Anecdotal memories of Percy Street

* Provided by Clive Dalton 13/6/23, born in 6 Noble Street, now of New Zealand.

Bellingham childhood memories

By Dallas Woods

I was born at No 6 Percy Street on (Date unknown). My mother was Irene Scott who died in 2008 at age 88. At age four we moved to live just outside Manchester but I spent all my school holidays in Bellingham.

My mother had two sisters, Ella Scott who was a school teacher, and Minnie Scott (who married Jackie Phillipson). Jackie worked on the railway and lived at Redesmouth.

Mother Irene Scott also had three brothers:

Robbie Scott: Robbie joined the Royal Navy and went to Naval school with the encouragement of the CofE vicar, Rev ‘Daddy’ Flower. Robbie was awarded the DSM for his part in the campaign in Norway in 1940/41 while serving on HMS Havelock.

Noel Scott: At one time Noel drove wagons for Hugh Thompson. He later worked on the railway like his father (??? Scott) and they both worked at the Reedsmouth engine sheds. Noel moved to the engine sheds at Blaydon and then to Gateshead where he drove the huge Deltic engines pulling passenger trains from the North East to Kings Cross, London. Noel was a great leek grower and he’d get me and my brother (name??) to collect sheep droppings from the ‘kiln tops’ (spoil heaps) to make a brew for his leeks.

Syd Scott: Syd drove wagons for Tommy Thompson, son of Hugh Thompson who along with his mother, carried on the business when his father died. Syd at one time lived at Noble Street and it was often my job to go from Percy Street up to Noble Street to wake Syd up for work.

I travelled miles with Syd in the wagon. He would have to deliver plaster all over Tyneside to build the new houses that were being built after the war, and then we’d go to Newcastle docks to load cement to be delivered all over Cumberland and Westmorland, and up as far as Dumfries and Moffat.

We would then go to Cocklakes near Carlisle and load up with plaster again and repeat the journey to Newcastle. This went on for five days a week throughout the whole year.

When Syd left Thompsons, he went to work for Tucker Jamieson at Wark and I used to travel with him from the marts then. I attended the last mart at Bellingham – a sad event.

I spent so much time on the wagons in Bellingham as a child that my family thought I would end up a driver, but this was not to be. I spent 40 years of my career with Solicitors in Manchester as a Legal Executive doing a lot of work with accident claims and a lot of Union work mainly in Yorkshire – so maybe my time on the wagons was not wasted.

For 60 years I have been a Bellingham holiday resident with a permanent caravan in the Breckons’s caravan park between Percy Street and Noble Street.

If I was not on the wagon with Syd and if Noel was on the appropriate shift on the passenger train from Hexham to Riccarton, he would sound the whistle on the engine on leaving Reedsmouth and I would leg it down from Percy Street to the station in time to ride in the cab up to Riccarton Junction and then back down again on the other train after the changeover. The drivers changed at Reedsmouth and Riccarton. What days they were for a young laddie! The line should never have been closed with Kielder water now being developed.

Residents of Percy Terrace

• Armstrongs. Chrissie was the daughter who worked in Maud Bell’s shop for many years. Her brother Jimmie (nicknamed ‘Tishy)’ was a painter and decorator.
• Harry Armstrong ?? ‘Fat Harry’.
• Albert Beech and his family. Albert drove the steam roller for the Council.
• Billy Irvine and family.
• Mrs Wallace ??????
• Number 6. Scotts. My grandparents were Betty and ??? Scott. My Grandmother was one of the last to leave to go to Hillside, a new Council estate.
• ??
• Stevensons. Lasher, Kathy, Dorothy and Hazel. (they maybe moved here from their other house).
• Daleys. Mr Daley got killed one foggy morning going to work at Otterburn. They had two daughters.
• Lizzie and Harry Thompson. Harry drove for Hugh and Tommy Thompson. Children were Billy, Hilda, Massie, Ann, Hugh and Howard. Hugh served his time with Stanley Telfer the butcher and Hugh is now the village butcher. We were once playing cricket in a field behind the street and when Hughie had his wickets flattened and got mad and threw the bat away just missing a fielder’s head.
• Tom Mason. He worked on the railway.
• Issa and Billy Scott (no relation).
• Susie and Joe Ling.
• Armstrongs. Wife was Margaret ‘Shafty’. She was a very strong supporter of the Bellingham football team and rarely missed a game. If any opposing player was seen to foul, then she’d give them a good wack with her handbag. ‘Maret’ was a stalwart of the Bellingham Women’s Land Army during the war. The husband worked at Sutty Row pit near Wark and was in a group who were picked up every morning in a big black car. The son worked at Blaxter quarry.
• Stevensons. Bob and Mrs Stevenson was Warden for the Youth Hostel. Son was called ‘Lasher’ who drove a wagon for Keepershield quarry near Humshaugh

Other memories

• The vans coming along the back lane such as Nicholls from Wark, and Stanley Telfer the butcher. I used to get a ride with Stanley to Conheath and back again.
• Mother used to tell of sledging from the Blue Heaps down to the Police station bridge or Dobbins shop if you had a bit extra speed. They had a lit candle on the corners like at Peggy’s shop to warn them if the Bobby was on duty.