Mr Ward lost two cousins and a half-sister in the bombing disaster. Elizabeth Lindores Donkin, Maureen Ward and Elizabeth Ann Donkin.

He writes about the heartbreaking task of identifying their bodies at the Church Way mortuary.

This photograph shows Henry Henderson Hodgson in his uniform, standing with his wife Alexina (sitting) his daughter (Elizabeth) and son (Henry Henderson). As you can see from the photo their ages must relate closely to the time of their death. I think that given the fact my father had a copy of this photo, it may have been the last photo taken of the family together as a family, and the fact that Henry is in uniform may make its date very close to that of the Air Raid.

Available from local bookshops (Keel Row) and libraries ...at £9.99

82 year old Ron Curran's recently published North Shields - The Bombing of a Town includes several pages on the Wilkinson's tragedy. Ron was 12 years old when the war started. He recalls....

"My mother, Winifred, used to work in a factory beside the Fish Quay. Whenever there was an air raid alert, they would go inside the Wilkinson shelter. But on this particular day in May 1941, they walked all the way home when the bombing started.

There were a lot of people around, including the Home Guard, and everyone was just silent as the bodies were brought out. There was a terrible loss of life."

The book is a welcome addition to the local history of the town, although there are some issues with the number of dead reported at Wilkinsons. It's a good read and well illustrated.

Below - some notes relating to Wilkinson's taken from Tynemouth's Emergency Committee meeting minutes. There is one interesting resolution therein following the disaster on May 3/4 1941. Otherwise the Minutes are somewhat unsubtantial.

My observations...
1) There is the sense of censorship above and beyond what would be normal in any offical minutes. For example, in the meetings immediately after the disaster, the Shelter (i.e. Wilkinsons) is never named...it is on several occasions in earlier minutes.

2) Eyebrows may be raised at one of the Committee resolutions immediately after the bombing which is to remove 50% of bunks in all public air raid shelters.

Did the Committee fear that overcrowding contributed to the large scale loss of life?
According to reports 192 people were in the shelter at the time of the raid. The Home Office has allowed a maximum occupancy of 188 persons. But why the focus on the bunks? Did bunk provision (one per occupant or more?) actually severely limit the space in the Shelter? Why do the Committee ask for guidance from the Home Office on the number of bunks deemed essential in a public air raid shelter?

3) There is no explicit after the event recognition that Wilkinsons was inherently a dangerous location to house a public air raid shelter - no mention is made of the number of deaths caused by factory machinery, chemicals and glass falling from the upper levels of this Victorian building. What was said un-minuted of course we are unlikely to know.

4) It would be very useful to know what precisely the Chief Constable said in his report the day after the bombing. No details are given in the minutes.

I'll reflect on this over the next few weeks. Of course, one could expect reticence and the line being toe-ed in official minutes. What is strange though is the unemotional and almost distanced tone and content. Committee members will surely have known that they have lived through one of the worst air raid disasters in WWII to date.

Reading about my Mother and Father George and Nora Sturrock I note it is said that Sandy&Arthur Frankland were her cousins in fact they were her brothers .

My father also lost a brother who never returned to North Shields Fish Quay after the small fishing boat he was on was torpedoed

My parents were lucky on another occasion when they were in a Cinema in South Shields and decided to leave and go for the North Shields Ferry when they heard the air raid Siren the cinema was bombed during the air raid .

On another occasion they were machine gunned by a German airplane as they were going home down the back lane that was opposite the entrance of The Albion Cinema .

My Father was a Welder which was a reserved occupation and was stationed at Tynemouth firing Anti Aircraft Guns .

I didn,t realise how dificult it must have been to actually hit an airoplane. He used to joke about being awarded with one and a half hits for the whole of the war saying he didn,t understand how he got half a hit .

He used to put weld into the Bullet & shrapnel holes in the large Gas Tanks at Howdon which were full of Gas at the time. They had to dive into a doorway to dodge the bullets .

Regards

George Sturrock

Mrs Nora Sturrock lived in Upper Queen Street. She and her boyfriend George (later husband) were standing in the doorway when the Wilkinson's bomb blast flung them both into the passageway covering them in lime dust. George was one of the first at the scene.

They both knew that their cousins were in Wilkinsons. 'Sandy' Alexander Frankland was killed, Arthur survived although he was buried up to the neck in rubble and Billy was flung clear smoking at the entrance.

Just a note to say how much I love your website!

Thanks again, and you really do have a wonderful site!

Please let Mary know (if you have her email details) that information she seeks ref the sinking of the ships her uncles served on during the war is available via a website called uboat.net .

The 'Black Osp' that Mary refers to was the Black Osprey and can be found using the search facility for what happened on 18th Feb .. turns out it was sunk by U96 whose captain was strongly linked to the famous film 'Das Boot' .

The other boat Mary refers to as 'SS Eff' is listed as Effna and was torpedoed on Feb 28th 1941.

Appropriately both ships were registered to Newcastle owners ... uboat.net also has a picture of the Black Osprey and details the coordinates of where both ships were sunk .

Thanks Mark, hopefully Mary is tuning in!

The roof and windows of our cottage suffered much damage, and as it was old it was beyond repair. That was the last time I lived in the home where I was born.

To this day I can still hear the bombs screaming down that night, and my Aunt saying," the next one is for us", and being frightened.

No one ever mentions the pasting the dockland took, where people were living, we had a lot of incendiary bombs dropped on all the pit props, which were stacked there. I remember an unexploded one being found by my Grandfather ( Mr Walter Hunter), just near our cellar door.

I've enjoyed visiting your site, I now live in Cambridgeshire, but I'll always be a Geordie at heart.

Sincerely
Brenda Brown (nee Hunter.)

My mother’s name was exactly the same as mine: Marguerite Ada Mavin. She and my brother, James (Jimmy) and my sister Rosalie were in the shelter when it was bombed. I have found their mortuary records on the Web site. My mother is actually listed in the records as “Margaret� not “Marguerite� which was her correct name.

Seven Stories are proud to present a new exhibition in Gallery 5. Westall’s Kingdom – A Writer’s Life, celebrates the work of Tyneside-born author Robert Westall (1929-1993).

W. A. Wilkinson’s Last Employee

It was 1990, and we were exploring the old part of North Shields that was once home to William Arthur Wilkinson’s thriving business. There was little evidence of his premises, the area had been redeveloped years before. Still living nearby was one of Wilkinson’s former employees, an elderly man called Billy. In his broad Shields accent he invited us into his small terraced house to tell us his story. He took us into his front room and settled into his chair beside the gas fire, he talked about his years working for Wilkinson and showed tremendous affection for his old boss. His memory was sharp for a man in his eighties, and we struggled to write even half of it down into our notebook. Unfortunately for all our high expectations, Billy didn’t have a house crammed with stouts and codds. In fact the only souvenir he kept was an enamel advertising sign which he had given to one of his children living in the Midlands. He showed us a photograph of his family holding it and it was a belter – about 3 ft by 2 ft in about 5 colours with a central picture of Wilkinson’s factory. I’ve tried to recreate it from the rough sketch I did then.

Click each image for a full size version.

Bottle 1: A pint capacity pop bottle, date around 1920-1930

Bottle 2: A pint capacity pop bottle, very similar to the first one but I would date it as the sucessor to Bottle 1, date 1930s.

Bottle 3: A 1/3 pint capacity pop bottle, probably 1930s or 1940s embossed North Shields on rear.

Bottle 4: this bottle is similar to the ones my father (born in New York village in 1943) remembers seeing when he was a boy. Could well have been in use in the 1940s.

Other side of Bottle 4.

Several site visitors have asked if there are any extant photos of the Wilkinson's lemonade factory PRIOR to the bombing.

Do you have any photos which feature this building?
Perhaps the building is just in the background?
Do you have photos of the neighbouring streets?

These would be a very useful addition to the site. If you can help out please do get in touch or leave a Comment below.
Thanks.

We noticed a discrepancy between these records and the Official Air Raid figures and the Deaths and Fatal Injuries at North Shields on May 3rd 1941 page on the GENUKI site which definitively lists the civilian casualties of the raid.

1. The Official Air Raid Figures (see Archive 09) states that 105 people were killed in the Wilkinson's disaster. This has long been accepted as fact.

However....

2. The Mortuary Records dbase on this site lists 102 victims. Of these, 2 victims did not die at Wilkinson's. (Ethel Ada HUNTER, age 49 and Margaret KING, age 61, were killed when a bomb hit 3 George Street.)
This database does NOT list the 7 people who died from their injuries later in hospital.
The total of deaths from this perspective is therefore 107.

3, The GENUKI page lists 96 deaths in the shelter and a further 7 who died in hospital. However, there are 4 people who are listed in the Mortuary Records who do NOT feature in this list. The GENUKI page is a listing of civilian casualties taken from the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour. The missing 4 are all MILITARY personnel.
The total of deaths here is also 96+7+4 = 107.

So, can we now say 107 deaths and not 105? There is still the issue of the Official Air Raid figures, but perhaps an error can be expected given the report was published in October 1944, over 3 years after the event.

Feel free to leave your comments....

On the day Saturday May 3rd 1941 the air raid sounded, my mother and I went to the nearest air raid shelter. My father was an ARP warden and was on duty with the rest of the team members.

At the time of the raid we were living in the caretaker's quarters of the Salvation Army in Prudhoe Street, North Shields.

During this air raid there was a bomb dropped which hit Wilkinson's lemonade factory. The basement of this factory was used as an air raid shelter for both day and night raids. Many families, amongst them friends and relatives went to this shelter. It held over 200 people. When the bomb hit, the factory machinery and everything came down trapping everyone in the shelter.

When the ARP team arrived, also the Police and Fire Brigade they all realised what had happened and started straight away knowing the dangerous situation of all those trapped in the basement. After hours of working together with doctors getting the people out, one false move could have brought any heavy object down including machinery. The ARP team had to work on their backs, sides and fronts inch by inch jacking masonry and machinery up very slowly to make it safe so they could get people out. One story is of a man who was trapped. My father, working with a doctor, cut the man's laces to remove his boots and only then was he able to drag the man free.

Norman Darling Black in first aid uniform

My father was trained as a first-aider and seeing the seriousness of the situation was prepared to work until everyone was out. He did this for many hours in very dangerous conditions until everyone, injured or dead was taken from the basement. For his bravery he was awarded the British Empire Medal.

Two other men were awarded the George Cross. My father's friends and colleagues thought that he deserved further recognition for his actions, so they presented him with a gold watch.

On December 1st 1941, my father, mother and I travelled down to London. On December 2nd at Buckingham Palace, His Majesty King George VI awarded ARP Warden Norman Darling Black with the British Empire Medal. It was a proud and wonderful day for the family.

Whilst we were in London, we stayed at the Salvation Army Hostel, Hoxton Goodwill Centre and were escorted around by Captain Giles who was an Australian.

After the war, my father became a psychiatric nurse at St. Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth. Before he retired he became Deputy Chief Male Nurse.

Following the disaster numerous children were evacuated to safer locations. The day of the evacuation we all met at the school we attended which was Queen Victoria school. Our mums and dads were there to see us off with a parcel of food, big hugs, kisses and a lot of love and tears.

My placement was at Horsley Vicarage near Otterburn with the vicar, his wife and housemaid. There was another boy who stayed there with me. We went to Otternburn school. I'd like to say a big thank you to the people who looked after the boys when we were evacuated.

When my father and mother moved away from North Shields to a village called New York, about three miles away, I was allowed to go back to my parents. I lost contact with the boy who I became friends with when I was evacuated. Does anyone know him? He would be about 70 now and I'd very much like to get in contact with him.

I went to several local schools: Queen Victoria and King Edward's in North Shields, New York Junior School and Shiremoor Secondary Modern (?). Perhaps someone remembers me?. I left North Shields and joined the RAF as a musician, I then became a psychiatric nurse, just as my father had been. I now live in Lincoln.

Whilst writing this and remembering those times, Psalm 23 has been going through my mind..."the Lord is my Shepherd...". God bless.

From the War Cry: 27/12/41

Transcript
At Buckingham Palace On December 2nd H.M. the King pinned the British Empire Medal to the breast of Colour-Sergeant Gordon D. Black of North Shields Corps, and said "I congratulate you."

A bomb struck a public shelter under a factory and many tons of debris and machinery collapsed upon it. Brother Black, serving with a First Aid unit, struggled through a narrow opening, risking his life to find living people buried under the debris.

For four hours he worked at great hazard to extricate a child imprisoned by many tons of masonry. He was advised to rest after this dangerous feat but returned to rescue an imprisoned man. With a 'jack' Brother Black began to prize up the crashed roof, knowing that four high walls and about 40 tons of machinery were suspended insecurely above his head.

A doctor crawled in and handed anesthetic to Brother Black who adminstered it to the imprisoned man. He then cut the vicitm's boots away and pulled the man out of his boots to freedom.

He does not know the names of the two whose lives he saved.

Brother Black has studied First-Aid for eight years. When his duties allow his joy is to carry the Army Colours. While in London for the presentation Brother Black, his wife and son were entertained at the Hoxton Good-will Centre.

Just click the comments link below and sign up for TypeKey. TypeKey helps us keep the site free from spam. Follow the instructions (should take about 1 minute) and you'll be returned here.

Go on...get writing!

please do revisit and leave your comments...

Please note the front page disclaimer on this site and that the DVD is NOT an official release. Purchase of a copy assumes that this is for back-up purposes only and that no copyright infringement is intended.

Just had a long and fascinating phone conversation with the very charming George Black, son of Norman Darling Black who won the BEM for his bravery in rescuing survivors.

George has promised to write down his memories of his father and his own experiences as a child in war-time North Shields.

George was 8 at the time of the disaster. His father (b.1904) was an ARP warden, worked at the shipyards and was a caretaker for the Salvation Army in Prudhoe Street. The family lived above the Salvation Army Hall. Norman was related to the lifeboat heroine Grace Darling - hence his unusual middle name.

Norman worked for 24 hours amongst the debris searching for survivors and helping the injured to safety. It was a difficult task, working inch by inch for fear of the heavy machinery, glass and other hazards at the site. Norman was a trained first-aider and was able to put this knowledge to good use. After the disaster he received official recognition and the recognition of his colleagues in the ARP who presented him with a watch.

George recalls with pride the trip to Buckingham Palace at Christmas 1941 with his father to receive his medal. He was absent from school (Queen Victoria and later King Edward's) for a few days on the understanding that upon his return he told the other children about the experience.

Norman went on to become a psychiatric nurse in Morpeth. George was evacuated to Otterburn. He later joined the RAF music service, became an engineer and following in his father's footsteps, became a psychiatric nurse. George is now retired and lives in Lincoln.

I shall never forget the day of 8 may 1945. I was a boy of 10 years old and live in Rotterdam.
At first I thank all the British, the American and Canadian soldiers, who lost their lives for us.
I pray this day that God gives peace to all the families, the fathers and mothers. also they brought a great offering.

After 5 years of a terrible war we were at the end of our lives. There was no food and many people died.
Therefore we thank also the boys who brought us food.

We the peolpe now of 70 and 80 years old, we can only say deep out of our hearts and also still after 60 years
to all of you women and men for all you did for us.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and God blessed You all.

We shall never forget you all till the end of our days.

We thank you!

If you're a teacher who has prepared classroom materials for The Machine Gunners and would like to share them with coleagues, please do get in touch.

Teachit English Resources - Machine Gunners

"my grandfather [Thomas Chapman] was an auxillary fireman during the war and he attended the Wilkinson incident. He told my mother [Nora Chapman]two stories of that night, one amusing and one rather preturbing.

These were subsequently told to me. The amusing one was that on arrival at the scene they saw what they thought was a small black dog walking up the side of the pavement in the gutter but on further inspection it was in fact a small child covered from head to toe in soot crawling on all fours with just its eyes clear.

The second story is a bit more serious. My grandfather used to be a miner [he used to work at Preston Colliery North Shields] so a number of other members of the auxillary fire service, ARP, home guard etc. When arriving at Wilkinsons the men who were or had been miners wanted to tunnel into the ruins to try and find any survivors but were overuled by the officers who had walls or any other structures pulled down and moved away then to search for survivors. My grandfather always maintained if the miners had been allowed to start tunnelling immediatly a lot more lives could have been saved."

"It was a strange generation of kids who went to War. Their respect for adult authority will never be seen on this earth again. They always stood to attention when the National Anthem was being played...They regarded policemen as God. If an old lady told them to stop mucking about in the street they obeyed immediately without arguing.

All the boys wore caps and raised them to every lady they knew. By and large they were scrupulously honest. If they found a pound note in the street, they took it straight to the police station."

"They had no fear of strangers in the street. The world was utterly safe for children. They played out till all hours and very far from home, even after dark.

The boys wore shorts and the girls, very short skirts and their legs bled from the cold in winter. Posh kids wore shoes, less posh kids wore great clumping boots with studs and heelplates so they could kick sparks from the road like horses. Poor kids went barefoot, especially in summer.

Boys and girls hardly spoke, between the ages of eleven and sixteen; mute with a giant blushing embarrassment.

The young were always in bed by nine-thirty. After the nine o'clock news. Unluckier ones were in bed by eight.

They were brave, and hard as nails and it was not their style to moan or grumble. They were little monkeys, into everything and they passionately wanted to help Britain, and their hero, Mr Churchill, to win the war.

I think most of them found the War was the best game for kids ever invented."

[Children of the Blitz by Robert Westall: Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books ISBN: 0330334859]

In the news: 1941

• Germany attacks the Balkans and Russia


• Japanese surprise attack on U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor brings U.S. into World War II


• U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan


• The first U.S. Lend-Lease shipment of food sent to Britain


• No census - total British population estimated at 48.2M


• First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain. Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England


• Manhatten Project of nuclear research begins in America


• Britain introduces severe rationing


• First British jet aircraft flies, based on work of Whittle


• Bailey invents his portable military bridge First use of antibiotic

What things cost in 1941

• Embassy cigarettes, 10 for 9d (4p) (0.06USD)


• Wisdom toothbrushes, 2/5d (12p) (0.17USD) each


• Eve toilet soap 3d (1.5p) (0.02USD) per bar


• Palmolive toilet soap 4d (2p) (0.03USD) per bar


• Vim 6d (2.5p) (0.04USD) per canister


• De Reszke Minor cigarettes, 10 for 61/2d (2.5p) (0.04USD)


• Hartley's headlamp masks 10/6 (52.5p) to 12/6d (62.5p) each


• Gibbs Dentifrice 71/2d (3.5p) (0.05USD) per tin


• Cremola Pudding 3d (1.5p) and 6d (2.5p) per pkt


• Rowntrees cocoa 5d (2p) per 1/4lb and 91/2d (3.5p) per 1/2lb


• Cadbury's Ration Chocolate sold at 21/2d (1p) per bar, the supply was very limited - and the weight of the bar was not mentioned.


• Gamages shirt (with a spare collar) at 6/11d (35p) (0.52USD)


• a pair of flannel trousers at 15/9d (78p) (1.16USD)


• a pair of shoes, all leather at 13/9d (68p) (1.01USD)


• mans self lined raincoat for 1 guinea = £1/1/- (£1.05) (1.56USD)

Food rationing in May 1941 - An Adult's Weekly Ration

• 3 pints of milk


• 225g of jam


• 55g of tea


• 170g of butter


• one shilling's worth of meat


• 225g of sugar


• 115g of bacon


• 30g of cheese

Films of 1941
Sergeant York with Gary Cooper and Joan Leslie.
Major Barbara with Wendy Hiller, Rex Harrison and Deborah Kerr.
How Green was my Valley with Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara.

The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart, Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.
The Big Store with The Marx Brothers.
Suspicion with Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant.
Road to Zanzibar with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.
The Great Lie with Bette Davis, Mary Astor and George Brent.
Babes on Broadway with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.

Popular songs of 1941

• The Ferry Boat Serenade


• The Hut Sut Song


• Bless 'em All


• Just One of Those Things


• Only Forever


• Maybe


• Whispering Grass


• The Last Time I Saw Paris


• Amapola


• Dolores


• When They Sound the Last All Clear


• All the Things You Are


• Flamingo


• South American Way


• You Stepped Out of a Dream


• Down Forget-me-not Lane

Please send a cheque for £5.00 payable to Gateshead Council to:

Peter Hepplewhite
Tyne and Wear Archives Service
Blandford House
Blandford Square
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4JA

On 3 May 1941 a public shelter in the basement of Wilkinson's lemonade factory, North Shields, was destroyed by a direct hit from a single German bomb. 105 people died, the worst wartime incident in the North of England.

One of the rescue party was the father of young Robert Westall. By the 1970's Robert had become a best-selling children's author and many of his books are inspired by his wartime experiences.

This multi-media project is the result of a successful bid to the DFEE Museums and Galleries Education Programme. We seek to encourage cooperation between history and English departments in years 7-9 and to support the implementation of the literacy strategy at Key Stage 3.

This is achieved by the analysis of fiction and non-fiction texts, linking Westall's exciting novel The Machine Gunners with supporting archival material from the Home Front. An exciting additional aspect is provided by the recollections of over a dozen survivors and relatives of casualties. Westall's War is radical in the presentation of education materials in printed and ITC formats.

The Project has 3 elements:

1. Westall's War CD-Rom: aimed at Year 7 (11+) children and above.
Designed by Sheila Graber Animations Ltd, the disc is fully interactive and contains all source archival material, sound and video files, interactive games, quizzes and tasks, and the teacher's pack. It also includes the database of victims taken from the official records of those killed at Wilkinson's.

2. Teacher's Pack
History and Literacy notes with high quality archive document facsimiles, maps, photos, leaflets....
Compiled by Peter Hepplewhite (Westall's War Project Manager: Tyne and Wear Archives Service) and by Kathleen Pearse (Key Stage 3 Consultant, Gateshead LEA).

Each Secondary School in the 13 Local Education Authorities in the north east of England has received a free copy of the CD-Rom and Teacher's Pack.

Online Notes
The Project history and english teachers' notes are now available online.

Teachers' Notes: Year 7 Literacy Links - PDF 1.73MB: 54 pages
Teachers' Notes: History - PDF 847K: 20 pages

3. westallswar.org.uk weblog aimed at a general audience interested in World War 2, local history, Robert Westall etc
Designed by Peter Bolger, Gateshead Grid for Learning Manager.
Database programming: John Hudson and Daniel Bolger.

Born: October 7, 1929
Where: No 7 Vicarage Street, North Shields, England
Career: After degrees from Durham University and the University of London he became an art teacher at Sir John Deane's College in Northwich (Cheshire). Leaving in 1985 he became briefly an antique dealer before turning his attention to writing. 'The Machine Gunners' (1975), Westall's first published book won the prestigious Carnegie Medal
Died: April 15, 1993

About Robert Westall
Robert Westall may have left the North East in his early twenties, but he returned to it time and again in his writing, whose roots lay in his childhood and young adult experiences in wartime Tyneside. Indeed, it was his desire to share that experience with his 12 year old son Chris that inspired his celebrated first novel The Machine Gunners.

"I wanted to share childhoods with my son... (and) began my own journey in memory back to the time when I was twelve in World War 11 ... Memories began to surface. A friend said 'Why does the smell of burning kerosene make me feel safe?' and that carried me back to the air-raid shelters of my youth. Another time, after a particularly violent TV war movie, I went to sleep and dreamt, and wakening, said to my wife 'My war wasn't fought with tanks and planes and guns - my war was fought by old men and women and kids'....

And then, suddenly, the whole time that I was twelve came back to me in one great surge of memory. The smells, the fears, what we ate - total recall. And I began to write.... only it wasn't a literary activity, it was a social activity. I wrote it in long hand, in school exercise books, and only intended to read it to my son. It was my gift to him at the age he had reached...

He had shown me how life was for him at twelve and I suddenly felt the need to show him how life had been for me at twelve. I wanted to invite him back into my world and let the two generations, just for a moment, stand side by side in time."

The Machine Gunners
... Tynemouth .. has been transformed into the 'Garmouth' of the book. I changed the name to 'Garmouth' because the geography of the book is not exactly the same as Tynemouth's, and I didn't want clever devils writing in to tell me so. Nearly all the characters in the book are real; the parents are based on my parents, the grandparents on my grandparents; Stan Liddle really was my English teacher, and really was a Captain in Tynemouth's Home Guard. I went to primary school with Audrey Martin, who became Audrey Parton in the book. Cem, Nicky and Fatty Hardy are based on real people (Fatty Hardy was my Biology Teacher, of whom I was not fond). Clogger was a boy who I knew much later, when I was a teacher. Chas was a mixture of me at twelve and my son Christopher. The rest are inventions. Most things in the books are real, except that my gang did not find a crashed bomber, or steal a machine-gun, or build a fortress.....

For Westall, realism was "crucial" and it is precisely the uncompromising nature of his realism - his attention to physical, social and emotional detail - in The Machine Gunners, its sequel Fathom Five and subsequent titles such as The Kingdom by the Sea, The Promise, and Falling into Glory that make his "historical" North Eastern backgrounds so vivid that the gap between then and now vanishes.

For Westall, "looking back - seeing where you've come from - allows you guess where you're going - where your characters are going. And certain aspects of growing up are timeless - so many of memories of youth ... are valid today, too." For him, looking back could be achieved naturalistically or through ghost or time slip stories, such as The Wind Eye.

Robert Westall as a child

"There is a freedom in Ghostliness. You break the surface of life and let the underside come out. If even life is a flat plane, the ghastliness gives depth and height. It's a new dimension. It's also a way of bringing in time ... On the whole children don't read historical novels anymore. They don't want to know what the seventeenth century said to the seventeenth, but they become quite interested in what the twentieth century might have to say to the seventeenth. I feel able, with research, to let the twentieth century talk to the seventeeth, and to see the seventeenth as an observer."

Of course, Westall was much more than a chronicler of the way things were or are. His writing ranges across genre, time and setting. His characters are often confronted with difficult moral dilemmas. His books may be fast paced and gripping, but they often pose uncomfortable questions. But underlying all his work, still inspired by Chris who died tragically in a motorbike accident in 1978, was Westall's ongoing fascination with generations and time, with reconnecting people to the past. How fortunate, then, for the North East that he grew up on Tyneside and celebrated that wartime childhood in a fine and distinguished body of work that has revealed our heritage to ourselves and to the wider world.

above text courtesy of Norham Community Technology College Westall site

Access the Age Range Search

There are 102 records in the database. Only 100 of these relate to the Wilkinson's disaster directly. Two people, Ethel Ada HUNTER, age 49 and Margaret KING, age 61, were killed when a bomb fell on 3 George Street nearby. Their bodies were taken to the mortuary and Record forms completed.

We now believe 100 people were killed in the shelter. A further 7 people died later in hospital. These victims do not appear in the database. As a result, we believe that 107 and not the reported 105 people were killed in the disaster.

The data from the Mortuary Records is very detailed. Where necessary we have deleted some personal details to avoid causing distress to relatives of those who died.

Access the Database here

View A-Z listing of victims here

The list includes all 103 people listed on the GENUKI Deaths and Fatal Injuries at North Shields on May 3rd 1941 compiled by Brian Pears.

In addition there are 4 military personnel victims listed, not recorded on the GENUKI page (which features civilian deaths caused by enemy activity).

Clarence BEAVERS
age 25 of 35 Whitby Street.

John Cowen BENNETT
age 34 of 68 Campendown Street Gateshead

William Henry BROWN
age 19 of 73 Hudson Street.
Son of Mr A. Brown.

John (Jack) BURGESS
age 25 of 105 Plane Street, Anlaby Road, Hull, Yorks

Edith CHATER
age 7 of 110 Church Street.
Daughter of Alfred and Henrietta Chater.

Henrietta CHATER
age 11 of 110 Church Street.
Daughter of Alfred and Henrietta Chater.

Henrietta CHATER
age 35 of 110 Church Street.
Wife of Alfred Chater.

John CHATER
age 4 of 110 Church Street.
Son of Alfred and Henrietta Chater.

Mary CHATER
age 9 of 110 Church Street.
Daughter of Alfred and Henrietta Chater.

Alfred CHATER
age 42, of 110 Church Street.
A.R.P. Rescue Service.
Husband of Henrietta Chater. Son of Mrs J.M. Chater.

Audrey CRAIG
age 11 of 10 George Street.
Daughter of John and Ethel Craig.

Ethel CRAIG
age 31, of 10 George Street.
Wife of John Craig. Daughter of Alfred and Ethel Hymes.

John CRAIG
age 37, of 10 George Street.
Husband of Ethel Craig. Son of William Henry and May Craig.

George CUMMINGS
age 13, of 5 Tynemouth Road.
Son of Ethel and George Cummings.

Roland CUMMINGS
age 9, of 5 Tynemouth Road.
Son of Ethel and George Cummings.

George CUMMINGS
age 50, of 5 Tynemouth Road.
A.R.P. Decontamination Squad.
Husband of Ethel Cummings.

Emma CURRAN
age 80, of 66 North King Street.
Widow of William Henry Curran. Daughter of the late George and Joan Peversley of Gateshead.
Reminiscence

William Henry CURRAN
age 23, of 66 North King Street.
Son of William Henry Curran.
Reminiscence

Henry Medcalf DALE
age 60, of 33 Park Crescent.
Husband of C. Dale.

Mary Elizabeth DICKSON
age 54, of 31 Upper Queen Street.
Wife of Samuel Dickson. Daughter of the late Adam and Mary Jane Craig.
Died 15 May 1941 at Shotley Bridge Emergency Hospital.

Elizabeth Ann DONKIN
age 11 months, of 5 Pontons Buildings.
Daughter of James William Donkin, Merchant Navy, and Elizabeth Lindores Donkin.

Elizabeth Lindores DONKIN
age 22, of 5 Pontons Buildings.
Wife of James William Donkin, Merchant Navy. Daughter of William Henry and Flora Smith.
Reminiscence

Anthony ELLIOTT
age 17, of 58 Back George Street.
Son of Anthony Elliott.

Anthony ELLIOTT
age 43, of 58 Back George Street.
A.R.P. Heavy Rescue Service.

Mary Jane FERGUSON
age 56, of 58 George Street.
Wife of Thomas Ferguson.
Died 5 May 1941 at Preston Hospital.

Alexander FRANKLAND
age 16, of 36 Upper Queen Street.
Son of Mr and Mrs A.E. Frankland.
Reminiscence
Reminiscence 2
Reminiscence 3

Edwin GERMAIN
age 6, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Son of Robert and Eva Germain.

Ethel GERMAIN
age 4, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Daughter of Robert and Eva Germain.

Ivy GERMAIN
age 10, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Daughter of Robert and Eva Germain.

Robert GERMAIN
age 56, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Husband of Eva Germain.
Died 4 May 1941 at Victoria Jubilee Infirmary.
Reminiscence

Elizabeth GIBSON
age 60, of 96 Church Street.
Wife of Mr J. Gibson.

Ethel Maud GIBSON
age 32, of 96 Church Street.
Daughter of Mr J. and Elizabeth Gibson.

John Thomas GLYNN
age 58, of 66 North King Street.
Reminiscence

Margaret GLYNN
age 29, of 66 North King Street.
Daughter of John Thomas Glynn.

Edward Brown GOODWILL
age 7, of 7 North Church Street.
Son of Joseph and Elizabeth Goodwill.

John William GOODWILL
age 4, of 7 North Church Street.
Son of Elizabeth Goodwill.
Died 14 June 1941 at Shotley Bridge Emergency Hospital.

Joseph GOODWILL
age 31, of 7 North Church Street.
Husband of Elizabeth Goodwill.
Reminiscence

Joseph Henry GRAY
age 53, of 70 Linskill Street.
Husband of Margaret Gray.

Margaret GRAY
age 50, of 70 Linskill Street.
Wife of Joseph Henry Gray.

Mary GRAY
age 21, of 70 Linskill Street.
Daughter of Joseph Henry and Margaret Gray.

Charles Henry HAGGERTY
age 22, of 103 High Street Kidlington Oxfordshire

Alfred HALL
age 2, of 65 George Street.
Son of Alfred and Martha Hall.

James HALL
age 5, of 65 George Street.
Son of Alfred and Martha Hall.

John HALL
age 9, of 65 George Street.
Son of Alfred and Martha Hall.

Martha HALL
age 31, of 65 George Street.
Wife of Alfred Hall.
Reminiscence

Shirley HALL
age 4, of 65 George Street.
Daughter of Alfred and Martha Hall.

Sydney HALL
age 7, of 65 George Street.
Son of Alfred and Martha Hall.

Joan HARMAN
age 4, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Daughter of Mary Ellen and the late Thomas William Henry Harman.

Mary Ellen HARMAN
age 38, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Widow of Thomas William Henry Harman and daughter of Eliza and the late Richard Beagarie.
Died 4 May 941 at Victoria Jubilee Infirmary.
Reminiscence

Richard HARMAN
age 3, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Son of Mary Ellen and the late Thomas William Henry Harman.

Thomas HARMAN
age 6, of 25 Upper Reed Street.
Son of Mary Ellen and the late Thomas William Henry Harman.

James HENDERSON
age 60, of 60 Back George Street.
Husband of Phyllis Henderson.
Reminiscence

Phyllis HENDERSON
age 61, of 60 Back George Street.
Wife of James Henderson.

Lillian Margaret HERRETT
age 4, of 27 Upper Queen Street.
Daughter of Sto. A.C. Herrett, Royal Navy.
Reminiscence

David Venture HEWSON
age 24, of 44 Stanley West Street.
Son of Sarah Jane Fannon (formerly Hewson) and the late David V. Hewson.

Alexena HODGSON
age 26, of 21 Upper Queen Street.
Wife of Fus. Henry Henderson Hodgson, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
Reminiscence

Elizabeth HODGSON
age 5, of 21 Upper Queen Street.
Daughter of Fus. Henry Henderson Hodgson, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, and Alexena Hodgson.

Henry Henderson HODGSON
age 23 months, of 21 Upper Queen Street.
Son of Fus. Henry Henderson Hodgson, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, and Alexena Hodgson.

Violet HODGSON
age 19, of 10 East George Street.
Daughter of Albertina W. and the late Henry Henderson Hodgson.

John George HOWARD
age 18, of 27 Church Street.
Son of R. Howard and the late George Darling Howard.

Ernest HULL
age 15, of 16 North King Street.
Son of Samuel and Alice May Hull.

Evelyn HULL
age 17, of 16 North King Street.
Daughter of Samuel and Alice May Hull.

Samuel HULL
age 29 of 16 North King Street
Daughter of Samuel and Alice May Hull.

Doreen Robina Bilton Jackson KAY
age 33, of 95 Church Street.
Wife of Pte. E. Kay, Durham Light Infantry.

Ernest William KAY
age 13, of 95 Church Street.
Son of Pte. E. Kay, Durham Light Infantry, and Doreen Robina Bilton Jackson Kay.

George Alan KAY
age 2, of 95 Church Street.
Son of Pte. E. Kay, Durham Light Infantry, and Doreen Robina Bilton Jackson Kay.

Hylton Stuart KAY
age 8, of 95 Church Street.
Son of Pte. E. Kay, Durham Light Infantry, and Doreen Robina Bilton Jackson Kay.

Sydney Jackson KAY
age 7, of 95 Church Street.
Son of Pte. E. Kay, Durham Light Infantry, and Doreen Robina Bilton Jackson Kay.

Amy KIRBY
age 56, of 1 Hackworth Street, Dean Bank, Ferryhill.
Widow of J. Kirby.

Alexander LAWSON
age 64, of 24 Upper Queen Street.

Jean LIDDLE
age 12 months, of 65 King Street.
Daughter of Charles I. and Margaret Adelaide Liddle.

Margaret Adelaide LIDDLE
age 21, of 65 King Street.
Wife of Charles I. Liddle.

Ethel LIVESLEY
age 55, of 11½ Back George Street.
Wife of Albert Livesley.

Margaret LOGIE
age 75, of 55 George Street.
Widow of Robert Logie.

Margaret Thomson LOGIE
age 48, of 55 George Street.
Daughter of Margaret and and the late Robert Logie.

Margaret Ann LOUGH
age 10, of 23 Upper Queen Street.
Daughter of William Robert and Margaret Lough.

William Robert LOUGH
age 38, of 23 Upper Queen Street.
Husband of Margaret Lough.
Reminiscence

William MATHER
age 19, of 6 George Street.
Son of Isabella Mather.

James MAVIN
age 9, of 96 Church Street.
Son of James William and Margaret Mavin.

Margaret MAVIN
age 30, of 96 Church Street.
Wife of James William Mavin.
Reminiscence
Reminiscence 2

Rosalie MAVIN
age 12 months, of 96 Church Street.
Daughter of James William and Margaret Mavin.

Mary Ann McGUIRE
age 27, of 55 King Street.
Wife of Thomas Matthew McGuire. Daughter of Margaret and the late John Southern.

John Andrew McPHILLIPS
age 32, of 50 Upper Queen Street.
Husband of Gladys May McPhillips.
Died 4 May 1941 at Victoria Jubilee Infirmary.

Eliza Ann NESBITT
age 65, of 105a Church Street.
Daughter of the late J.R Nesbitt.

John Robert NESBITT
age 76, of 105a Church Street.

Edward NICHOLSON
age 34, of 148 Grey Street.
Husband of Emily Nicholson.

Emily NICHOLSON
age 34, of 148 Grey Street.
Wife of Edward Nicholson. Daughter of Mr W.H. Hastie.
Died 4 May 1941 at Preston Emergency Hospital.

Ivy Hastie NICHOLSON
age 9, of 148 Grey Street.
Daughter of Edward and Emily Nicholson.

Mary NICHOLSON
age 57, of 95 Church Road.
Wife of R.W. Nicholson.

Christina OLIVER
age 45, of 10 Kielder Terrace.
Wife of William John Oliver.

Elizabeth Ann Hyde PATTERSON
age 52, of 70 George Street.
Widow of Robert Patterson.

Isabella PEARSON
age 65, of 1 Park Crescent.

Edith Louvaine PHILLIPS
age 14, of 159 Linskill Street.
Daughter of Mr and Mrs J.W.S. Phillips.
Reminiscence

Richard POTTS
age 63, of 9 East Percy Street.

Isabella ROBSON
age 8, of 4 Oakwood Avenue, Chirton.
Daughter of Robert William and Isabella Robson.

Margaret ROWNTREE
age 12, of 4 Beacon Street.
Daughter of the late Mr A.H. Rowntree.

James SANDERSON
age 20, of 16 Albert Street.
Reminiscence

Hilda SHEARER
age 22, of 12 King Street.
Wife of Seaman Robert Collins Shearer, Merchant Navy. Daughter of James and Phyllis Henderson.

Norma SHEARER
age 2, of 12 King Street.
Daughter of Seaman Robert Collins Shearer, Merchant Navy, and Hilda Shearer.

Robert SHEARER
age 2 months, of 12 King Street.
Son of Seaman Robert Collins Shearer, Merchant Navy, and Hilda Shearer.

Agnes May SMITH
age 36, of 66 North King Street.
Wife of David Smith. Daughter of Emma and the late William Henry Curran.
Reminiscence

Maureen SMITH
age 8, of 66 North King Street.
Daughter of David and Agnes May Smith.

Veronica SMITH
age 13, of 66 North King Street.
Daughter of David and Agnes May Smith.

Kathleen SUTHERST
age 32, of 24 Upper Queen Street.
Wife of Pte. R. Sutherst, The Gordon Highlanders.
Reminiscence

Maureen WARD
age 6 months, of 27 Lawson Street.
Daughter of Seaman William Ward, Merchant Navy, and Lilian May Ward.

James Wallace WELDON
age 50, of 46 King Street.
Son of James Weldon.

William George WOOLFORD
age 35, of 45 King Street.
Sergeant - Home Guard.
Husband of Margaret Woolford.

I think the war is perfectly simple. The Germans are the bullies of the European classroom. Lots of little countries have been getting their arms twisted behind their backs. But in the corner of that classroom, Britain is sitting, best fighter in the school....Soon Britain will get up and give the bully a bloody nose.
Robert Westall: Children of the Blitz: p17

The British people were bombarded with propaganda by the Ministry of Information, in every aspect of their lives. The government met part of the enormous expense of the war by borrowing from the people through savings campaigns. They combined the appeal to save with patriotism and community spirit. Salute the Soldier was one of the largest and most successful campaigns with towns encouraged to compete against one another to raise the biggest funds. Tynemouth's target was £500,000, enough to equip an infantry brigade (2000-3000 men) for the local 50th Northumbrian Division.

click images to enlarge

Salute the Soldier Week: We Owe It To Him!
Archive Reference: TWAS T15/1517

3 adverts supporting Tynemouth's own Salute the Soldier Week

The Germans have the hopeless burden of Hitler - a total nutter. If he can't get his own way, he falls down foaming at the mouth and chews the carpet. Every kid you meet is pulling a lock of hair down over his forehead, sticking his finger under his nose and screaming fake German till his throat conks out or somebody kicks him.
Robert Westall: Children of the Blitz: p19

This Puzzle was circulated in factories and offices during World War II. Its provenance is unknown, but a similar cartoon of Sadam Hussein appeared during the first Gulf War. It is an amusing example of popular propaganda.

Print this puzzle out and fold as directed to make the biggest pig of all.

Pigs Puzzle: PDF 319K

If you have any questions or would like to comment on this item please use the comments link below.

It was the worst raid of the war. In the lull of the guns we heard the church bells ringing, sweet with overtones of Sunday morning and Christmas. But that was long ago. Now bells meant...invasion.
Robert Westall: The Machine Gunners: p152

Clarification of when church bells are to be rung. Issued during the late summer of 1940 - the period after Dunkirk when the Battle of Britain was at its height.

transcript of full message

SECRET

SUBJECT: Ringing of Church Bells
TO: Chief Constable, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Chief Constable, Gosforth, Chief Constable, Gateshead-on-Tyne

Dear Sir,
The following instructions have now been received regarding the ringing of church bells.

G.H.Q. Home Forces have ordered that Church Bells will NOT be rung as a general alarm for the turning out of personnel of the H.G. in the case of invasion.

Church Bells will only be rung as a local alarm to indicate that an actual invasion by sea or by air is taking place in that particular locality.

The ringing of the bells of one Church will NOT be repeated by the bells of another Church unless a landing is also taking place in that locality.

In consequence of the above order from G.H.Q. Home Forces all previous orders regarding ringing of Church Bells are hereby cancelled and the attached orders substituted.

Colonel
Fortress Commander, Newcastle

Fenham Barracks,
Newcastle-on-Tyne
12th September, 1940

View the complete Message: PDF 349K

If you have any questions or would like to comment on this item please use the comments link below.