Newcastle at War 1939–45

CHAPTER ONE

1939

As the war approached many people in Newcastle began taking a more active interest in the substantial military contribution of the city. There was as a result huge interest in the activities of the Territorial battalions of both the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (RNF) and the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) which both had considerable links with the city. The local press catered for this interest with a number of reports on the activities of the Territorials, many of whom were adjusting to new roles within a more mobile, mechanized, army. The son of a former MP for Newcastle West (and Lord Mayor), Captain Basil Joseph Leech had seen active service in the last war and had remained an active part of the territorial branch of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (RNF). After a period as adjutant of 7th Battalion had found himself posted to 4th Battalion which in 1938 had begun the conversion process to becoming a motorcycle battalion. In mid-June a reporter from the Evening Chronicle visited the territorial battalions of the RNF in their camp at Gandale, Yorkshire. He spoke to Captain Leech who assured him that despite the fact that many of the soldiers were learner drivers the conversion process was proceeding remarkably well.¹ The weather conditions were very poor but the reporter found the men in good spirits, helped by a daily ration of rum!

After lunch the reporter visited ‘Newcastle’s two tank battalions’, the 43rd (Northumberland Fusiliers) and 49th (Northumberland Fusiliers) battalions, Royal Tank Regiment. He found that the principal topic of conversation amongst the men was the imminent arrival of Fusilier T. Fife of Forest Road, Walkergate. This was due to the fact that when he joined the battalion Fusilier Fife would join his four brothers in the same unit. The other brothers were Company Sergeant Major W. Fife (of the Jolly Fellows Inn, Ryton), Sergeant John Fife (of Holystone Crescent, High Heaton), Lance Corporal Joseph Fife and Fusilier R. Fife (both also of Holystone Crescent). CSM Fife had seventeen years’ service and told the reporter that his brothers had joined up as soon as they were old enough and that their father, who had died several years ago had served throughout the last war. The men all expressed their wish to ‘have a go’ at the tanks of the 7th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment, which was in camp with them and the five Fife brothers were looking forward to Sunday when their mother was to be a guest of honour at dinner.²

The massive shipyards of Vickers-Armstrong at Walker and Elswick produced massive amounts of shipping during the war as well as undertaking repair work. Two years before the war began the firm launched the cruiser HMS Newcastle and laid the keel for the battleship HMS King George V and received the order for the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious. In 1938 the yards launched a number of vessels including three destroyers, HMS Afridi, HMS Cossack and HMS Eskimo.

On 21 February HMS King George V was launched (although she was not commissioned until December 1940) amidst great fanfare. HMS Victorious followed in September.

The formation of an effective Air Raid Precautions (ARP) scheme was a massive task facing the City Council and the implementation of the scheme involved close cooperation between many different bodies both within and without the council. Preparations had begun the previous year when war had looked extremely likely only to be delayed by the Munich Agreement. Newcastle had acted swiftly and had gathered the names of volunteers and begun the lengthy training process. In April the city received extensive praise when it became the first in the country to open a supplementary training school. There were ten of these schools being created with the intention of training ARP personnel in dealing with both high explosive and incendiary bombs. The Newcastle school was based at the same location as the ARP headquarters, Jesmond Dene House, where a large field provided an excellent training ground. Station Officer Patrick of Newcastle Fire Brigade was placed in charge of the school. A Commander Hodsall of the Home Office wrote to Councillor Embleton expressing his praise for creating the school so speedily and asked for his best wishes and thanks to be passed on to the council and Chief Constable Crawley.

Extensive wartime powers were given to the police and, as a result of this, Chief Constable Frederick J. Crawley became immensely powerful in the city. Crawley, like many other chief constables, was concerned that ARP measures and the appointment of regional controllers would undermine their own authority despite the fact that the regional controllers would only be expected to take charge in the event of an invasion. Crawley was particularly concerned that the appointment of Sir Arthur Lambert would undermine his authority within the city.

A controversial, influential and divisive figure in Newcastle society, Crawley had been amongst the earliest to see the potential danger to Newcastle in the event of war. As early as 1938 he had warned of the probable requirement of special provisions covering the city stating that, ‘Owing to the accessibility of the River Tyne and the importance of this area as an arsenal, Tyneside can be regarded as an important military objective and special measures will be required to meet possible air attack.’³ As a result of this, and with the active support of Councillor Armstrong, Crawley approached the government to see if it might be possible to have Newcastle (and wider Tyneside) made an area of special protection in the event of war.

Given his earlier warnings and his influence within Newcastle’s political circles the City Council appointed Crawley to an extremely influential position as Chief Officer Air Raid Protection Officer.⁴ Chief Constable Crawley, on assuming his position as ARP Controller, was granted several far-reaching powers including the right to make ‘widespread executive decisions in the event of an emergency’.⁵ In many ways this was perfectly sensible as the police played a major role in both the creation and the activities of the ARP Services although the position was open to exploitation and confusion. Indeed, Mr Crawley was compelled to resign his position after a national scandal, discussed in more detail later, in 1944.⁶ The importance of Crawley to the city’s ARP and civil defence was increased due to the fact that he was also drawing a stipend as the head of the Fire Brigade.

The early burden of training Newcastle’s air raid wardens and other ARP workers also fell upon Newcastle City Police Force and they were compelled, despite already being overstretched, to contribute numbers of regular officers on attachment to ARP duties.⁷ This included training in anti-gas techniques despite the fact that many of the officers had only just been hastily trained themselves. The police training, by and large, proved to be of a competent and professional standard and the officers of Tyneside, both regular and volunteer, performed their duties with bravery and professionalism.

In view of the magnitude of running the ARP scheme for the entire city it was also necessary to appoint a deputy to the chief constable. The City Council’s Watch Committee decided that the man for the job was one of their own, Councillor Richard Embleton. Unfortunately, there were distinct weaknesses in this scheme. Councillor Embleton, in addition to now being Deputy ARP Controller, was also the chair of the Watch Committee which was responsible for oversight of the city Fire Brigade and Police Force. He also chaired the city’s Emergency Committee which was tasked with oversight of the ARP Controller and his deputy in all matters of civil defence. Embleton was also Superintendent of the city’s Special Constabulary (mounted branch). This meant that all power to oversee and monitor the activities of the city’s ARP and civil defence services (including the activities of Crawley and Embleton as chief and deputy) was very strongly influenced by Councillor Embleton himself. These weaknesses would come back to haunt Newcastle City Council in 1944.

By the beginning of May over 5,000 steel Anderson shelters had been erected in the city whilst a further 1,000 were being built. In addition to these, and the brick public shelters, the City Council had agreed to strengthen the Victoria Tunnel which ran under the city (it had been used to transport coal down a wagon-way to the docks) in order to provide protection for up to 9,000 people.

Work to make the tunnel habitable was both expensive and lengthy. There were initial plans to construct sixteen entrances (although in fact only seven were completed), blast walls had to be built near the entrances, chemical toilet facilities installed, coal dust removed, a concrete floor laid and benches and electric lighting installed. The first entrance to be constructed was near the Town Moor at Claremont Road whilst the second was in a garden at 14 Ouse Street.⁸

Alongside the creation of a viable ARP scheme Newcastle City Council was also faced with establishing a workable way of evacuating schoolchildren, mothers and young children and other vulnerable people from the city. Preparations for the evacuation of schools were underway by April with meetings at many Newcastle schools to inform parents and to encourage them to register their children. By mid-June over 20,000 mothers and children under the age of 5 had been registered along with 800 expectant mothers, 100 blind people and 400 described as ‘cripples’. Once again Newcastle’s evacuation scheme was held up as an example to other local authorities. In this case other North-East councils were berated and encouraged to follow the example of Newcastle.⁹

On 1 September the City Council put its evacuation plan into effect and 50,000 school children from Newcastle and Gateshead were evacuated to Northumberland, County Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland and the North Riding of Yorkshire. At 7 am the children assembled at their schools to be escorted to the train station or to be ushered aboard a bus. The process went relatively smoothly and by 5 pm the final group had departed. The process had been aided by a rehearsal carried out the previous weekend and although large crowds gathered to see off the children at their schools they heeded official warnings and few made the journey to the station. One official at Central Station told a local reporter that ‘Everything is going off without a hitch’ before praising the children saying that they had been ‘splendid and are doing their bit magnificently’.

It was reported that the majority of children had remained calm and ‘quite cheerful’. Some children, especially those from poorer areas, were described as having been ‘thrilled’ at the prospect of what they saw as a rare opportunity for a holiday. One bystander described the children as being ‘like little soldiers’. There was at least one delay when a train taking 750 boys from the Royal Grammar School (RGS) to Penrith was late. A reporter was very impressed with how the boys had remained orderly and patient and had ‘filed into their seats quietly and orderly’ when the train did arrive.¹⁰

The evacuation process continued the next day, Saturday, 2 September, with further batches of young children and their mothers and expectant mothers being dispatched. The local press and the authorities were anxious to convey a smooth operation with the children being kept happy and well looked after. A report in the Evening Chronicle of 4 September was at pains to point out that the children and parents were ‘delighted at the welcome they have received … and the children generally are enjoying themselves in their new surroundings’. The report was also keen to make the point that the ‘cleanliness and general condition of the children has created a favourable impression on their hosts in the reception areas’.

Newcastle schoolchildren arrive at Archbold Hall, Wooler, Northumberland, for their first meal after evacuation. (Evening Chronicle)

Castleside in County Durham played host to 73 children from St Paul’s Church School along with the head teacher, Mr A.J. Redhead and his wife, three assistant teachers, three mothers and five children under school age. Also, 242 children, 140 mothers and babies and 20 or 30 teachers and helpers from the Rye Hill and Westmorland Road areas of Newcastle arrived at Maryport, Cumbria, where a Mr Stephenson who was in charge of 164 children from Westmorland Road Senior, Junior and Infants’ schools praised the people of Maryport for the welcome that they had been given saying that they had been ‘extremely kind and most anxious to get the children happily placed and settled’. Other teachers from Rye Hill RC Boys and Infants and St Mary’s RC Girls also praised the reception that they had received. Some 2,750 evacuees from Tyneside, including many from Newcastle, arrived in Wigton over the course of two days. Upon arrival they were fed at two local secondary schools and given two days-worth of rations, before being taken to their billets. As well as Wigton the evacuees were housed in a number of local villages (Abbeytown, Aikton, Allhallows, Blennerbasset, Bolton, Caldbeck, Dundraw, Fletchertown, Sebergham, and Torpenhow). The County Durham village of Evenwood welcomed 654 Newcastle evacuees. After being welcomed at the station by Mr R.L. White and Reverend W.M. Wykes they were taken to the local Church of England school and to several local churches where they were fed before being taken to their billets. Kirkby Stephen in Westmorland welcomed 200 schoolchildren and several mothers with young children. It was said that the children had settled down well and were ‘walking in groups along the streets singing gaily’ whilst others ‘have been for country rambles on Saturday in brilliant sunshine’. The Northumbrian village of Wylam is just 10 miles to the west of Newcastle but was thought sufficiently safe for evacuees to be billeted there and received its first batch of 62 evacuees on 1 September and had settled them in, but when a second batch of 75 mothers and 113 children arrived two days later it proved more difficult to billet them. Nevertheless, the evacuees were met by the local billeting officer, Colonel W.D. Keys, and several assistants from the village. After being fed with tea and fruit at the village hall, billets were sought. Colonel Keys pointed out how impressed the locals had been with the cleanliness and appearance of the children giving as an example a family of four children with a father who had been unemployed for three years; despite this the children were all clean and tidy and their demeanour was excellent. Finally, at Silloth a group of 292 children with 35 teachers and mothers as helpers arrived on 2 September. The group were fed and taken to their billets. Local reports stated that all were ‘overjoyed’ with their reception whilst the children ‘all appeared happy and contented. Some enjoyed themselves in the playing fields, while others were taken by their adopted mothers to the beach.’ The local authorities at Silloth expected another batch of evacuees from Newcastle to arrive on 4 September.¹¹

Others preferred to evacuate their families (and, often, themselves) on their own without recourse to the local authorities. In the days following the war being declared there were a large number of furnished properties being offered for rent in and around Newcastle. This suggested that some residents had taken the decision to avoid any possible bombing by relocating to safer areas. So, for example, what was described as a ‘Charming Semi-Detached House’, fully furnished, with a large garden near to Gosforth Park was offered on 5 September. It is noticeable that the majority of these properties were in the well-off suburbs of Gosforth and Jesmond and, of course, it was far easier for those of means to evacuate themselves and their loved ones. On the same date as the above property was advertised there were a further two fully furnished properties in Gosforth, one in Jesmond and one at Eldon Place offered for rent. The properties included: a six-room detached house at Brunswick Place, Gosforth; a six-room detached villa at Gosforth; a selection of maisonette flats in the Clayton Road and Osborne Avenue area of Jesmond; and a well-furnished three-roomed flat at Eldon Place. In the same column were three properties for rent in Darras Hall at Ponteland (another traditionally wealthy area). Other adverts reflected the reverse with people appealing for country properties that they could move into.

Amongst the many bodies which became part of the ARP and civil defence services was the Tyneside Council of Social Service. The council announced that as soon as war was officially declared it would open and staff fifteen help and information centres across Newcastle, Tyneside and south-east Northumberland. The staff of the centres would attempt to assist families who had been bombed out in finding property, reuniting families, assisting with transport, the care of children and invalids and ‘in general helping to restore the home to physical and spiritual order’.

Locations of Newcastle Information Centres.

As children and mothers were evacuated from the city and the local authorities attempted to put their ARP scheme into action others had the protection of fine art on their minds. Several London galleries had evacuated their displays but for the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle extra air raid precautions were put in place with many of the valuable pictures at the gallery being placed behind newly constructed, temporary, blast-proofed walls.

For many young couples the outbreak of the war had an accelerating effect on personal relationships. This resulted in a rash of early wartime weddings. One such wedding took place late in September in London but involved a young Newcastle airman. Pilot Officer Donovan Gibson was a regular officer and was from Heaton. He was the son of Albert Leonard and Florence Emma Gibson. The wedding took place at East Ham in the Church of St George and St Ethelbert. His bride, Ivy (nee Lewis), was no doubt looking forward to a happy marriage although there must surely have been some trepidation as she knew her new husband was a trained pilot and would be at the forefront of the war.

The announcement of the war by the prime minister on the morning of Sunday, 3 September surprised no-one on Tyneside and early reports were that the people of Newcastle reacted in a calm manner. The Lord Mayor of the city, Councillor W.R. Wallace, toured the city and was impressed by his observations. He had visited a variety of ARP posts and had been impressed stating that they were doing their utmost to protect people and property whilst the attitude across the city had impressed him immensely with its ‘cool, collected, spirit’. By and large it seemed that the majority of Newcastle people went about their normal Sunday routine. The popular walks in the city were said to be ‘thronged’ with only a handful of people failing to carry their respirators.¹²

Pictures at the Laing Art Gallery being stored behind blast-proof walls. (EC)

When war was announced the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) was in the midst of its annual period in Newcastle (playing at a number of theatres but especially the Theatre Royal). Like most organisations the RSC was anxious to be seen to be making its own unique contribution to the war effort and towards the end of November John Gielgud gave a lengthy and sold-out lecture at the Theatre Royal on the subject of ‘Shakespeare in Peace and War’ with all of the profits from ticket sales going to the Lord Mayor’s Red Cross Fund.

Pilot Officer Donovan Gibson and his new wife Ivy. (Newcastle Journal)

At the same time as the RSC was attempting to educate and contribute to the war effort in Newcastle the heavily censored press was attempting to aid the Ministry of Information (MoI) in its task of reassuring the British people that the country was prepared for whatever the war threw at it. The Newcastle Journal reported that between the outbreak of war and 21 November, the government had spent £50,000,000 on guns and ammunition (almost £3 billion today). Minister of Supply, Leslie Burgin, was quoted as saying that this was only the beginning of the foreseen expenditure and went on to explain how the entire might of the empire had been mobilized in the effort, with raw materials being sourced in ever increasing amounts. He also explained that a comparable sum had already been spent on vehicles and mechanization of the army (the British army of 1939 was the most mechanized in the world) and that a further £30,000,000 had been spent on equipment for soldiers, a similar sum on raw materials and stores, £10,000,000 on machine tools, and a similar sum on scientific instruments. The massive purchase of raw materials would, he said, bring further employment in many parts of the UK as the country moved to a wartime economy. Of course, this was particularly of note to Newcastle as the city was built on heavy industry, engineering and the armaments trade. Many readers of this article would have surely anticipated a boom in industry in the city comparable to that which had happened during the First World War.

John Gielgud giving lecture at Theatre Royal on ‘Shakespeare in Peace and War’, in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Red Cross Fund. (The Journal)

Whilst the belief in a country pulling together as one has become a commonly accepted aspect of the British experience of the Second World War, the realities of wartime Britain, and Newcastle, were far more complex. One problem which faced the authorities was that of how to treat foreigners resident in the country during the war. In addition to the foreign communities already resident it was estimated that approximately 70,000 German, Austrian and Czech refugees were living in Britain at the outbreak of the war.

The authorities in Newcastle were tested from the very start of the war. When war broke out several ships containing foreign nationals were docked on the Tyne. Of these the largest was the 14,000 ton transatlantic luxury liner (and former flagship of the Polish merchant navy) MS Pilsudski which was docked at Newcastle with a passenger complement of 170 (including 40 women), the vast majority of which were Polish refugees.¹³ The Pilsudski had been on a voyage from New York to Poland but had been wirelessed news of the hostilities and had been escorted to the Tyne by British destroyers before putting in at Newcastle.

With shipping of vital importance the authorities moved quickly to commandeer the vessel and this meant that the passengers would quickly be the responsibility of the authorities in Newcastle. A number of American and Scandinavian passengers had already disembarked to begin the journey home to their own countries but the Poles were forced to remain on board until an official decision had been made on what to do with them. Local reporters had been allowed on board the vessel and had spoken to the passengers finding that they were being well cared for and were as happy as possible given the circumstances but would, ‘however, be happier still to be ashore’.¹⁴ The crew, meanwhile, many of whom were also Poles had also been cared for and many had already expressed a wish to serve aboard merchant vessels.

MS Pilsudski. (PD)

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