Northumberland, history, humour, wartime 1939-45 By Bill Charlton The bridge over the North Tyne at BellinghamThe tiny cottage at the end of the bridge, (which at one time must have been a toll house) was nicknamed ‘the rabbit hutch’ and the nice lady who occupied it (who nobody knew much about) was inevitably called ‘The … Read more
Northumberland, history, humour, childhood memories, wartime 1939-45 By Bill CharltonSmoking experimentsIn our junior years in 1940/41 Cliff and I experimented in smoking by collecting dog ends off the road, looking in empty cigarette packets for a cigarette or cards which we used to save for a collection and swap with other lads in the village. … Read more
Northumberland, history, Bellingham, North Tyne, railways, schools, childhood, evacuees By Nancy McLauchlan (nee Brown) Passenger train at Bellingham station. Station House on right Moving south of the Border My Dad (Harry Brown) left his home village of Stow (situated on the Waverley Line, between Edinburgh and Galashiels) to go to Bellingham, North Tyne where he … Read more
View Larger Map It seemed to happen overnight. For us Bellingham Noble Street laddies it was the most exciting thing that we could have dreamed of. We had quietly been training with our home-made wooden guns and bayonets to annihilate the “Hun” when they landed, with the village Home Guard as role models. We quietly realised that they … Read more