We are indebted to Philip Pattinson and his family for permission to publish the following extract from James Robert Ward's unpublished memoir "The Low Street Boy".
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.
Greatly indebted to Neil Hodgson son of Sidney Hodgson for the following information and photographs. Reproduced with his permission.
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.
We found out later that the factory was hit and more than 100 people had died. My mother could have been there. She was saved because she did not go into the shelter that day. The following day we went to look at the wreckage. It was appalling. We were being kept away and I remember looking at the scene through someone's locked arms.
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.
I spent a day sifting through documents and minute books at the rather wonderful Tyne and Wear Archives Service in Newcastle yesterday...I need to get back to do a more thorough trawl as there is still some outstanding source material.
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.
Continue reading "Was Wilkinson's Basement Shelter Overcrowded?" »
This from Caroline Ralph in Adelaide
Just a note to say how much I love your website!
I was born and raised in Whitley Bay and spent every weekend with my Grandma, who lived in Tynemouth. When we were youngsters, my Gran used to delight us with her stories of the war years. One particular story related to Wilkinson’s Lemonade Factory. So it’s been brilliant to actually be able to read the facts surrounding the tragic incident.
My Grandma’s parents used to own The Clock Vaults public house in North Shields. I can’t quite picture the proximity between that and the Lemonade Factory. Would it be possible for someone to explain this to me? I’d be very grateful.
Thanks again, and you really do have a wonderful site!
information below received recently from Mark Fawcett,
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!
We have managed to obtain another copy (ours lost) of the Tynemouth Bomb Damage film discovered originally when researching this site. The film features footage of the debris clearance at Wilkinson's Lemonade Factory after the bombing. We're hoping to digitise the film and provide clearer footage than that already on this site. Watch this space.
My name is Marguerite Ada Mavin. Having seen the website referring to the Wilkinson’s Factory Air Raid Shelter Disaster I would like to add what I know of the disaster and also to correct an entry which already exists on your Web site.
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.
Friday 20th October
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).
Continue reading "Launch Of Westall's Kingdom - A Writer's Life" »
Jim Rickard has very kindly given us permission to republish the following article.
It first appeared in the Northumberland & Durham Bottle Collectors Club Newsletter, number 107 p20-23
All copyrights belong to Jim Rickard.
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.
Site visitor Dr Jim Rickard has kindly provided us with images of Wilkinson's bottles from his personal collection. The notes are Dr Rickard's.
Click each image for a full size version.
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.
Whilst tidying the site this week, we took the opportunity to revisit the site's database of victims which is based on the Mortuary Records of those who died.
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....
Apologies to site visitors thus week...major changes underway and content will be in and out of commission during this redesign phase.
Appreciate your patience and please do revisit soon - the site should be fully operational again by Monday 15th August.
Planned for late Summer 2005:
- a complete site revamp
- the story of Norman Darling Black (BEM) supplied by his son George
- streaming video
- comments and messageboard
please do revisit and leave your comments...
As an information service to those interested, The Machine Gunners is available via http://www.raretv.co.uk/ on DVD.
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.
Another important piece in the Wilkinson's jigsaw....
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.
The below, unsolicited, from Mr C van Waesberge...
Thought I'd share it...
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!
Just procured (via eBay) a Wilkinson's soda bottle in neat condition. Probably pre-dates the 40's but I'll leave that to the experts.
The text imprinted on the bottle reads:
W.A. WILKINSON
REGISTERED
(image of unicorn)
TRADEMARK
SODA WATER MANUFACTURER
NORTH SHIELDS
UPDATE: 30.03.06
Site visitor Dr Jim Rickard comments:
"I have looked at the photo of the bottle you bought on ebay, this bottle is found on late Victorian and Edwardian rubbish dumps from Blyth to Newcastle and Sunderland. It dates from around 1900 and was used in great numbers, it is probably the easiest to acquire bottle from Wilkinson. I have a broken example of a variation of this bottle that has the words "1/2d deposit charged on this bottle" embossed on the rear. a reminder that these bottles had deposits and would have been used many times before finally being thrown away (sometimes you can see a lot of wear on the base to prove this)."
Site visitor Mike Robson was kind enough to email some feedback.
"This is an incredible site - reading the survivor's and witnesses
stories are so moving. Reading the story of the disaster brings home the reality and also the luck of the survivors. Congratulations on a brilliant website"
Appreciated, Mike...and thanks for taking the time.
Wishing all our site visitors a wonderful Christmas and peaceful New Year....
We've had a few enquiries recently re the availability on video of the BBC series of The Machine Gunners (1985: 6x30 min episodes).
We've never seen a copy..even on the global market stall that is eBay. Was it ever released on VHS or is that some enterprising schools way back when recorded it for internal use?
Someone please...send us a copy!
Northern Grid for Learning has just announced the release of their WW.2 Project which incorporates Westall's War.
The resource is available free of charge for use in schools and is intended to assist teachers to help pupils foster an intergenerational and transnational understanding of social relationships in the context of WW2.
The resource includes 5 distinct themed units of work from KS2 to A Level. Also included is an exclusive commissioned video resource.
We have decided to temporarily remove our Guestbook feature due to repeated spamming. We'll revisit this decision soon. Meantime our Messageboards will relaunch next week. So, please do take time to register and discuss with us.
Apologies...we're having to reinstall our messageboards. We've got the hammers and chisels out and they'll be back up and running soon.
Recently spotted in North Shields central library...
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ROBERT WESTALL by Lindy McKinnel
The Northwich & District Heritage Society has produced this booklet, written by the late Robert Westall's partner, Lindy McKinnel. The biography covers his early years spent on Tyneside as a young boy, his time at University and his life in Northwich where he moved to take up the post as Head of Art at Sir John Deane's Grammar School in 1960.
ISBN: 0 949001 22 8
Published by: C.C. Publishing, Martins Lane, Hargrave, Chester, CH3 7RX
Price: ï½£4.95 (including postage & packaging)
Out of the blue... a message from Frank Hanson in Lincoln who is in contact with Mr George Black, son of Norman Darling Black whose heroic actions following the raid earned him the British Empire Medal.
Mr Black has lost the photos of his father receiving the medal. Can anyone help out...maybe these were official shots and the masters have been preserved?
We're trying to contact Mr Black to get the full story of his father...watch this space!
We plan to upgrade the photos currently on our Trail section...they were all taken c2000 and things have changed in places....
We're also trying to ascertain the status of the Guided Westall Trail Walks, operated by North Tyneside Council...publicity seems thin on the ground, no mention on their site...are they still done?
Below is Maureen's original posting to the site which formed the basis of the recent Journal article on Westall's War.
"I was thrilled to read Westalls war and find so much info on my father and his family the Franklands and the Roses who were my nanas family.I was orphaned at a very young age along with four other brothers and a sister.This was the first time i have read the story of what happened at the wilkinson shelter.It has been very enlightening.If there is anyone out there who knows my family or are Franklands or Roses please get in touch.
My father was Billy Frankland he was at Wilkinson's shelter with his two brothers Arthur and Alexander (Sandy). Apparently my father was blown clear from the shelter doorway, Arthur was buried, but survived and Sandy was sadly killed, aged 16 years.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who knew my family. I have read accounts from a family called 'Rose' who state they are cousins of the Franklands. I would particularly like to hear from them as I did not know much of my family history due to being orphaned as a young child."
If you can help Maureen out...please get in touch.
Interesting piece on Westall's War (a Tyne and Wear Archives/Gateshead Council project) in today's Journal newspaper, featuring an interview with site user Maureen Rumfitt.
Mother-of-four Maureen Rumfitt had never used the internet before when she logged on for the first time.
"I'm just so grateful to the site for giving me answers to questions I had about my family."
But within seconds of entering her father's name into a search engine, she had found the clues to help solve a family mystery that had haunted her for nearly 50 years.
After entering her father's name into a search engine, Maureen was directed to www.westallswar.org.uk, a site dedicated to the Wilkinson's disaster, the North's worst bombing raid on May 3, 1941, when an air raid shelter in the basement of the lemonade factory in North Shields was destroyed by a direct hit from a single German bomb killing 105 people.
Westall's War is now a blog site, allowing multi-authoring and a more interactive experience for visitors.
We appreciate your patience as the rebuild continues...