DVD sales and from various talks we’ve been able to donate totals of £298 to SSAFA (Durham Branch) and £711 to Reorg Trust
We met lots of people from the usual wide geographical spread and, Anne, Liz, Canada Ann, Hilary, Gavin and Pauline will have their own favourites and tales to tell but relatives of Thomas Foster were there and also of Willie Appleby and we hope that connections can be developed. We also met Georgia Brown from Newton Aycliffe who’d just been to The Somme and came with her brilliant hoodie and the memento she had from Thiepval memorial commemorations. The young aren’t interested? Tell that to Georgia, on a rainy night or any other time. Stevie blew in and out as his usual hurricane, there were people we’d met before at Beamish and at other exhibitions and plenty of good crack about what this all means to us as a community.
The film was shown in the Chapel at various times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and, I’m gratified to report, well received by all.
On Sunday, after the exhibition, the film was shown and a question and answer session took place at Wheatley Hill All Saints Church - a congregation of about 30, several of whom then read a Great War related poem of their choice. They also had a display of local war-themed art and stories of Wheatley Hill men, including Thomas Kenny VC.
As a result of book and DVD sales and from various talks we’ve been able to donate totals of £298 to SSAFA (Durham Branch) and £711 to Reorg Trust
Click the link below to listen to listen to the radio broadcast done after the showing of the film 'Washington Men at The Somme'.
somme_washy_pkg.mp2.mpg | |
File Size: | 6124 kb |
File Type: | mpg |
On the morning of July 1st at about 6.50am the lights were again flaming. Another miracle? Divine intervention? Spontaneous combustion? Well, no. One of our group had received a very early morning phone call from a partying son and being awake had decided to pop down and relight the tea lights, at about 4.30!
About 120 people attended the showing of Washington Men at The Somme at the Village Church, 60+ at the club and 30+ at Usworth Church. Radio Newcastle recorded the start of the film and broadcast an interview with several of those who attended. Thanks to all who attended and to David Glover, Julie Wing and Committee of N Biddick Club for allowing us to use their premises (and to those who provided tea and toast). Another 40-50 watched the 11.00 showing at Beamish (including a couple who’d been at the village church at 7.28) and there were further showings during the day. So, big thanks to HLF for funding, to Lonely Tower for making the film and to those who participated in the making in various ways.
About 120 people attended the showing of Washington Men at The Somme at the Village Church, 60+ at the club and 30+ at Usworth Church. Radio Newcastle recorded the start of the film and broadcast an interview with several of those who attended. Thanks to all who attended and to David Glover, Julie Wing and Committee of N Biddick Club for allowing us to use their premises (and to those who provided tea and toast). Another 40-50 watched the 11.00 showing at Beamish (including a couple who’d been at the village church at 7.28) and there were further showings during the day. So, big thanks to HLF for funding, to Lonely Tower for making the film and to those who participated in the making in various ways.
On 30th June a few words were said on the Bridge as a kind of formal opening and we then, in torrential rain, moved along to the war memorial where 28 tea lights were lit, washed out, re-lit etc to represent the 28 men from Harraton Parish who died at the Somme between 1st July and 16th November. About 50 hardy souls had turned up for the lighting, the drenching and the reading of the names. Thanks to all and to those who risked their cameras taking photos and to those who set out the chairs. (Quick mention of John L, Judy and Canada Ann who planted around 300 begonias on Wednesday and thanks to Sunderland City Council for providing them and planting the other 100.)
When everyone had left Keith Cockerill managed to take a photo of all of the lights lit, a minor miracle.
When everyone had left Keith Cockerill managed to take a photo of all of the lights lit, a minor miracle.
On the morning of July 1st at about 6.50am the lights were again flaming. Another miracle? Divine intervention? Spontaneous combustion? Well, no. One of our group had received a very early morning phone call from a partying son and being awake had decided to pop down and relight the tea lights, at about 4.30!
About 120 people attended the showing of Washington Men at The Somme at the Village Church, 60+ at the club and 30+ at Usworth Church. Radio Newcastle recorded the start of the film and broadcast an interview with several of those who attended. Thanks to all who attended and to David Glover, Julie Wing and Committee of N Biddick Club for allowing us to use their premises (and to those who provided tea and toast). Another 40-50 watched the 11.00 showing at Beamish (including a couple who’d been at the village church at 7.28) and there were further showings during the day. So, big thanks to HLF for funding, to Lonely Tower for making the film and to those who participated in the making in various ways.
About 120 people attended the showing of Washington Men at The Somme at the Village Church, 60+ at the club and 30+ at Usworth Church. Radio Newcastle recorded the start of the film and broadcast an interview with several of those who attended. Thanks to all who attended and to David Glover, Julie Wing and Committee of N Biddick Club for allowing us to use their premises (and to those who provided tea and toast). Another 40-50 watched the 11.00 showing at Beamish (including a couple who’d been at the village church at 7.28) and there were further showings during the day. So, big thanks to HLF for funding, to Lonely Tower for making the film and to those who participated in the making in various ways.
Wor Poppy Walk
The phone app to go with this walk is almost complete. See the 'Wor Poppy Walk' page for the stories of the men and local place that have been recorded. They are available on youtube.
The phone app to go with this walk is almost complete. See the 'Wor Poppy Walk' page for the stories of the men and local place that have been recorded. They are available on youtube.
Over the Top, the Poppy installation on Fatfield Bridge, has been a sensation. Since it was installed on 28th June we have had over 600 likes on facebook. Poppy Girls Rock. People have been unanimously positive and admiring though one lady did wonder, in jest, about swans being born with fluffy red feathers as a result of parents eating falling poppies.
Over the top they went... the soldiers in the Great War... the poppies to commemorate them on the Fatfield Bridge. What a wonderful art installation. July 1st Battle of the Somme.
Here is the link to the Sunderland Echo article on the event.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/our-region/washington/poppy-girls-unveil-their-artwork-in-sunderland-to-mark-the-100th-anniversary-since-the-battle-of-the-somme-1-7987045
and here is what the Chronicle had to say about it all.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/…/washington-wallsend-films-…
Here is the link to the Sunderland Echo article on the event.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/our-region/washington/poppy-girls-unveil-their-artwork-in-sunderland-to-mark-the-100th-anniversary-since-the-battle-of-the-somme-1-7987045
and here is what the Chronicle had to say about it all.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/…/washington-wallsend-films-…
Yes it might look like a bus shelter, and it is... but it is also an Information Point for the group... Want to know whats going on then have a look at the new notice board inside.
Here is a link to the Sunderland Echo Report on the event below.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/washington-down-your-way-1-7986444
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/washington-down-your-way-1-7986444
Yes those Poppy Girls and Boy are at it again. Knitting and nattering on Fatfield Bridge. Keep on going.. they only need a couple of hundred or so...
Weebly Viewing Totals for April are 464 unique visitors and 967 page views. For May there were 356 unique visitors and 828page views.
Wad thou gan? has reached 3041 viewings and From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt 1215. Trailer for Somme film is in 300s.
Photos of poppy girls (see above) and the continuation of label hanging at Usworth Holy Trinity, Washington Holy Trinity and Harraton Poppy Tree (see attached).
The total of knitted poppies is increasing daily and the aim, currently, is 2016 – for use in the art installation to be hung from Fatfield Bridge on the night of 30th June.
At 10.00pm tea lights will be lit at Harraton Memorial for those men killed at The Somme.
Northern Gas Networks proved most obliging and have postponed the removal of the gas pipe from July to the end of October so as not to interfere with the poppy installation. Vaughan and Chris were charming and cooperative to the nth degree. Gan on, Northern Gas Networks!!
Peter spoke about Washington soldiers to Washington Holy Trinity Mothers’ Union so another donation can go to SSAFA.
We (ie Lonely Tower) have recorded a number of relatives of Washington men talking briefly about them for use on the phone app and on screen at Beamish Museum Chapel on July 1st,2nd, 3rd.
Lonely Tower have continued with filming Wear at War. This includes interviews with Kate Adie on Women in Sunderland, Anne Yuill on Maria Scratcher of Willington, Aaron Cowan on Joseph Will Stones, John Gillette at Durham School on Noel William Hodgson, Alastair Fraser on Cocken Hall turning civvies into soldiers, Harry Moses on the Bradford brothers, Kathleen & Tom – on John Hook, Prof Snape on Conscientious Objectors, Tony Young on Alice May and they have also filmed Rob, Jack and David at Tanfield in a variety of ‘re-enactment scenes.’ It’s coming along. Plans for river level scenes and also filming at Beamish and Wolsingham School.
3000 leaflets, produced by the ever-excellent Tower Design of Hartlepool, have been placed in libraries, pubs, shops, factories across Washington (and Sunderland) – Biddick, Black Bush, Top Club, Gardener’s, Docherty’s, Sainsbury’s, River Bar, Fiume, Cellini’s, Hillary Blinds, Bargain Books, Havelock, Sandpiper, Clay’s Garden centre, Harraton PO, Harraton Surgery, Old Hall, Cross keys, Olivia’s, Village Green coffee and gifts, Washington Arms, Westwood Club, Village Church, Usworth Church The Wessington, The Blue Bell and Escape Beauty. Thanks to all and to anyone I’ve missed out.
Wad thou gan? has reached 3041 viewings and From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt 1215. Trailer for Somme film is in 300s.
Photos of poppy girls (see above) and the continuation of label hanging at Usworth Holy Trinity, Washington Holy Trinity and Harraton Poppy Tree (see attached).
The total of knitted poppies is increasing daily and the aim, currently, is 2016 – for use in the art installation to be hung from Fatfield Bridge on the night of 30th June.
At 10.00pm tea lights will be lit at Harraton Memorial for those men killed at The Somme.
Northern Gas Networks proved most obliging and have postponed the removal of the gas pipe from July to the end of October so as not to interfere with the poppy installation. Vaughan and Chris were charming and cooperative to the nth degree. Gan on, Northern Gas Networks!!
Peter spoke about Washington soldiers to Washington Holy Trinity Mothers’ Union so another donation can go to SSAFA.
We (ie Lonely Tower) have recorded a number of relatives of Washington men talking briefly about them for use on the phone app and on screen at Beamish Museum Chapel on July 1st,2nd, 3rd.
Lonely Tower have continued with filming Wear at War. This includes interviews with Kate Adie on Women in Sunderland, Anne Yuill on Maria Scratcher of Willington, Aaron Cowan on Joseph Will Stones, John Gillette at Durham School on Noel William Hodgson, Alastair Fraser on Cocken Hall turning civvies into soldiers, Harry Moses on the Bradford brothers, Kathleen & Tom – on John Hook, Prof Snape on Conscientious Objectors, Tony Young on Alice May and they have also filmed Rob, Jack and David at Tanfield in a variety of ‘re-enactment scenes.’ It’s coming along. Plans for river level scenes and also filming at Beamish and Wolsingham School.
3000 leaflets, produced by the ever-excellent Tower Design of Hartlepool, have been placed in libraries, pubs, shops, factories across Washington (and Sunderland) – Biddick, Black Bush, Top Club, Gardener’s, Docherty’s, Sainsbury’s, River Bar, Fiume, Cellini’s, Hillary Blinds, Bargain Books, Havelock, Sandpiper, Clay’s Garden centre, Harraton PO, Harraton Surgery, Old Hall, Cross keys, Olivia’s, Village Green coffee and gifts, Washington Arms, Westwood Club, Village Church, Usworth Church The Wessington, The Blue Bell and Escape Beauty. Thanks to all and to anyone I’ve missed out.
On the April 25th Peter spoke to Biddick Ladies on the subject of Washington Men in the Great War. They made a donation to SSAFA (Durham Branch).
April. There’s been seeding at the bus stop opposite Harraton Memorial and on the northern ends of the bridge. Look out, wild flowers about, we hope. See photos.
April. Nexus have agreed to place an information board in the bus shelter opposite Harraton Memorial.
April. There’s been seeding at the bus stop opposite Harraton Memorial and on the northern ends of the bridge. Look out, wild flowers about, we hope. See photos.
April. Nexus have agreed to place an information board in the bus shelter opposite Harraton Memorial.
Tuesday 19th April
A talk was given to Fulwell Methodist ladies on - What did you do in the war, Mammy?
A talk was given to Fulwell Methodist ladies on - What did you do in the war, Mammy?
From Thursday 7th - Sunday 10th April we had an exhibition at Beamish. It was 'The Great War Festival of Transport weekend'.
On Saturday 19th March a group travelled to Leeds to hear about Resistance to War with special interest in conscientious objection. Julian Putkowski, author of Blindfolded and Alone, was one of the speakers.
Peter has completed the End of Grant HLF form for the Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt project
We have established contact with a relative of one of the German POW camps in Weardale; she has letters from German POWs to her father, photos of the POWs at work and a book of sketches done by them and given to him. This for the film Wear at War. We will be going to visit and interview her.
Miss Whitely from Biddick Academy organised some students for filming extra pieces for the phone app.
In the first week since it was uploaded to Youtube ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ - see link - was watched over 600 times.
Margaret has recorded the voice over for Washington Men at The Somme. This will be augmented by readings done by students from Biddick Academy.
Peter spoke to Victoria Oxberry at DCRO to pick her brains re stories and research ideas for Wear at War.
On Saturday 19th March a group travelled to Leeds to hear about Resistance to War with special interest in conscientious objection. Julian Putkowski, author of Blindfolded and Alone, was one of the speakers.
Peter has completed the End of Grant HLF form for the Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt project
We have established contact with a relative of one of the German POW camps in Weardale; she has letters from German POWs to her father, photos of the POWs at work and a book of sketches done by them and given to him. This for the film Wear at War. We will be going to visit and interview her.
Miss Whitely from Biddick Academy organised some students for filming extra pieces for the phone app.
In the first week since it was uploaded to Youtube ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ - see link - was watched over 600 times.
Margaret has recorded the voice over for Washington Men at The Somme. This will be augmented by readings done by students from Biddick Academy.
Peter spoke to Victoria Oxberry at DCRO to pick her brains re stories and research ideas for Wear at War.
Peter and Margaret spent a week in the Somme (but not actually in it if you see what I mean) walking the battlefields and visiting some cemeteries. A couple of men whose graves or memorials had not been previously identified received a visit and a cross made by the Poppy Girls. Thus James Leslie and Robert Brown, at Loos, Herbert Dunn at Arras, John Dunn(e) at le Touret, Austin King at Bazentin le Petit and we also paid return visits to Alex Metcalf at St Vaast Post, Robert Willis at Norfolk Cemetery. A couple of blokes with Washington connections who don’t appear on Washington Memorials were also visited – Matthew Trueman at Doingt, Robert Mitchenson at Arras.
We completed walks from Hebuterne to Gommecourt and Fonquevillers; the so-called Poet’s walk which takes in Fricourt, Mametz and Bray, the so-called Yorkshire walk from Becordel-Becourt to Becourt, and Fricourt and the Thiepval walk which takes in Authuille, the Lonsdale Cemetery, Thiepval, Ulster Tower, St Pierre Divion and Thiepval Wood.
On 4th April we went for a viewing of the new film, ‘Washington Men at The Somme’ – another splendid piece of work by Lonely Tower due for premieres at Usworth Church, Washington Church and North Biddick Club on the morning of 1st July 2016 – each one starting at 7.28am and lasting 20 minutes. Later in the day the film will be on show in the Chapel at Beamish Museum and, slightly later, it will be released to Youtube.
Thiepval Visitor Centre and Pays du Coquelicot Tourist Information in Albert have both agreed to sell copies of From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt.
We received an email from a relative of Joseph Cumpson and she kindly supplied photos of Joe with his 5 brothers and 2 of his sisters.
Drainage began on April 4th to improve the area round Harraton War Memorial. Thanks to SCC.
The Poppy Girls are still in negotiation with SCC and Cllr Snowdon re plans they have.
We completed walks from Hebuterne to Gommecourt and Fonquevillers; the so-called Poet’s walk which takes in Fricourt, Mametz and Bray, the so-called Yorkshire walk from Becordel-Becourt to Becourt, and Fricourt and the Thiepval walk which takes in Authuille, the Lonsdale Cemetery, Thiepval, Ulster Tower, St Pierre Divion and Thiepval Wood.
On 4th April we went for a viewing of the new film, ‘Washington Men at The Somme’ – another splendid piece of work by Lonely Tower due for premieres at Usworth Church, Washington Church and North Biddick Club on the morning of 1st July 2016 – each one starting at 7.28am and lasting 20 minutes. Later in the day the film will be on show in the Chapel at Beamish Museum and, slightly later, it will be released to Youtube.
Thiepval Visitor Centre and Pays du Coquelicot Tourist Information in Albert have both agreed to sell copies of From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt.
We received an email from a relative of Joseph Cumpson and she kindly supplied photos of Joe with his 5 brothers and 2 of his sisters.
Drainage began on April 4th to improve the area round Harraton War Memorial. Thanks to SCC.
The Poppy Girls are still in negotiation with SCC and Cllr Snowdon re plans they have.
Last month there were 403 unique visitors to this website and 900 page views.
Poppy Girls at work – various plans – about which more detail as it becomes available but see the photos – id tags being created, invites for this year’s premieres, poppy streamers...
And, apart from the lying water, the War memorial looks a picture – so I took one.
And, apart from the lying water, the War memorial looks a picture – so I took one.
March 19th – Peter, Margaret, Anne, Liz and Ann Huntly went to Leeds City Museum for a day on the Conscientious Objectors of the Great War. Having circumnavigated County Durham (the A1(M) was shut and we were re-routed via Barnard Castle!!) we heard a variety of speakers, stand outs being Cyril Pearce from Huddersfield on mapping the location of COs, Julian Putkowski discussing resistance within the army (calculated and subtle, and it had to be, to avoid a discipline charge) and Nick Hiley and Chloe Mason, the latter a granddaughter of Alice Wheeldon, still fighting Alice’s case. Alice was imprisoned in WWI after what seems now to have been a clear miscarriage of justice. Alison Kay and Jane Sparkes were also good on the National Railway Museum’s display and research into Ambulance Trains. The A1(M) was open on the way back.
March 15th – Peter and Hilary attended a meeting at County Hall to listen to relatives of Edith Appleton, a Great War nurse, read from her diaries and tell her stories. Very engaging. It was good to see the Spennymoor 4 (the McDowells) who’d been to France and Belgium with us in 2015 and to see that copies of Washington in the Great War and From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt were on sale.
March 15th – Peter and Hilary attended a meeting at County Hall to listen to relatives of Edith Appleton, a Great War nurse, read from her diaries and tell her stories. Very engaging. It was good to see the Spennymoor 4 (the McDowells) who’d been to France and Belgium with us in 2015 and to see that copies of Washington in the Great War and From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt were on sale.
March 12th – Great war weekend at Tanfield Railway. After last year, when it was freezing and largely unattended we had 2 good days with plenty of visitors and much milder weather. Now that there’s a hot food outlet in the wagon shed we were able to pick up some passing trade. We met, among others, Malcolm who recalled his contribution to the moving of the Harraton memorial from the top of WormHill down to its present location. He’d been a driver of one of the lifting vehicles involved. We got the usual good support from members of the war memorials group and of the Wessington U3A and even Washington camera club – it being a weekend for big lenses and arty shots.
March 12th – 8 pupils from Biddick Academy were filmed doing short pieces for the phoneapp.
'Washington in the Great War' is now on sale at The Works in Washington Galleries.
We have reached 2759 views of Wad thou gan?' and 886 of 'From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt'. Last month there have also been 422 unique visitors to our website and 837 page views.
February 19th – lovely friendly evening, hosted by Jan and Lynn , at the Washington Station WI. Peter and Margaret delivered an illustrated talk on What did you do in the Great War, Mammy? Well received and the fee will go to Durham Branch SSAFA. Some of the photocopied poppy patterns that Margaret took were picked up by Jennifer Tindall who has got a group of knitters working for the Great War exhibition at the University Library on Palace Green (where Lindisfarne Gospels and Magna Carta were displayed). As part of that exhibition Peter took the Fatfield Council School Memorial from the Harraton Community Centre, permission having been gained from the Chairman of the Community Association.
Newcastle Library have sold some copies of From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt and will continue to do so for a month or two.
Newcastle Library has added to Flickr the photographs of soldiers featured in the Illustrated Chronicle throughout 1915. Google Illustrated Chronicle on Flickr. They are freely available and there are over 11,000 – area covered is from Berwick to Middlesbrough and across to Carlisle.
Peter delivered a (very similar) talk to Houghton le Spring History group called What did you do in the Great War, Mammy. Another donation to SSAFA.
At the Exchange Building in Sunderland we spoke to about 30 people from groups considering making an HLF bid. Contributions were from Lonely Tower, Margaret, Peter, Gavin, Pauline, Barbara and Ann Huntley.
We exhibited at the Meet the Neighbours event for 5 local U3As hosted by Wessington U3A at North Biddick Club and Peter showed three of the extracts filmed at Beamish for the phone app – we used Judy, Edith and Peter Russell’s contributions.
The meeting re German POWs which was going to be held at Stanhope was, sadly, cancelled as a result of some family discussions. However, Lynn Nattrass (known to Ann H through rag rugging) generously supplied a bunch of photos taken by her great grandfather of Rookhope men who went to War in 1914. These, featured on I Love Weardale and Old Photos of Weardale have generated a lot of interest and regular Facebook posts have elicited some interesting and amusing tales of what seems to have been pretty rugged cricket in Upper Weardale. The breakfast at the Chatterbox Café, offered to someone who can confirm they played for Rookhope or a relation of someone who did, hasn’t yet been claimed. The obvious candidate was George Oliver, but he lives in Alberta! However, the offer is open and it seems like it might be claimed by a member of the Wall family.
Mrs Towers of Village Lane has ordered a bronze-resin poppy in honour of Charles Todd of Fatfield and that led to a similar order by Sarah Reay who owns the old Post office and has bought a poppy to represent John William Eltringham whose address was given as the Post office on the Washington Roll of Honour.
Also, had contact with Margaret Davison – related to Daniel and John Todd, brothers, of Usworth.
The Phone app continues to make progress and Jordan in Year 10 at Biddick Academy thinks it should be ready by Easter. He’s the brains behind it. Yes, Jordan, whatever you say.
We held a really positive and friendly meeting at Howden le Wear Village Hall to discuss Wear Valley at War with interested parties. We had representatives of Howden, Witton, Crook, Weardale, the Weardale Gazette, Wessington U3A, Crook History Society, Cestria U3A, NEWMP, Chester le Street Heritage group and Durham Branch WFA. (Those unable to attend were kept abreast of developments by email.) After introductions, Mark outlined the topics likely to be covered by the film and we have arranged interviews with people who will tell several of the stories. Subsequently we contacted Alastair Fraser from Durham Uni who will talk about excavations at Cocken Hall. One or two others are yet to be contacted but we feel things are seriously under way. Excellent venue – recommended to anyone and everyone.
Anne Marie Foster of Northumbria Uni got in touch re her PhD and was given several names of people who we know to have private memorials (not just war memorials) from the period 1899-1939. All who were contacted agreed to see Ann –Marie and she has made arrangements to see several of them.
Peter completed a survey from IWM re our activities this year.
We met Councillor David Snowden and David Hardy (Response Team) and Steve from Drainage to discuss the state of drainage at Harraton memorial. Money has been set aside for another trench to alleviate the current situation and the developing bog both behind and to the side of the memorial. David Hardy agreed to take under consideration some of the plans of the Poppy Girls.
Newcastle Library have sold some copies of From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt and will continue to do so for a month or two.
Newcastle Library has added to Flickr the photographs of soldiers featured in the Illustrated Chronicle throughout 1915. Google Illustrated Chronicle on Flickr. They are freely available and there are over 11,000 – area covered is from Berwick to Middlesbrough and across to Carlisle.
Peter delivered a (very similar) talk to Houghton le Spring History group called What did you do in the Great War, Mammy. Another donation to SSAFA.
At the Exchange Building in Sunderland we spoke to about 30 people from groups considering making an HLF bid. Contributions were from Lonely Tower, Margaret, Peter, Gavin, Pauline, Barbara and Ann Huntley.
We exhibited at the Meet the Neighbours event for 5 local U3As hosted by Wessington U3A at North Biddick Club and Peter showed three of the extracts filmed at Beamish for the phone app – we used Judy, Edith and Peter Russell’s contributions.
The meeting re German POWs which was going to be held at Stanhope was, sadly, cancelled as a result of some family discussions. However, Lynn Nattrass (known to Ann H through rag rugging) generously supplied a bunch of photos taken by her great grandfather of Rookhope men who went to War in 1914. These, featured on I Love Weardale and Old Photos of Weardale have generated a lot of interest and regular Facebook posts have elicited some interesting and amusing tales of what seems to have been pretty rugged cricket in Upper Weardale. The breakfast at the Chatterbox Café, offered to someone who can confirm they played for Rookhope or a relation of someone who did, hasn’t yet been claimed. The obvious candidate was George Oliver, but he lives in Alberta! However, the offer is open and it seems like it might be claimed by a member of the Wall family.
Mrs Towers of Village Lane has ordered a bronze-resin poppy in honour of Charles Todd of Fatfield and that led to a similar order by Sarah Reay who owns the old Post office and has bought a poppy to represent John William Eltringham whose address was given as the Post office on the Washington Roll of Honour.
Also, had contact with Margaret Davison – related to Daniel and John Todd, brothers, of Usworth.
The Phone app continues to make progress and Jordan in Year 10 at Biddick Academy thinks it should be ready by Easter. He’s the brains behind it. Yes, Jordan, whatever you say.
We held a really positive and friendly meeting at Howden le Wear Village Hall to discuss Wear Valley at War with interested parties. We had representatives of Howden, Witton, Crook, Weardale, the Weardale Gazette, Wessington U3A, Crook History Society, Cestria U3A, NEWMP, Chester le Street Heritage group and Durham Branch WFA. (Those unable to attend were kept abreast of developments by email.) After introductions, Mark outlined the topics likely to be covered by the film and we have arranged interviews with people who will tell several of the stories. Subsequently we contacted Alastair Fraser from Durham Uni who will talk about excavations at Cocken Hall. One or two others are yet to be contacted but we feel things are seriously under way. Excellent venue – recommended to anyone and everyone.
Anne Marie Foster of Northumbria Uni got in touch re her PhD and was given several names of people who we know to have private memorials (not just war memorials) from the period 1899-1939. All who were contacted agreed to see Ann –Marie and she has made arrangements to see several of them.
Peter completed a survey from IWM re our activities this year.
We met Councillor David Snowden and David Hardy (Response Team) and Steve from Drainage to discuss the state of drainage at Harraton memorial. Money has been set aside for another trench to alleviate the current situation and the developing bog both behind and to the side of the memorial. David Hardy agreed to take under consideration some of the plans of the Poppy Girls.
A moving short film by Lonely Towers Film and Media on the Orient Somme Memorial. To watch click the link below.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=glyyEj7PVcQ …
Clapton Orient & The Somme 1916 - 2016 'They Took the Lead'. Clapton Orient became the first English Football League club
to volunteer en masse to serve King and Country during the Great War.
One of their players Billy Jonas is commemorated on Washington War Memorial.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=glyyEj7PVcQ …
Clapton Orient & The Somme 1916 - 2016 'They Took the Lead'. Clapton Orient became the first English Football League club
to volunteer en masse to serve King and Country during the Great War.
One of their players Billy Jonas is commemorated on Washington War Memorial.
New Year, new film on YouTube. After the success of 'Wad thou Gan' we now have our second film on YouTube. Click the link below to watch it.
https://youtu.be/8opE4znQzWA
'From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt'
Peter and Margaret took Year 6 from St Joseph’s on a walk/mapping exercise round Washington Village and, like all good school visits, we finished up at the pub – the Black Bush – but only for a look at their continuing display about the Great War.
Peter and Margaret delivered assemblies for Years 7, 8 and 11 at Biddick Academy.
Peter, Margaret, Anne and Liz delivered the Wessington U3A monthly talk, the theme being the men of 2015 and an update on the group’s activities in the year. The Poppy Girls delivered a linked poem from a relative of Laraine’s.
Filming has taken place at Beamish over three Sunday mornings – the coal fire was lovely – for the phone app and work on this has continued with the pupils at Biddick Academy. U3A members and others have played the parts of relatives of the 30 or so men whose memories are commemorated by the bronze-resin poppies on the Wor Poppy Walk route. 4 examples attached. Brilliance knows no bounds.
Michael Kelly - https://youtu.be/FO-J7DUWfXM
Bartholomew Redhead Varley - https://youtu.be/MbxwBuemUaU
John William Noble - https://youtu.be/O1uPaTLpqIA
William Taylor Dunn - https://youtu.be/gGFDArQeVwY
Peter and Margaret delivered assemblies for Years 7, 8 and 11 at Biddick Academy.
Peter, Margaret, Anne and Liz delivered the Wessington U3A monthly talk, the theme being the men of 2015 and an update on the group’s activities in the year. The Poppy Girls delivered a linked poem from a relative of Laraine’s.
Filming has taken place at Beamish over three Sunday mornings – the coal fire was lovely – for the phone app and work on this has continued with the pupils at Biddick Academy. U3A members and others have played the parts of relatives of the 30 or so men whose memories are commemorated by the bronze-resin poppies on the Wor Poppy Walk route. 4 examples attached. Brilliance knows no bounds.
Michael Kelly - https://youtu.be/FO-J7DUWfXM
Bartholomew Redhead Varley - https://youtu.be/MbxwBuemUaU
John William Noble - https://youtu.be/O1uPaTLpqIA
William Taylor Dunn - https://youtu.be/gGFDArQeVwY
Four of the group (+ Lonely Tower) attended a meeting in Sunderland Winter Gardens where Leila D’Aronville outlined some of Sunderland’s plans for commemorating the Battle of the Somme in 2016. There will be music, organised by Bob Stanley of St Etienne (group not football team) and a film by Esther Johnson of Sheffield Hallam University. We asked a number of questions about the scope of all this, the level of local involvement, the cost and the time-scale.
Just over 30 people attended the Black Bush for another showing of From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt. Thanks to everyone who came.
The film was also the centrepiece of the Durham Branch of the WFA annual Christmas buffet. (See Wessington website for forthcoming WFA speakers and activities)
The walking group were guided round half of Wor Poppy Walk by a man who then bought them all a cup of coffee at Cellini’s. Miserable morning uplifted by good company.
The Poppy Girls were chaperoned by Pete and Jim for breakfast at Cellini’s. The girls played Audrey Hepburn, amazingly well, Jim was Gregory Peck and Pete made a delightful, he thought, speech. (There may be other opinions on that topic.)
Wearing a different hat Pete gave a talk about The American Civil War to friends of Pelton Library, by Pelton Library and for Pelton Library so that Pelton Library shall not perish from this earth. (Thanks, Abe the cheque is in the post and that’s Hilary’s job secured for 6 months.)
Just over 30 people attended the Black Bush for another showing of From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt. Thanks to everyone who came.
The film was also the centrepiece of the Durham Branch of the WFA annual Christmas buffet. (See Wessington website for forthcoming WFA speakers and activities)
The walking group were guided round half of Wor Poppy Walk by a man who then bought them all a cup of coffee at Cellini’s. Miserable morning uplifted by good company.
The Poppy Girls were chaperoned by Pete and Jim for breakfast at Cellini’s. The girls played Audrey Hepburn, amazingly well, Jim was Gregory Peck and Pete made a delightful, he thought, speech. (There may be other opinions on that topic.)
Wearing a different hat Pete gave a talk about The American Civil War to friends of Pelton Library, by Pelton Library and for Pelton Library so that Pelton Library shall not perish from this earth. (Thanks, Abe the cheque is in the post and that’s Hilary’s job secured for 6 months.)
Seven of us from the group attended a meeting in the Great Hall at Discovery Museum about Great War projects that have been awarded HLF grants. The day was organised by Tyne and Wear Museum and HLF.
Copies of the DVD have flown off the bar at North Biddick Social Club where Monica is aiming for/has already won saleswoman of the year. She does chain people to their seats until they buy a DVD but I feel that is a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things. On Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday she sold a total of 100 DVDs – occasionally at more than the stated price. Thanks to the members for their generosity. DVDs are also available from Bargain Book Time in the Galleries, Docherty the butcher and bookshop in Front Street, Cellini’s, the Black Bush, Rectory Beauty in Usworth, the Westwood Club, Harraton Post Office and I’m in negotiation with Sainsbury’s, The Works, Tourist Info in Albert, Thiepval memorial.
The planting has been completed at Harraton memorial – the lads did it on Wednesday without contacting us because it was pouring – and it looks a picture with the lengths of poppies and foliage replaced.
The planting has been completed at Harraton memorial – the lads did it on Wednesday without contacting us because it was pouring – and it looks a picture with the lengths of poppies and foliage replaced.
Peter and Margaret delivered remembrance assemblies to Years 7,8 and 11 at Biddick Academy. As ever the students and staff were lovely – attentive and welcoming. We had support on the technology from Caitlin, Ellie and Amman.
Here are photographs taken at our Armistice Day Ceremony 2015. It is a slideshow so just press play. There are quite a few but it was such a magnificent sight that we wanted to show ever aspect of it. Thanks to photographers Keith Cockerill and Angie Burn.
Over 100 at Harraton memorial including Biddick kids and we (Anne, Liz, Margaret and I) spoke about the 14 men from 1914 and 1915 who didn't come back. Thanks to Ken Moore for The Last Post. And thanks to the birds for tweets in trees, lovely. Thanks to Corey from Biddick for Binyon, they shall not grow old..
The Wessington U3A 'Poppy Girls' did us proud. Their 'creation' contained a poppy for every man and boy, 306 in total, who went to war and was named on the 'Harraton Roll of Honour'.
Over 100 at Harraton memorial including Biddick kids and we (Anne, Liz, Margaret and I) spoke about the 14 men from 1914 and 1915 who didn't come back. Thanks to Ken Moore for The Last Post. And thanks to the birds for tweets in trees, lovely. Thanks to Corey from Biddick for Binyon, they shall not grow old..
The Wessington U3A 'Poppy Girls' did us proud. Their 'creation' contained a poppy for every man and boy, 306 in total, who went to war and was named on the 'Harraton Roll of Honour'.
Then to the best club in the world, North Biddick Social Club, for sausage chips and home made whatnot by the ton (thanks Poppy/Cake girls) and waitresses Paulineand Judy.
Finally watched the World Premiere of 'From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt'. It tells the story of some Washington men and the people from Washington who went to visit their relatives in France and Belgium in summer of 2015.
The film was watch by 170+ people.
If you didn't have the chance to see From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt DVDs are available at £3 and 2 for a fiver and 5 for a tenner and a bumper bundle of 11 for £20. Form a syndicate! Delivered free in Washington. Postage on top if you live away unless you can collect.
All profits from the sale go to Re.Org Trust which is based in Cardiff and helps damaged soldiers. Photographs below by Andy Miller.
Finally watched the World Premiere of 'From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt'. It tells the story of some Washington men and the people from Washington who went to visit their relatives in France and Belgium in summer of 2015.
The film was watch by 170+ people.
If you didn't have the chance to see From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt DVDs are available at £3 and 2 for a fiver and 5 for a tenner and a bumper bundle of 11 for £20. Form a syndicate! Delivered free in Washington. Postage on top if you live away unless you can collect.
All profits from the sale go to Re.Org Trust which is based in Cardiff and helps damaged soldiers. Photographs below by Andy Miller.
Visit to the Poppy display at Woodhorn Museum. Anne Huntley and Margaret laid a wreath at the memorial to the Washington Miners.
A new war memorial has emerged from hiding in a bloke’s garage. It belonged to a brotherhood and church at, we think, Washington Staithes and is now in possession of a chap in Concord. All the names are of men who are also on the Washington Village memorial, apart from Spoors Carr Hope who is listed on the Shiney Row Memorial and one J Arthur who hasn’t yet been traced. The memorial is in need of some refurbishment – which can be done by us according to the Discovery experts.
(Photos attached)
(Photos attached)
Peter gave an ullustrated talk to Ewesley Rd Methodist Ladies’ Fellowship entitled ‘Mammy, What did you do in the Great War?’
Peter gave a talk at the Sunderland Literature Festival – entitled Washington in the Great War.
Peter visited Bowburn Village Community Centre where there was a display connected with the placement of 38 bronze-resin poppies, designed by Allan Scott, on houses there. They were playing ‘Wad thou gan?’ (See map of Bowburn streets and poppy houses.
Peter gave a talk at the Sunderland Literature Festival – entitled Washington in the Great War.
Peter visited Bowburn Village Community Centre where there was a display connected with the placement of 38 bronze-resin poppies, designed by Allan Scott, on houses there. They were playing ‘Wad thou gan?’ (See map of Bowburn streets and poppy houses.
Several contacts from people asking to have leaflets about the Poppy Walk.
Information and photos supplied to Mrs McKinnell of East Rainton about her great uncle, Ralph Atkinson, killed 1 July 1916, aged 18.
New information picked up from newspapers in DCRO re the death of Alfred J Robson, Washington war memorial, in letters from Arthur Kirton (on Fatfield memorial) and also about a trench concert the lads had performed. Also details of the funeral of Matthew English at Hunwick (his place of birth) who’d lived in Derwent Terrace.
Contact from a lady in Chipperfield Herts who was interested to read about (and then googled) our poppies and is approaching her local council and British Legion, perhaps with a view to doing the same, perhaps buying Allan Scott’s poppies.
Display Boards have been changed in the Biddick, the Black Bush and the North Biddick Club
All Gentoo tenants will be receiving the attached article (see below).
Information and photos supplied to Mrs McKinnell of East Rainton about her great uncle, Ralph Atkinson, killed 1 July 1916, aged 18.
New information picked up from newspapers in DCRO re the death of Alfred J Robson, Washington war memorial, in letters from Arthur Kirton (on Fatfield memorial) and also about a trench concert the lads had performed. Also details of the funeral of Matthew English at Hunwick (his place of birth) who’d lived in Derwent Terrace.
Contact from a lady in Chipperfield Herts who was interested to read about (and then googled) our poppies and is approaching her local council and British Legion, perhaps with a view to doing the same, perhaps buying Allan Scott’s poppies.
Display Boards have been changed in the Biddick, the Black Bush and the North Biddick Club
All Gentoo tenants will be receiving the attached article (see below).
Poppy girls have had their Mistress Class on painting a cornflower/poppy image created by Catherine and these will be used as invites to the World Premiere on November 11th 2015 of the film 'Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt'.
Wor Poppy Walk appears to be a big success – certainly if the number of leaflets that have been picked up at the various outlets is considered. Over 1500 have disappeared into the houses of Washington shoppers, beer drinkers, coffee drinkers, hair-salon customers, tattoo parlour customers, library users, meat buyers, churchgoers, beauty parlour visitors, rent payers. A reprint has been done and the leaflets will continue to be available.
It may have been partly as a result of the flyers put out inviting people to check out wwmp.weebly.com for a list of leaflet stockists but the number of visitors to the site in September was 1045 page views, with 385 of those unique visitors.
In addition we have had news that Bowburn is to place 38 poppies to remember their fallen of the Great War. Thanks to Allan Scott for the poppies and Margaret for the idea of Wor Poppy Walk.
Janet, Dorothy, James and NEWMP are putting in a bid to make a film about the work of their group and we’ve been asked, and were delighted so to do, to supply a letter of support.
It may have been partly as a result of the flyers put out inviting people to check out wwmp.weebly.com for a list of leaflet stockists but the number of visitors to the site in September was 1045 page views, with 385 of those unique visitors.
In addition we have had news that Bowburn is to place 38 poppies to remember their fallen of the Great War. Thanks to Allan Scott for the poppies and Margaret for the idea of Wor Poppy Walk.
Janet, Dorothy, James and NEWMP are putting in a bid to make a film about the work of their group and we’ve been asked, and were delighted so to do, to supply a letter of support.
Beamish Agricultural Show
We had a table exhibition in one of the marquees and the event was well attended on Thursday and Friday 17 and 18 September and absolutely stowed out on 19 and 20 September. Met the family of GW Mawson of Fatfield. The young woman and her kids live at, yes, would you believe, No Place, and were excited to find their connection with George Mawson’s story (he allegedly joined up while ‘on the hoy’ in Newcastle). People from various U3As, including Surrey and Cestria but people from all over the country, and a smattering of foreign visitors, were interested and interesting. Many are the towns and villages ‘doing the war memorial’ and many are the people studying family history who want advice on how to find out what grandad did. In transcribing Tommy Pascoe’s diary for Beamish last year we came across his mention of the death of John Jeans of South Moor and I met a lady who knew a bit more about him.
We had a table exhibition in one of the marquees and the event was well attended on Thursday and Friday 17 and 18 September and absolutely stowed out on 19 and 20 September. Met the family of GW Mawson of Fatfield. The young woman and her kids live at, yes, would you believe, No Place, and were excited to find their connection with George Mawson’s story (he allegedly joined up while ‘on the hoy’ in Newcastle). People from various U3As, including Surrey and Cestria but people from all over the country, and a smattering of foreign visitors, were interested and interesting. Many are the towns and villages ‘doing the war memorial’ and many are the people studying family history who want advice on how to find out what grandad did. In transcribing Tommy Pascoe’s diary for Beamish last year we came across his mention of the death of John Jeans of South Moor and I met a lady who knew a bit more about him.
New labels on Harraton Memorial.
The 'Poppy Girls' with their latest creation...
A top military historian will be calling at a pub on a First World War memorial poppy walk. Peter Hart, author of a dozen books on the First World War, gave a free public talk at the Black Bush on the theme of two of his works – the way the conflict took to the skies.
Here is the link to the report in the Chronicle.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/top-north-east-military-historian-9982600
Here is the link to the report in the Chronicle.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/top-north-east-military-historian-9982600
Filming at Beamish for the next film - From Washington to Wipers & Warlencourt
Poppy Walkers from Biddick School.
New additions to the Quayside.
Talk to Washington Rotary on Gallipoli and the Washington Men who were there. 13 August.
Same talk to Gateshead U3A 17 August
Re-Union of the group who went to France and Belgium. Lots of brilliant photos to look at, plenty of crack. 11 August.
Donations from all three events sent to Re.Org Trust - check out their website.
There are Wor Poppy Leaflets in 20 locations in Washington and flyers are being delivered. Have ordered another 1500 leaflets cos they went like hot cakes!! People have been spotted doing the walk and have called in at Cellini's while doing the walk.
Have had contact from New Zealand from grandson of Ralph T Simm
Contacts from two relations of The Crow brothers - one in Surrey, one in Hull and have put them in touch with each other. Hope they'll be happy for evermore. One was able to provide photos of In Memoriam silks for several local men including Richard Drummond.
Wad thou gan? has now been watched on 2060 occasions across the world. Amazing, it's normally 3/4 per day.
Same talk to Gateshead U3A 17 August
Re-Union of the group who went to France and Belgium. Lots of brilliant photos to look at, plenty of crack. 11 August.
Donations from all three events sent to Re.Org Trust - check out their website.
There are Wor Poppy Leaflets in 20 locations in Washington and flyers are being delivered. Have ordered another 1500 leaflets cos they went like hot cakes!! People have been spotted doing the walk and have called in at Cellini's while doing the walk.
Have had contact from New Zealand from grandson of Ralph T Simm
Contacts from two relations of The Crow brothers - one in Surrey, one in Hull and have put them in touch with each other. Hope they'll be happy for evermore. One was able to provide photos of In Memoriam silks for several local men including Richard Drummond.
Wad thou gan? has now been watched on 2060 occasions across the world. Amazing, it's normally 3/4 per day.
Pat, Jean B, Peter B, Peter W, Ann Huntley and Tommy Copeman turned up at Harraton War memorial to plant half of the bedding plants in the memorial area. (The poppy shape in the area outside the memorial is to be grassed over.) The other half (apart from the flooded area) was done by Lee and his 2 mates from the council. Many hands make light work. Just as well that there was a coincidental trip to Newcastle Library cos we wouldn’t have had space for other volunteers (but thanks to them for volunteering).
Danny, Mat and Jade, three of the Hartlepool Springboard designers who produced Wor Poppy Walk leaflets and the flyers. Aidan, another of the team has left. Jade is leaving on 26th June to start University and Mat intends to do graphic design at Uni as well. Talented kids who managed to get right into what we were doing. Highly recommend Springboard. Helen Smith, their leader, is organised and likeable.
Poppy Walk
This self guided walk takes you from St George's Church, Harraton to Holy Trinity Church, Usworth, passing some of the places our Brave Soldiers of the Great War are remembered by a Bronze Resin Poppy. The walk takes approximately 90 minutes.
'Wor Poppy Walk' leaflets are available at:
Lounge - Biddick Inn
Lounge - North Biddick Social Club
Lounge The Black Bush
Harraton paper shop
Sainsbury's Galleries
St George's Harraton
Gentoo Galleries
Washington Library
Cellini's
Docherty's
Sonya's
Rita's
Gentoo in Concord
Concord Coop,
Millennium Library
Usworth Church
Shiney Row Library
Rectory Beauty
Arts Centre Washington
Durham County Record Office
Washington Old Hall
The Victoria Inn
Fiume
Washington Holy Trinity Church
DACCS Hairdressers
TI Bell Butchers
This self guided walk takes you from St George's Church, Harraton to Holy Trinity Church, Usworth, passing some of the places our Brave Soldiers of the Great War are remembered by a Bronze Resin Poppy. The walk takes approximately 90 minutes.
'Wor Poppy Walk' leaflets are available at:
Lounge - Biddick Inn
Lounge - North Biddick Social Club
Lounge The Black Bush
Harraton paper shop
Sainsbury's Galleries
St George's Harraton
Gentoo Galleries
Washington Library
Cellini's
Docherty's
Sonya's
Rita's
Gentoo in Concord
Concord Coop,
Millennium Library
Usworth Church
Shiney Row Library
Rectory Beauty
Arts Centre Washington
Durham County Record Office
Washington Old Hall
The Victoria Inn
Fiume
Washington Holy Trinity Church
DACCS Hairdressers
TI Bell Butchers
The 'French Trippers' at the end of their Washington to Wipers and Warlincourt Tour. The numbers on the left refer to mental ages of the group!
Forty seven people have recently returned from a visit to some of the battlefields and memorials in France and Belgium, the visit having been arranged by Wessington (Washington) U3A War Memorials Group and Gardiner’s NMC (bus company). The idea was to take people who hadn’t been before, or who had been before but had a particular small cemetery to visit. One of our group had a bronze-resin poppy fixed to the front wall because a Great War serviceman lived in that house in Woodland Terrace and didn’t come home – there are 100 such poppies spread across Washington and we are very close to issuing leaflets to guide local people round a walk that connects these poppies and tells the stories of some of the men. Sixteen of the group were from Wessington U3A, two from Washington Village U3A, five from Cestria U3A and four from Sunderland U3A. Others were people who we’d met via exhibitions, including four who came into an exhibition at Beamish Museum and had decided to come to France before they left the exhibition. Two more we met at Palace Green, Durham; they were playing in a brass band for the opening of the new DLI statue in Durham Market Place.
At least 32 of the group had a specific relative, either direct or by marriage, to visit.
And what a splendid group they were – cheerful, punctual, unfussy, fascinated, friendly – right time, right place, right people.
We started, the Washington Chums, at Ovillers, overlooking the spot just outside Albert where so many men of the Tyneside Irish and Tyneside Scottish went to their deaths on 1st July 1916. Afterwards, several said they could see the black and white images running through their heads as they looked out across the beautiful (now) Mash Valley. We made further visits, as a group in the bus, or as small groups of four or five in cars, to the Menin Gate, Thiépval, Arras Memorial, Wellington Quarries, Pozières, Bard Cottage, Canada Farm, Heilly Station, St Julien, Dartmoor, Lijssenthoek, Ridge Wood, Doullens No 2, Vlamertinghe, Varennes, Vailly-en-Artois (after a €150 taxi ride), Croisilles, Passchendaele Museum, Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, Ploegsteert Memorial, Beaumont Hamel, Wancourt, Terlincthun, Warlencourt, Vormezeele and, finally, Warlencourt Butte, so important to the DLI. Indeed, the film we are making, paid for by HLF and created by Lonely Tower Film and Media, is to be called ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ – it being a follow up to our first HLF-funded film which is available on Youtube under the title ‘Wad thou gan?’ – what local miners are quoted as saying to their pals before they plucked up the courage to enlist. Some of the group were interviewed before departure and also during the visit and we took the chance to arrange interviews with Flora, our guide from Pays de Coquelicot Tourist Office, Vincent Laude, manager at Thiepval and some French engravers working in Aubigny-en-Artois cemetery. The final film should be ready for November this year (and next year’s Oscars).
Two of the group dressed in nurse’s costumes (supplied by Beamish Open Air Museum) while visiting St Julien Cemetery, previously a dressing station, only to find their relative’s stone removed for repair and two others wore civilian costumes of the time (again supplied by Beamish) for the visit to Tyne Cot. Much attention was paid to them.
Knitted poppy wreaths were laid at Pozières, Thiépval, the Menin Gate, Arras Memorial and Ploegsteert Memorial. One of the group played, late in the evening, The Last Post in the Hotel Mercure in Amiens, and another followed that by reading out the last letter from a close relation in the Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Irish), a man, killed on 1st July 1916 and who left a wife and seven children. Tears and goose-bumps all round.
Just as the bus set off for UK we had an Abbey Rd moment (if the French police are reading this it was Derek Otway’s idea) and that was followed by eight of us meeting Graham and Enid Hunton, who’d come over from Sussex for a couple of days to guide us through woods, farms and tracks, following in the footsteps of Fred Armstrong of Washington, East Yorkshire Regiment, killed 25th April 1918 in a field not far from Tyne Cot.
From the comments made by our ‘Pals Battalion’ the visit was a success on many levels. One of our group has now taken to reading war diaries aloud while being driven from place to place and others have got the research bug, whether private or in studying local men on a particular memorial.
A trailer for ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ is available on Youtube if you go to https://youtu.be/c4mvG90iRWw
And, nearly finally – what is it about the charming and polite French that renders them senseless when there is a traffic jam caused by a large bus parking outside a hotel in the narrow streets of Lille (having first caused several other traffic incidents by virtue of there being no SatNav setting for ‘bloody big bus’) and demands constant tooting of the horn. ‘Patientez-vous, mes amis,’ I shouted on many occasions, while directing traffic and helping aforementioned big bus to do U-turns. Oh what fun. Entente not entirely cordiale.
Many thanks to Anne, Liz, Hilary and Barbara for their unwavering support in the organisation and administration of this venture. And thanks, too, to bus driver Graham, without whose strong nerve, inbuilt GrahamNav and precise driving skills we might still be in Lille, just off the Grand Place, and all at Gardiner’s and Hotel Mercure, Amiens and Novotel, Lille.
Forty seven people have recently returned from a visit to some of the battlefields and memorials in France and Belgium, the visit having been arranged by Wessington (Washington) U3A War Memorials Group and Gardiner’s NMC (bus company). The idea was to take people who hadn’t been before, or who had been before but had a particular small cemetery to visit. One of our group had a bronze-resin poppy fixed to the front wall because a Great War serviceman lived in that house in Woodland Terrace and didn’t come home – there are 100 such poppies spread across Washington and we are very close to issuing leaflets to guide local people round a walk that connects these poppies and tells the stories of some of the men. Sixteen of the group were from Wessington U3A, two from Washington Village U3A, five from Cestria U3A and four from Sunderland U3A. Others were people who we’d met via exhibitions, including four who came into an exhibition at Beamish Museum and had decided to come to France before they left the exhibition. Two more we met at Palace Green, Durham; they were playing in a brass band for the opening of the new DLI statue in Durham Market Place.
At least 32 of the group had a specific relative, either direct or by marriage, to visit.
And what a splendid group they were – cheerful, punctual, unfussy, fascinated, friendly – right time, right place, right people.
We started, the Washington Chums, at Ovillers, overlooking the spot just outside Albert where so many men of the Tyneside Irish and Tyneside Scottish went to their deaths on 1st July 1916. Afterwards, several said they could see the black and white images running through their heads as they looked out across the beautiful (now) Mash Valley. We made further visits, as a group in the bus, or as small groups of four or five in cars, to the Menin Gate, Thiépval, Arras Memorial, Wellington Quarries, Pozières, Bard Cottage, Canada Farm, Heilly Station, St Julien, Dartmoor, Lijssenthoek, Ridge Wood, Doullens No 2, Vlamertinghe, Varennes, Vailly-en-Artois (after a €150 taxi ride), Croisilles, Passchendaele Museum, Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, Ploegsteert Memorial, Beaumont Hamel, Wancourt, Terlincthun, Warlencourt, Vormezeele and, finally, Warlencourt Butte, so important to the DLI. Indeed, the film we are making, paid for by HLF and created by Lonely Tower Film and Media, is to be called ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ – it being a follow up to our first HLF-funded film which is available on Youtube under the title ‘Wad thou gan?’ – what local miners are quoted as saying to their pals before they plucked up the courage to enlist. Some of the group were interviewed before departure and also during the visit and we took the chance to arrange interviews with Flora, our guide from Pays de Coquelicot Tourist Office, Vincent Laude, manager at Thiepval and some French engravers working in Aubigny-en-Artois cemetery. The final film should be ready for November this year (and next year’s Oscars).
Two of the group dressed in nurse’s costumes (supplied by Beamish Open Air Museum) while visiting St Julien Cemetery, previously a dressing station, only to find their relative’s stone removed for repair and two others wore civilian costumes of the time (again supplied by Beamish) for the visit to Tyne Cot. Much attention was paid to them.
Knitted poppy wreaths were laid at Pozières, Thiépval, the Menin Gate, Arras Memorial and Ploegsteert Memorial. One of the group played, late in the evening, The Last Post in the Hotel Mercure in Amiens, and another followed that by reading out the last letter from a close relation in the Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Irish), a man, killed on 1st July 1916 and who left a wife and seven children. Tears and goose-bumps all round.
Just as the bus set off for UK we had an Abbey Rd moment (if the French police are reading this it was Derek Otway’s idea) and that was followed by eight of us meeting Graham and Enid Hunton, who’d come over from Sussex for a couple of days to guide us through woods, farms and tracks, following in the footsteps of Fred Armstrong of Washington, East Yorkshire Regiment, killed 25th April 1918 in a field not far from Tyne Cot.
From the comments made by our ‘Pals Battalion’ the visit was a success on many levels. One of our group has now taken to reading war diaries aloud while being driven from place to place and others have got the research bug, whether private or in studying local men on a particular memorial.
A trailer for ‘From Washington to Wipers and Warlencourt’ is available on Youtube if you go to https://youtu.be/c4mvG90iRWw
And, nearly finally – what is it about the charming and polite French that renders them senseless when there is a traffic jam caused by a large bus parking outside a hotel in the narrow streets of Lille (having first caused several other traffic incidents by virtue of there being no SatNav setting for ‘bloody big bus’) and demands constant tooting of the horn. ‘Patientez-vous, mes amis,’ I shouted on many occasions, while directing traffic and helping aforementioned big bus to do U-turns. Oh what fun. Entente not entirely cordiale.
Many thanks to Anne, Liz, Hilary and Barbara for their unwavering support in the organisation and administration of this venture. And thanks, too, to bus driver Graham, without whose strong nerve, inbuilt GrahamNav and precise driving skills we might still be in Lille, just off the Grand Place, and all at Gardiner’s and Hotel Mercure, Amiens and Novotel, Lille.
New College exhibition called Yesterday Belongs to You (YB2U) organised by
the Durham County Heritage Forum. The event was well attended in an
excellent venue
the Durham County Heritage Forum. The event was well attended in an
excellent venue
AGM of Friends of Durham County Record Office, held at County Hall.
An excellent morning at Durham Community Fire Station. Watch Officer Burdon
hosted with great charm and some emotion and we had Wessington U3A, Belmont
Family History Society, Cestria U3A, Cllr Glass, Fire Service 'brass', the
press, Age UK, John Davison who wrote Durham Men in the Great War about lads
from Bowburn, Allan Scott who designed our poppy, Ray Lonsdale, fabricator
of 'Tommy' and 'Last Cigarette of Michael Duffy'. There was a top buffet,
firemen are all hunky and we put on a small exhibition. Knew when it was
time to go cos hunks lifted us over shoulders and dropped us outside.
hosted with great charm and some emotion and we had Wessington U3A, Belmont
Family History Society, Cestria U3A, Cllr Glass, Fire Service 'brass', the
press, Age UK, John Davison who wrote Durham Men in the Great War about lads
from Bowburn, Allan Scott who designed our poppy, Ray Lonsdale, fabricator
of 'Tommy' and 'Last Cigarette of Michael Duffy'. There was a top buffet,
firemen are all hunky and we put on a small exhibition. Knew when it was
time to go cos hunks lifted us over shoulders and dropped us outside.
Washington Great War is now tweeting #Wadthougan
Kris Davison bought John Edward Ellison's Memorial Plaque from the internet.
He's now looking to 'bring home' JE's medals and those of his brother,
Turner Ellison.
He's now looking to 'bring home' JE's medals and those of his brother,
Turner Ellison.
The students at Springboard, Hartlepool have designed a booklet guide for
Wor Poppy Walk. 1500 will be made available through a range of outlets and
2000 flyers, designed by the same group, will be put out to advertise them.
Wor Poppy Walk. 1500 will be made available through a range of outlets and
2000 flyers, designed by the same group, will be put out to advertise them.
A chap from Virginia Water, Surrey, got in touch to say that he was grandson
of Tommy Donaldson, killed 1/7/16 and also the great nephew of Ralph, Thomas
and Newrick Crow of Harraton. Subsequently, a relation of his has supplied a
DVD, made for Australian television about 10 years ago, about the death of
Pat Murphy of Washington. Pat served in the DLI and the RAF and was shot
down and killed in 1918. He was the cousin of James O'Neill, whose story is
one of those featured in Wad thou gan?
of Tommy Donaldson, killed 1/7/16 and also the great nephew of Ralph, Thomas
and Newrick Crow of Harraton. Subsequently, a relation of his has supplied a
DVD, made for Australian television about 10 years ago, about the death of
Pat Murphy of Washington. Pat served in the DLI and the RAF and was shot
down and killed in 1918. He was the cousin of James O'Neill, whose story is
one of those featured in Wad thou gan?
The 'Poppy Girls' having a well earned breakfast at - no not Tiffany's but Cellini's.
Flowers are out at the War Memorial and it looks a picture.
In connection with the walk a meeting was held with ben from ‘The app chaps’ and Steve Jones from Biddick Academy and it looks like that may be back on the cards.
The Poppy Walk student design team at Hartlepool Springboard have come up trumps up with a variety of good-looking ideas for leaflets for the walk and we have examined, commented, advised on one or two changes and returned so a final version isn’t far away. We’ll get a stack printed and distribute them through places like Cellini’s, Black Bush, Docherty the butcher, libraries, the Club, Harraton Convenience Store and so on. Walking Group – we need guinea pigs!
An excellent weekend at Beamish on April 18/19. The 16th Lancers, led by Dr Harness, yes really, provided photo opportunities and Joe Public came in to listen to, and to tell, interesting stories. We met the relations of John Harbin of Usworth and also of William Jonas of Washington (and Clapton Orient). Guides were, at various times, Tommy, Anne, Liz, Hilary, Canada Ann, Pete and Margaret and we had visits from Edith and Ian, Mali and Kevin, Jean and Allan, Joan, Hilary’s gang and probably some others that I missed. Always good to be supported by U3A members.
The talk on Gallipoli to Washington U3A was well-received – at least by those who came up afterwards to say it was interesting/moving/thought provoking.
The last three poppies (of 100) were placed: at 5 Robinson Terrace for John Gilmaney of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, 14 Gladstone Terrace, Mount Pleasant for Thomas Crow of the Northumberland Fusiliers and Usworth Holy Trinity Church for the 121 men named on the
brass plaque therein.
brass plaque therein.
Margaret and Pete spent 2 days in the engine carriage shed at breezy Tanfield breathing in the delights of steam engines and ozone aplenty from the North Pole. We had company from Head of Steam Railway Museum, Beamish Museum, Western Front Association Durham branch, the British Legion, a local author called Joy Bath and some of the Durham Pals. Glad they were there because it was very quiet. Barbara, Jim and Gavin also spent most/all of Saturday there, Jim taking photos and eating cake, Barbara bringing a soup parcel and Gavin being his normal helpful Sunset Strip-iness.
Have been to Tower Design in Hartlepool with info and photos to allow them to design leaflet for Wor Poppy Walk. Another meeting in about a fortnight to look at designs.
Have been to Tower Design in Hartlepool with info and photos to allow them to design leaflet for Wor Poppy Walk. Another meeting in about a fortnight to look at designs.
In preparation for the Exhibition at Tanfield Railway, Poppy Wreaths have been made.
Here are 99 and 100 poppies going up on buildings in Washington. Quite an achievement! Also a photo of the Poppy fitting team.
Margaret and Peter spoke to 25 members of Sunderland U3A History group about the development of our project. Tea, biscuits and crack were all good, lovely people with their own interesting stories and one of them is coming to France with us in May.
March 6th – Anne, Gav, Margaret, Pete and Lonely Tower spoke to John at Fir Tree about his grandfather, George Vitty, and George’s brother Fred. It’s fair to say John has a remarkable collection of ephemera and stories – the kind you might imagine ought to feature in a film. Thanks to Ann Yuill of Witton History Soc. Who put us in touch with John.
The Lord Lt of Durham offered us the name of Anita Atkinson, editor of the excellent little paper, the Weardale Gazette and Anne put us on to Ken Heatherington who opened the Weardale Museum for us (and put the fire on) and answered assorted questions about Great War events in the dale. We lunched and did what you’d expect at the Chatterbox Café, again with a view to film 3. Since then we’ve considered the stories of a nurse, a man now remembered by a tree planted in Wolsingham Grammar School, a man shot at dawn and a war poet who attended Durham School. Surprise, there are lots of stories worth the telling and the issue is shaping them into a manageable list.
Tweeting #@Wadthougan
March 6th – Anne, Gav, Margaret, Pete and Lonely Tower spoke to John at Fir Tree about his grandfather, George Vitty, and George’s brother Fred. It’s fair to say John has a remarkable collection of ephemera and stories – the kind you might imagine ought to feature in a film. Thanks to Ann Yuill of Witton History Soc. Who put us in touch with John.
The Lord Lt of Durham offered us the name of Anita Atkinson, editor of the excellent little paper, the Weardale Gazette and Anne put us on to Ken Heatherington who opened the Weardale Museum for us (and put the fire on) and answered assorted questions about Great War events in the dale. We lunched and did what you’d expect at the Chatterbox Café, again with a view to film 3. Since then we’ve considered the stories of a nurse, a man now remembered by a tree planted in Wolsingham Grammar School, a man shot at dawn and a war poet who attended Durham School. Surprise, there are lots of stories worth the telling and the issue is shaping them into a manageable list.
Tweeting #@Wadthougan
Three more poppies went up on 25th February to make the total 97 – they were at Woodland Terrace, Stone Cellars and Westgarth Terrace – that’s for William Lee, Isaac Ellwood and James Postlewaite. Last three to go up next week.
Spoke to Belmont History Group on 24th February. They wanted ideas and advice having visited the exhibition at Beamish and been impressed by what our group has done. They seem well-organised having several family historians doing research and they have collected extracts from Durham Advertiser about the war in general and their men in particular. Best advice is to mount an exhibition and get family stories.
Met Chris Mennear at Harraton War Memorial to establish protocols about future activities and plans that we have in mind – eg gardening and field of poppies. He has no budget but is happy to be kept informed of community activities and will facilitate where he can.
The Poppy Group at Beamish - The Living Museum of the North
They came, they dressed up, they knitted, they progged and they crocheted poppies. The Chapel at Beamish was their 'home for an afternoon. Sitting around the open fire - it was just like in the olden days where neighbours would meet and natter whilst creating for example proggy mats.
They came, they dressed up, they knitted, they progged and they crocheted poppies. The Chapel at Beamish was their 'home for an afternoon. Sitting around the open fire - it was just like in the olden days where neighbours would meet and natter whilst creating for example proggy mats.
Exhibition at Beamish - The Living Museum of the North Saturday Feb 14th February - Tuesday 17th February
Beamish exhibition on 14,15, 16 and 17 February was everything that we expect from and at Beamish. Lots of visitors with stories of granddads and great uncles – from all over this country as well as some from abroad. Remarkable number from Essex but some from Washington and plenty from County Durham. Great support in terms of guides – CanadaAnn, Anne, Liz, Tommy, Barbara and nice to see people from Wessington U3A as well as Washington U3A. Good talk with Big Boss Barker as she is known to some and Gemma about future events and plans and lots of noise from down below where recruiting was going on, toes were being touched, heights were being exaggerated, ages were being lied about and teeth were being checked. The kids took the oaths, got the King’s shilling (actually a washer!!) and heard about 4000 calories a day and nice warm uniforms for the winter. He neglected to mention lice, bullets, shells, Germans and lack of rum – probably an oversight.
Beamish exhibition on 14,15, 16 and 17 February was everything that we expect from and at Beamish. Lots of visitors with stories of granddads and great uncles – from all over this country as well as some from abroad. Remarkable number from Essex but some from Washington and plenty from County Durham. Great support in terms of guides – CanadaAnn, Anne, Liz, Tommy, Barbara and nice to see people from Wessington U3A as well as Washington U3A. Good talk with Big Boss Barker as she is known to some and Gemma about future events and plans and lots of noise from down below where recruiting was going on, toes were being touched, heights were being exaggerated, ages were being lied about and teeth were being checked. The kids took the oaths, got the King’s shilling (actually a washer!!) and heard about 4000 calories a day and nice warm uniforms for the winter. He neglected to mention lice, bullets, shells, Germans and lack of rum – probably an oversight.
The poppies continue to attract attention. We have received so many photographs from people. It will be interesting to watch them through the seasons.
Looks like 'The Poppy Girls' may have to rename themselves! Peter Russell doing his bit for the war - that is the Wessington U3A War Memorials Group. Well done Peter.
Belgium/France Trip with Biddick 9 - 12 December 2014
Click the link below to see a short video of the visit.
http://youtu.be/eR3h7nvA9fQ
Having been invited to provide information about Washington soldiers for this trip – 33 students (Yrs 9-11) and 4 teachers from Biddick Academy - we decided to go along for the ride.
Tuesday 5.00am on December 9th left Wormhill.
Arrived Dover about 11.15 having managed to miss horrendous traffic, due to a fatal accident, on westbound M25.
We visited the grave of JWR Stephenson, Machine Gun Corps, of Usworth and Washington Memorials at Ramskapelle Rd Cemetery (19.7.17, Machine Gun Corps) and then Matthew Wardle, (Army Service Corps, 20.12.17) at Dunkirk Town cemetery.
Arrived in Ypres in time to eat and then met Biddick Party at Menin Gate – at which it had been arranged in advance that Leanna would recite the Binyon, ‘For the Fallen’. However, the MC said she could not that night but would be able to the night after. We stayed for the ceremony and the students searched for and found local men listed on the Menin Gate and then Margaret and I to The Wooden Horse B&B (Het Houten Paard) where Frankie has created excellent accommodation (a Spinal Tappish mark of 11/10) in his small terraced house about 10 mins walk from the Menin Gate.
Wednesday - drove to Flanders Lodge Hotel where Biddick were staying. Our first stop was in town to collect Koenraad Dumoulin, our guide for the morning. Thence to Essex Farm for an explanation from Koenraad about the Salient and the cemeteries. We visited the site, 1 min from Essex Farm, at which Colonel McRae wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’ and then Bard Cottage cemetery so that we could lay a cross on the grave of William Marley of Washington (DLI, 21.5.16) and so that Tom Nichol could lay a cross on the grave of his great uncle, Marker Wake, (3.10.17, East Yorkshire Regiment) one of a pair of brothers killed in the Great War (their Dad had died in the 1908 Glebe Pit disaster).
We drove past Langemarck German cemetery, time being short because we had to collect a student from a hospital visit, and arrived at Tyne Cot where pupils again had a list of local men to find among the thousands of names on the memorial walls. Two lads laid a cross for
Lunch and a visit to the Flanders Fields Museum was followed by shopping for, mostly, chocolate and a spot of ice skating on the temporary surface outside the Cloth Hall. Ypres is a bonny little town where children go to school on bikes (often without crash helmets) and in their ordinary clothes and still appear able to learn to speak English (and perhaps even other subjects) and not throw their litter away.
Hill 62 was our next stop, the remains of the trenches there being muddy and grassless, the trees stark and bare of leaves. Piles of shells and detritus lying about, dark dug-outs and tunnels. The Passchendaele Museum & trenches have been much refurbished and are worth a visit.
Dinner at Flanders Lodge or in Ypres (recommend the Flemish stew) and then Margaret and Peter drove Anthony (Sir), Corey and Leanna to the Menin Gate while the rest of the party went bowling (teachers rooled OK the bowling lanes!). Leanna was very composed and spoke the Binyon beautifully, acoustics inside the Menin Gate are astonishing, no microphone needed.
Thursday After 10,000 years of hunter gathering I just knew we’d turned in the wrong direction at the crossroads and sure enough, after 50 minutes of following the bus and its Tom Tom, we arrived within 100 metres of Het Houden Paard. The guilty party is unable to be identified. According to Mr Fox it was the drivers/Tom Tom and, surprisingly, drivers/Tom Tom claim it was a lack of correct info from MF at the correct time. No wonder mistakes happen in the slightly more super-charged atmosphere of war.
Arrived at Kemmel Chateau so that Yr 11 lad could lay cross on the grave of William Reddel, his relation.
Next stop was Albert to pick up a guide called John – sadly he had little idea of what was required and spoke, for example, about ‘elements of logistics’. The group went off to Lochnagar crater at La Boisselle where 2 girls recited In Flanders Fields and then to Thiepval where John gave another lecture and the students went off to find the names of local men. Margaret and I had taken Tom Nichol and his cousin to Mailly Maillet cemetery to lay a cross on the grave of another of his great uncles, Michael Thompson. In the same graveyard were a couple of shot at dawn lads from the Royal Irish Rifles, one of them 19 when the army shot him, ‘pour encourager les autres’ no doubt.
Beaumont Hamel was exposed and cold and the students gave John more attention than he might have expected (or in fact deserved) as he discussed logistics and strategy and expressed his frustration that a Yr 9 child asked him what a ravine was. Thanks, John, won’t see you next year. Sharp features and sharp manner. Find out who you’re talking to and pitch it appropriately; simple, really.
We dropped him at Albert and he no doubt returned to his tea room at La Boisselle, one to miss if ever….
Wellington Quarry at Arras gave everyone the chance to wear a tin helmet, big Liam even removing his baseball cap, and look like a wally. The tour round the underground tunnels is fascinating but the guide, perhaps her last tour of the day, really didn’t make the most of the brief spell at the steps – which led up to the exits and, for many, death in one awful form or another. 25,000 men down there for at least 6 days before the start of the battle, in snow, on 9th April, 1917.
Thanks to the girls who recited Flanders Fields for us. Then the bus headed for Calais and we headed back to Ypres – more stew, please – and a beer or two and a bottle of Cava; Frankie knows how to welcome people.
Fridays ferries were delayed, the first leaving Calais at 12.30 – which was our booked time, so that was good.
The removal of the toll gates at Dartford seems to have speeded traffic up but must pay within 24 hours – can pre-pay.
Now we just have to settle down to drink all that lovely cheap French wine and spirits.
Thanks Biddick
Click the link below to see a short video of the visit.
http://youtu.be/eR3h7nvA9fQ
Having been invited to provide information about Washington soldiers for this trip – 33 students (Yrs 9-11) and 4 teachers from Biddick Academy - we decided to go along for the ride.
Tuesday 5.00am on December 9th left Wormhill.
Arrived Dover about 11.15 having managed to miss horrendous traffic, due to a fatal accident, on westbound M25.
We visited the grave of JWR Stephenson, Machine Gun Corps, of Usworth and Washington Memorials at Ramskapelle Rd Cemetery (19.7.17, Machine Gun Corps) and then Matthew Wardle, (Army Service Corps, 20.12.17) at Dunkirk Town cemetery.
Arrived in Ypres in time to eat and then met Biddick Party at Menin Gate – at which it had been arranged in advance that Leanna would recite the Binyon, ‘For the Fallen’. However, the MC said she could not that night but would be able to the night after. We stayed for the ceremony and the students searched for and found local men listed on the Menin Gate and then Margaret and I to The Wooden Horse B&B (Het Houten Paard) where Frankie has created excellent accommodation (a Spinal Tappish mark of 11/10) in his small terraced house about 10 mins walk from the Menin Gate.
Wednesday - drove to Flanders Lodge Hotel where Biddick were staying. Our first stop was in town to collect Koenraad Dumoulin, our guide for the morning. Thence to Essex Farm for an explanation from Koenraad about the Salient and the cemeteries. We visited the site, 1 min from Essex Farm, at which Colonel McRae wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’ and then Bard Cottage cemetery so that we could lay a cross on the grave of William Marley of Washington (DLI, 21.5.16) and so that Tom Nichol could lay a cross on the grave of his great uncle, Marker Wake, (3.10.17, East Yorkshire Regiment) one of a pair of brothers killed in the Great War (their Dad had died in the 1908 Glebe Pit disaster).
We drove past Langemarck German cemetery, time being short because we had to collect a student from a hospital visit, and arrived at Tyne Cot where pupils again had a list of local men to find among the thousands of names on the memorial walls. Two lads laid a cross for
Lunch and a visit to the Flanders Fields Museum was followed by shopping for, mostly, chocolate and a spot of ice skating on the temporary surface outside the Cloth Hall. Ypres is a bonny little town where children go to school on bikes (often without crash helmets) and in their ordinary clothes and still appear able to learn to speak English (and perhaps even other subjects) and not throw their litter away.
Hill 62 was our next stop, the remains of the trenches there being muddy and grassless, the trees stark and bare of leaves. Piles of shells and detritus lying about, dark dug-outs and tunnels. The Passchendaele Museum & trenches have been much refurbished and are worth a visit.
Dinner at Flanders Lodge or in Ypres (recommend the Flemish stew) and then Margaret and Peter drove Anthony (Sir), Corey and Leanna to the Menin Gate while the rest of the party went bowling (teachers rooled OK the bowling lanes!). Leanna was very composed and spoke the Binyon beautifully, acoustics inside the Menin Gate are astonishing, no microphone needed.
Thursday After 10,000 years of hunter gathering I just knew we’d turned in the wrong direction at the crossroads and sure enough, after 50 minutes of following the bus and its Tom Tom, we arrived within 100 metres of Het Houden Paard. The guilty party is unable to be identified. According to Mr Fox it was the drivers/Tom Tom and, surprisingly, drivers/Tom Tom claim it was a lack of correct info from MF at the correct time. No wonder mistakes happen in the slightly more super-charged atmosphere of war.
Arrived at Kemmel Chateau so that Yr 11 lad could lay cross on the grave of William Reddel, his relation.
Next stop was Albert to pick up a guide called John – sadly he had little idea of what was required and spoke, for example, about ‘elements of logistics’. The group went off to Lochnagar crater at La Boisselle where 2 girls recited In Flanders Fields and then to Thiepval where John gave another lecture and the students went off to find the names of local men. Margaret and I had taken Tom Nichol and his cousin to Mailly Maillet cemetery to lay a cross on the grave of another of his great uncles, Michael Thompson. In the same graveyard were a couple of shot at dawn lads from the Royal Irish Rifles, one of them 19 when the army shot him, ‘pour encourager les autres’ no doubt.
Beaumont Hamel was exposed and cold and the students gave John more attention than he might have expected (or in fact deserved) as he discussed logistics and strategy and expressed his frustration that a Yr 9 child asked him what a ravine was. Thanks, John, won’t see you next year. Sharp features and sharp manner. Find out who you’re talking to and pitch it appropriately; simple, really.
We dropped him at Albert and he no doubt returned to his tea room at La Boisselle, one to miss if ever….
Wellington Quarry at Arras gave everyone the chance to wear a tin helmet, big Liam even removing his baseball cap, and look like a wally. The tour round the underground tunnels is fascinating but the guide, perhaps her last tour of the day, really didn’t make the most of the brief spell at the steps – which led up to the exits and, for many, death in one awful form or another. 25,000 men down there for at least 6 days before the start of the battle, in snow, on 9th April, 1917.
Thanks to the girls who recited Flanders Fields for us. Then the bus headed for Calais and we headed back to Ypres – more stew, please – and a beer or two and a bottle of Cava; Frankie knows how to welcome people.
Fridays ferries were delayed, the first leaving Calais at 12.30 – which was our booked time, so that was good.
The removal of the toll gates at Dartford seems to have speeded traffic up but must pay within 24 hours – can pre-pay.
Now we just have to settle down to drink all that lovely cheap French wine and spirits.
Thanks Biddick
'Remembrance' the boat by Cox Green and the tree beside Harraton memorial
Out today at Coxgreen, I realised that one of the boats moored on the river there is by coincidence called Remembrance!
Here is a picture which features the poppies with the photographed name of the boat superimposed on it.
Keith Cockerill
Out today at Coxgreen, I realised that one of the boats moored on the river there is by coincidence called Remembrance!
Here is a picture which features the poppies with the photographed name of the boat superimposed on it.
Keith Cockerill
Washington in the Great War – ‘Wad thou gan?
The premiere of Wessington U3A’s, ‘Washington in the Great War – ‘Wad thou gan?’ funded by HLF and made in collaboration with Lonely Tower Film and Media, the Durham Pals, Beamish Museum, Durham County Record Office, Leyton Orient Supporters Club and pupils of Biddick Academy, took place at North Biddick Social Club on 11th November 2014. Around 190 invited guests started with a small buffet and then entered the auditorium over the ‘Poppies’ group’s marvellous proggy-mat. Sorry, the date has passed for sealed bids for this work of art.
The day had started with Pauline, Margaret, Anne, Liz and Peter reading the names of all 115 soldiers and sailors from the Great War and World War II and saying something about each of the men. Around 60-70 people attended.
The film, lasting around 53 minutes and available as a DVD for £5 from [email protected] (£1 from each copy sold going to Re.org Trust) or, free, via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFviyhRI_Hg tells the stories of five Washington men; Richard Drummond, fatally wounded at Loos, William Jonas of Clapton Orient, teacher Alexander Metcalfe, cartman William Robinson and James O’Neill, the latter killed by a bus on Durham Rd while home on leave. Including interviews with relatives and people who live in Washington’s poppy-houses (homes of 94 of the fallen marked by bronze-resin poppies), the film also highlights the work of the War Memorials Group and the U3A in general.
Comments about the film and photos of the event can be read and seen at http://u3asites.org.uk/code/u3asite.php?site=232&page=40325
The premiere of Wessington U3A’s, ‘Washington in the Great War – ‘Wad thou gan?’ funded by HLF and made in collaboration with Lonely Tower Film and Media, the Durham Pals, Beamish Museum, Durham County Record Office, Leyton Orient Supporters Club and pupils of Biddick Academy, took place at North Biddick Social Club on 11th November 2014. Around 190 invited guests started with a small buffet and then entered the auditorium over the ‘Poppies’ group’s marvellous proggy-mat. Sorry, the date has passed for sealed bids for this work of art.
The day had started with Pauline, Margaret, Anne, Liz and Peter reading the names of all 115 soldiers and sailors from the Great War and World War II and saying something about each of the men. Around 60-70 people attended.
The film, lasting around 53 minutes and available as a DVD for £5 from [email protected] (£1 from each copy sold going to Re.org Trust) or, free, via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFviyhRI_Hg tells the stories of five Washington men; Richard Drummond, fatally wounded at Loos, William Jonas of Clapton Orient, teacher Alexander Metcalfe, cartman William Robinson and James O’Neill, the latter killed by a bus on Durham Rd while home on leave. Including interviews with relatives and people who live in Washington’s poppy-houses (homes of 94 of the fallen marked by bronze-resin poppies), the film also highlights the work of the War Memorials Group and the U3A in general.
Comments about the film and photos of the event can be read and seen at http://u3asites.org.uk/code/u3asite.php?site=232&page=40325
Book Launch - Washington in the Great War
Peter Welsh’s book ‘Washington in the Great War – Whisht Laads’ is now available from the author for £10 (£1 from each sale going to Re.Org Trust) and also from Pen and Sword and other large book suppliers. It is a glance at what was happening to the people of Washington, Harraton and Usworth during 1914-18. What was happening to the men was pretty clear – they were joining fighting regiments (‘Wad thou gan? Aye, Aa wad’) and they were getting killed. Death and disaster was not unusual in pit villages so families had experience in coping… but this was on an undreamed of scale. For example, twenty five per cent of men from Harraton Parish who joined the army were killed, as compared with a national figure of around eight per cent. Some stories of those who gave ‘the last full measure of devotion’ are to be found in these pages.
For those at home; those who knitted, rolled bandages, picked blackberries, worked in the pits, the chemical works and the ironworks, collected eggs, had time to write to the papers, went on strike, sold sweets at unlawful prices, devised recipes, tried to implement the idea of homes for heroes, searched for sufficient scavengers, got arrested for abusing sentries on the bridge, took portrait photographs of the newly enlisted men, hassled pork butchers of German extraction, appealed against military service, became Munitionettes, played in charity football matches, swallowed Dr Cassell’s pills, chewed Dainty Dinah toffee, offered their land for war memorials, tended their allotments, failed to catch fish in the Wear, died of influenza – well, their stories are here too.
Reviews of the book are available on the Amazon website
Peter Welsh’s book ‘Washington in the Great War – Whisht Laads’ is now available from the author for £10 (£1 from each sale going to Re.Org Trust) and also from Pen and Sword and other large book suppliers. It is a glance at what was happening to the people of Washington, Harraton and Usworth during 1914-18. What was happening to the men was pretty clear – they were joining fighting regiments (‘Wad thou gan? Aye, Aa wad’) and they were getting killed. Death and disaster was not unusual in pit villages so families had experience in coping… but this was on an undreamed of scale. For example, twenty five per cent of men from Harraton Parish who joined the army were killed, as compared with a national figure of around eight per cent. Some stories of those who gave ‘the last full measure of devotion’ are to be found in these pages.
For those at home; those who knitted, rolled bandages, picked blackberries, worked in the pits, the chemical works and the ironworks, collected eggs, had time to write to the papers, went on strike, sold sweets at unlawful prices, devised recipes, tried to implement the idea of homes for heroes, searched for sufficient scavengers, got arrested for abusing sentries on the bridge, took portrait photographs of the newly enlisted men, hassled pork butchers of German extraction, appealed against military service, became Munitionettes, played in charity football matches, swallowed Dr Cassell’s pills, chewed Dainty Dinah toffee, offered their land for war memorials, tended their allotments, failed to catch fish in the Wear, died of influenza – well, their stories are here too.
Reviews of the book are available on the Amazon website
Book Review by Peter Hart
Peter is a British military historian who has worked as an oral historian at Sound Archive of Imperial War Museum in London since 1981. He says...
This well illustrated book is a tribute to the men of the County Durham villages of Washington, Harraton and Usworth, villages whose men, in large numbers, fought in the Great War. It reflects how this small community was thrust from peacefully celebrating the Durham Miners Gala on 31 July, to facing up to a global war just a few days later. War seeped into life everywhere. The shops struggled with initial panic buying, then struggled as best they could to carry on as usual, before real food shortages caused increasing restrictions, concerns about profiteering and very real hardship amongst the community. Spy panics and fears of the 'aliens within' waxed and waned, depending on events. Advertising soon reflected the concerns sharpened by war, including life insurance and bullet-proof vests! An imaginative chapter looks at the life of women and children, initially by the device of a kid asking her mum, "What did you do in the war, Mammy?" The answer was plenty: not only looking after the home in difficult circumstances, but gradually taking up the slack in the absent male workforce, or working in the dangerous munitions factories. Everything was changed by war.
Recruitment was an immediate fixation. Men were urged to flock to the colours - particularly the local Durham Light Infantry and the Northumberland Fusiliers - by a combination of patriotic exhortation, insults and insidious peer-group pressure. Men working in the grim, dangerous environment of the local coal mines may well have seen the war as a chance for adventure, a break from reality. Right from the start we are warned that those men whose names are printed in bold in the text would not return. In 1916 conscription removed the element of choice and we begin to hear of the tribunals which decided on exemptions or the fate of conscientious objectors. There was little sympathy or understanding displayed: this was a community at war.
The backgrounds of many of the fatal casualties with the circumstances of their deaths are recorded where possible, but the book is not maudlin, they are not treated as 'plaster saints' and their stories contain many flashes of wry humour to alleviate the gloom. Another chapter looks at the men who were awarded medals for gallantry. In following the soldiers we get glimpses of the fronts and campaigns in which they fought and far too often died, including the Western Front, Jutland and Gallipoli. We also see how their deaths affected the families they left behind.
The end of the war brought some celebrations, but many still mourned their dead - amongst them 131 widows and 226 children who had lost their fathers. The war memorials would prove to be a public expression of much private grief.
Washington was not a great city, an industrial centre, or a great port. It was unimportant in itself, indeed few of us would know where it was on the map. But this book has the light touch essential to make one interested in this one small community and how it responded to Armageddon. The men who fought and died are not forgotten and the book's author as part of the UA3 War Memorials Group has been greatly involved in a project to try to place a bronze resin poppy on the home of every fatal casualty from the villages, events have been organised and a professionally produced DVD Washington Men in the Great War - ‘Wad thou gan? Aye, Aa wad! has been made in commemoration. Wisht Lads is just one part of a very interesting attempt to link a community with its own past. We may not all understand the nuances of the Durham dialect, but I certainly wish them every success!
Peter Hart
Peter is a British military historian who has worked as an oral historian at Sound Archive of Imperial War Museum in London since 1981. He says...
This well illustrated book is a tribute to the men of the County Durham villages of Washington, Harraton and Usworth, villages whose men, in large numbers, fought in the Great War. It reflects how this small community was thrust from peacefully celebrating the Durham Miners Gala on 31 July, to facing up to a global war just a few days later. War seeped into life everywhere. The shops struggled with initial panic buying, then struggled as best they could to carry on as usual, before real food shortages caused increasing restrictions, concerns about profiteering and very real hardship amongst the community. Spy panics and fears of the 'aliens within' waxed and waned, depending on events. Advertising soon reflected the concerns sharpened by war, including life insurance and bullet-proof vests! An imaginative chapter looks at the life of women and children, initially by the device of a kid asking her mum, "What did you do in the war, Mammy?" The answer was plenty: not only looking after the home in difficult circumstances, but gradually taking up the slack in the absent male workforce, or working in the dangerous munitions factories. Everything was changed by war.
Recruitment was an immediate fixation. Men were urged to flock to the colours - particularly the local Durham Light Infantry and the Northumberland Fusiliers - by a combination of patriotic exhortation, insults and insidious peer-group pressure. Men working in the grim, dangerous environment of the local coal mines may well have seen the war as a chance for adventure, a break from reality. Right from the start we are warned that those men whose names are printed in bold in the text would not return. In 1916 conscription removed the element of choice and we begin to hear of the tribunals which decided on exemptions or the fate of conscientious objectors. There was little sympathy or understanding displayed: this was a community at war.
The backgrounds of many of the fatal casualties with the circumstances of their deaths are recorded where possible, but the book is not maudlin, they are not treated as 'plaster saints' and their stories contain many flashes of wry humour to alleviate the gloom. Another chapter looks at the men who were awarded medals for gallantry. In following the soldiers we get glimpses of the fronts and campaigns in which they fought and far too often died, including the Western Front, Jutland and Gallipoli. We also see how their deaths affected the families they left behind.
The end of the war brought some celebrations, but many still mourned their dead - amongst them 131 widows and 226 children who had lost their fathers. The war memorials would prove to be a public expression of much private grief.
Washington was not a great city, an industrial centre, or a great port. It was unimportant in itself, indeed few of us would know where it was on the map. But this book has the light touch essential to make one interested in this one small community and how it responded to Armageddon. The men who fought and died are not forgotten and the book's author as part of the UA3 War Memorials Group has been greatly involved in a project to try to place a bronze resin poppy on the home of every fatal casualty from the villages, events have been organised and a professionally produced DVD Washington Men in the Great War - ‘Wad thou gan? Aye, Aa wad! has been made in commemoration. Wisht Lads is just one part of a very interesting attempt to link a community with its own past. We may not all understand the nuances of the Durham dialect, but I certainly wish them every success!
Peter Hart
The 'Hanging of the Poppies', in preparation for the 11November 2014. Well done to all involved - knitting, colouring, sticking, progging and I bet a fair bit of nattering.
Remembrance Sunday 2014
On Sunday 9th November around 400 people attended Harraton Memorial for the service conducted by Pat Matthews of St George’s Church – a remarkable turnout, enlarged by the arrival of the Fatfield Scouts. Next year the roads will be closed.
On Sunday 9th November around 400 people attended Harraton Memorial for the service conducted by Pat Matthews of St George’s Church – a remarkable turnout, enlarged by the arrival of the Fatfield Scouts. Next year the roads will be closed.
On Monday 10th November the Poppies group, with assistance from specially qualified Jim Fiddy (NVQ level 2 in ladder holding) and Judy Robertshaw (NVQ level 3 in ladder climbing), hung 115 knitted poppies on a sapling beside Harraton Memorial. It’s a marvellous addition to our remembrance work, admired by one and all and photographed by many.
Our most recent exhibition, designed/created by the current Chair of Wessington U3A, has been in the ‘office du tourisme’ at Albert, Picardy – they call it Pays de Coquelicot (Poppy Country) for obvious reasons.. As the Courier Picard, the local paper, put it ‘Les noms des soldats sont graves dans la pierre,’ – a translation of the title of the exhibition, ‘Set in stone.’ The group had information and display items about all of Washington’s fallen in the Great War.
At the end of the opening day the President of the local tourist board, Monsieur Franck Beauvarlet welcomed the exhibition and said it was important to remember the link between the two countries and the debt owed to the men whose lives were lost in that great conflict. Peter Welsh answered, to his and everyone else’s amazement, in French. (I’ve discovered that French is really easy, even the kids speak it over there.) He thanked the tourist board (and Mimi for writing the script) and, in particular, Véronique Bon, for their kindness and support and reminded everyone that the men of Washington had been in the streets, the estaminets (cafes) and the villages in that area and that many of them remained there. ‘Nous voulons mettre en lumière l’histoire des 400 soldats de trois villages: Washington, Harraton and Usworth.’ We’d like to bring to light the stories of the 400 soldiers of the villages of Washington, Harraton and Usworth.
Over the thirteen days of the ‘exposition’ around 200 people from England, France, Germany, Belgium, Canada, USA, Australia, Eire and Holland visited. Some, like Anne, Liz, Gavin, Pauline, Judy (and husband Jeff) and Von (and husband Jim) are well known to you. Some had a five minute wander, some a twenty minute, ‘I’m trying to read everything’ slow walk and others stayed for up to an hour, while various stories were told and highlighted. Bryan Ferry’s relations popped across from West Sussex. For the vast majority, the war and the experiences of the Washington men resonate. Many of the visitors had come to visit granddad’s or great uncle’s grave and they’ve done the research, read the war diaries and laid a poppy or a cross. For every Washington story there was one from Belgium, Germany, Holland, Canada, USA, Australia or Ireland.
The mayor of Mailly Maillet, a village close to Albert, has invited us back in 2016 to mount an exhibition at an eighteenth century chapel built in memory of the wife of the local ‘Lord of the Manor,’ she having been very loved and only 26 when she died. However, that’s for the future and, more relevant, is the fact that the next Wessington War Memorials Group exhibition will be at Beamish Museum on 4th, 5th and 6th August. We’ll also feature on Palace Green, Durham on September 13th/14th and Washington Heritage Day on September 20th.
At the end of the opening day the President of the local tourist board, Monsieur Franck Beauvarlet welcomed the exhibition and said it was important to remember the link between the two countries and the debt owed to the men whose lives were lost in that great conflict. Peter Welsh answered, to his and everyone else’s amazement, in French. (I’ve discovered that French is really easy, even the kids speak it over there.) He thanked the tourist board (and Mimi for writing the script) and, in particular, Véronique Bon, for their kindness and support and reminded everyone that the men of Washington had been in the streets, the estaminets (cafes) and the villages in that area and that many of them remained there. ‘Nous voulons mettre en lumière l’histoire des 400 soldats de trois villages: Washington, Harraton and Usworth.’ We’d like to bring to light the stories of the 400 soldiers of the villages of Washington, Harraton and Usworth.
Over the thirteen days of the ‘exposition’ around 200 people from England, France, Germany, Belgium, Canada, USA, Australia, Eire and Holland visited. Some, like Anne, Liz, Gavin, Pauline, Judy (and husband Jeff) and Von (and husband Jim) are well known to you. Some had a five minute wander, some a twenty minute, ‘I’m trying to read everything’ slow walk and others stayed for up to an hour, while various stories were told and highlighted. Bryan Ferry’s relations popped across from West Sussex. For the vast majority, the war and the experiences of the Washington men resonate. Many of the visitors had come to visit granddad’s or great uncle’s grave and they’ve done the research, read the war diaries and laid a poppy or a cross. For every Washington story there was one from Belgium, Germany, Holland, Canada, USA, Australia or Ireland.
The mayor of Mailly Maillet, a village close to Albert, has invited us back in 2016 to mount an exhibition at an eighteenth century chapel built in memory of the wife of the local ‘Lord of the Manor,’ she having been very loved and only 26 when she died. However, that’s for the future and, more relevant, is the fact that the next Wessington War Memorials Group exhibition will be at Beamish Museum on 4th, 5th and 6th August. We’ll also feature on Palace Green, Durham on September 13th/14th and Washington Heritage Day on September 20th.
Other recent activity includes a project, supported by grants from Sunderland City Council, to affix a bronze resin poppy to those houses for which we can produce evidence that a Great War casualty lived there just before, during or (his parents/wife) after the war. The poppies have been designed by a local sculptor, Allan Scott, and have so far been attached to 30 properties. For our first fixing (5 houses in South View and three in West Bridge Street) we were pleased to welcome 5 members of the Durham Pals (18th DLI) and a healthy turn out of interested supporters. It was brisk down by the River Wear but the lemon drizzle cake, scones, Camp coffee and tea warmed our cockles and the sights and sounds of the Pals gave us something to tingle about.
Another 40 poppies have been ordered and should be in place by August 4th. In addition each house is receiving a hand-painted and hand-written In Memoriam card giving brief details of the soldier/sailor and including a photograph of either him, his grave or his name on a memorial. Householders are also being given a print-out of what we know about the men.
Once the poppies are in place it will be possible, via leaflets, to follow a route connecting the three main memorials in Washington while finding out about the men. An application is being prepared to the HLF for a phone app for the walk.
Another 40 poppies have been ordered and should be in place by August 4th. In addition each house is receiving a hand-painted and hand-written In Memoriam card giving brief details of the soldier/sailor and including a photograph of either him, his grave or his name on a memorial. Householders are also being given a print-out of what we know about the men.
Once the poppies are in place it will be possible, via leaflets, to follow a route connecting the three main memorials in Washington while finding out about the men. An application is being prepared to the HLF for a phone app for the walk.
There have now been over 50 poppies put on houses. Here are some photographs of the process.
Those houses where a poppy has been place also receive a card with information on about the soldier who once live there.