| Date | Subject of Talk - Speaker |
|---|---|
| Wed 15th April 2026 | Members Forum – Researching Family Life in South Sheilds with Edith Adamson |
| Wed 20th May 2026 | Modelling the Black Death & Social Connectivity in Medieval England By Dr A Brown |
| Wed 17th June 2026 | “Finding my Father” by Ed Graham |
| Wed 15th July 2026 | No Meeting |
| Wed 19th August 2026 | No Meeting |
The meeting on the 18th March was attended by 11 members and we had 1 apology.
NDFHS Society member Keith Wilson kindly did a presentation on his own family research, a story which only came to light in the last few years, entitled ‘From Lyndale to Yokohama – Remembering one of WW2 Forgotten Army’.
Keith’s grandparents, Harold and Dorothy, following their marriage in October 1937, lived in Lyndale, Essex. Harold was conscripted into the 5th Battalion Royal Norfolk regiment and he set sail from Glasgow on the 28th October 1941 bound for the far east. However, the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, meant the original plan had to be changed and they went to India.
The regiment later travelled to Singapore and Thailand, which is where Harold was taken prisoner in February 1943. He was then transferred to Japan and held in the prisoner of war camp close to Yokohama. It was here, due in the main to the horrendous conditions of the camp, that Harold contracted and lost his life to beriberi.
An emotional and well researched family history which our members thoroughly appreciated.
The meeting on the 18th February was attended by 13 members who enjoyed a talk by Tony Stephenson entitled ‘Tyneside Connections’.
The presentation opened with a referral to the spy films ‘Bridge of Spies’ and ‘Triple Cross’, both being based on factual stories concerning spies born in Tyneside. Willy Fisher alias Rudolf Abel, born in Elswick, who was the spy exchanged for a US pilot in 1962. Eddie Chapman born Burnopfield, onetime professional thief who became a double agent during WW2 and was awarded the Iron Cross.
As well as various spies who hailed from Northumberland and Durham, the talk covered entrepreneurs’ and their inventions as well as notorious names from history such as Andrew Robinson ‘Stoney Bowes’ and the Dudley family. Industry and the arts were not forgotten as Tony mentioned several local artists plus Charles Dickens who, although not born in the North East, did spend some time in Newcastle.
Our Members thoroughly enjoyed this presentation and it is recommended to other Branches.
The speaker at the meeting held on 21st January was Andrew Clark. As always with Andrew, the 12 members present had an enjoyable trip down memory lane recalling their childhood days at the seaside.
Whilst many of our members lived by the coast, for others it was a day trip to the beach with the family, clad in their Sunday best! Beaches such as Whitley Bay and South Shields were crowded and it was quite common to hire a tent for the day. We were reminded that before the days of take away teas and coffees, it was off to the local café for boiling water to fill flasks for a hot drink to accompany the home made ‘egg and tomato’ sandwiches filled with sand!!
Early 20th century saw the start of bathing machines, donkey rides, sandcastle competitions, shuggy boats and outdoor bathing pools. A day at Whitley Bay would inevitably involve a visit to the Spanish City or South Shields Pleasure Beach to try out the rollercoasters and ghost train. This would be followed by an ice cream from the Mr Wippey van or local ice cream parlour, and of course, a stick of rock would be taken home. Not forgetting the fish and chips which for some reason always taste better when by the sea!!
The Speaker at the meeting held on 19th November 2025, attended by 7 members, was David Hastings.
David is a prolific fund raiser for the RNLI but this time his talk “The Sea is in my Blood” was a look at his own family history and its connection to the sea. His ancestry goes back to Oyster Fisheries in Kent, the industry of oyster beds going back to the time of King Stephen. Whilst most of the oyster beds in this country are owned by the Crown, the exception being Faversham Oyster Fisheries, the company owned by David’s family. His great grandfather moved to Newcastle where he was a successful ship broker and involved with several enterprises such the salt industry.
Having started his career at sea as a teenager, David sailed on a number of ships of various capacities until, having been caught in a gas explosion and suffering severe burns, he was unable to work for several years. During this time, he volunteered with the tall ships and also became involved with Trinity House Museum in Newcastle. Trinity House itself was granted a royal charter by Kind Henry VIII in 1586 and is only one of three in this country, the other two being located in London and Hull. Back in full time employment David worked in the Marine Insurance industry, specifically being involved with Protection and Indemnity.
A very interesting talk particularly to those of our members who also have sea in their blood!!
The meeting held on 15th October 2025 was attended by 12 members when the speaker was Carol Dean, whose talk was entitled ‘One South Shields Lass’. Having been born in South Shields, Carol recalled many of her childhood memories as well as delving into the history of the town and its notable characters and industries.
The town of South Shields started with the Brigantes and then the Romans, who established a fort at the mouth of the Tyne which was used, not only as a prime look out, but also as a grain store to supply the troops of Emperor Hadrian. St Bede founded St Hilda’s church in the 1100s. Over the centuries industries such as salt panning, glass making and later shipbuilding and coal mining, all contributed to the increase in population of the town. Of course, South Shields is synonymous with the design and creation of the lifeboat as well as the Tyne Pilots and their families, many of whom resided around the Lawe Top.
This was a very interesting talk which covered a comprehensive history of South Shields and provoked a number of memories for our members. Whilst this particular presentation is predominately of interest to South Tyneside, Carol has a number of other talks and as a speaker she is highly recommended to other NDFHS Branches and local history societies.
The meeting held on the 17th September was attended by 7 members and we had 4 apologies. We commenced with the Branch AGM when the existing Officers were unanimously re-elected.
Following the formalities of the AGM, the Branch Chairman John Stobbs gave a talk entitled ‘Disease and Medicine Part 2’. This encompassed the major causes of death throughout the ages such as tuberculosis, plague, famine and fever and how living conditions impacted on the population. By the 1800s one in five children in Newcastle did not survive infancy, with the average expectancy of life being about 35, increasing to 42 in 1900.
Various remedies were used over the centuries such as the Benedictine Monasteries were known for their herbal medicines and barber surgeons were often attached to monasteries where they would use basic surgery. Wine would be used as an antiseptic as well as herbs and leeches being used for various ailments.
An interesting thought provoking talk which gave a very good insight into how our ancestors must have lived.
The speaker at the meeting held on the 17th June was Susan Lynn whose talk was entitled “Impressed – You Will be”. There were 8 members present plus we had 3 apologies.
Susan gave a detailed account of how historically the country was continually at war and due to the structure of the Royal Navy, it was often difficult to recruit men. The Press Gangs originated in the 1690s. Outside of London, Newcastle was one of the busiest ports and it was common practice for the Press Gangs to ply likely lads with drink before handing out the ‘Kings Shilling’. The numerous public houses which lined the banks of the River Tyne meant this was a prime location for targeting likely recruits.
Seamen were poorly paid, and desertion was a capital offence, punishable often by flogging. Bounties paid were quite substantial and in 1779 a payment of 5 guineas for an able seaman and 3 guineas for an ordinary seaman could be sought. It was estimated that by the time of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 it was estimated half of the force were press ganged. Impressment ended during the Napoleonic Wars.
This was a very enjoyable talk which led to much discussion between our Members.
The meeting held on the 21st May was attended by 12 members/visitors, when the speaker was the Branch Secretary. The talk ‘The History of a Victorian House’ related to Ann’s former office located in The Esplanade, Sunderland.
Unfortunately, due to technical issues within the meeting room, it was not possible to show the full power point presentation, but Ann explained Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance has been established in 1882 by a group of Sunderland Shipowners and how it had evolved into a leading insurer of fishing vessels whose head office was based in The Esplanade.
The Esplanade consists of 9 terraced houses with private gardens to the front and when it was built in the late 1850s there were coach houses and stables to the rear. It is located in Ashbrooke, which became the first suburb of Sunderland, to provide housing for the middle class who wished to escape the overcrowded conditions in the town of Sunderland.
The first occupants of No. 7 The Esplanade were William Thomas Bell and his wife Mary Herring. William was born in Shotley Bridge in 1810 and influenced by his uncle William, he became involved in the coal industry. Mary was the daughter of William Herring, a wealthy Sunderland Ship owner; William and Mary married in Southwick on 18th August 1852.
William Thomas Bell became a Director of Wearmouth Colliery and on his retirement in 1880 he purchased a property known as ‘High Green’ in the Parish of Bellingham. It was here where William passed away in 1891. The Esplanade property was sold in 1892 and Mary moved to Eastbourne, where she died in 1910. Both William and Mary are buried in Bishopwearmouth cemetery.
The talk continued giving brief details of all the owners/residents of No.7 up until 1986 when Sunderland Marine took occupancy. In 2005 The Esplanade was sold for re-development into high-end apartments.
The meeting held on the 16th April 2025 was attended by 9 members and with 2 apologies. The speaker was Tony Stephenson who gave a presentation entitled ‘Tyneside on Film’.
There have been over 200 films made which include Tyneside locations, albeit some are glimpses or superimposed shots of local landscapes. Tony’s presentation was made up by showing a selection of excerpts from films, starting with the ‘Night of the Fire’ filmed in 1939 through to ‘The Duke’ filmed in 2020 which starred Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. Whilst the latter was not actually made on Tyneside, it did include a shot of the Tyne Bridge.
We saw clips from iconic films made in the 1960s and early 1970s such as ‘Get Carter’, ‘Women in Love’, and ‘The Likely Lads’, as well as a documentary on Bob Dylan where he can be seen in Pudding Chare and The City Hall, Newcastle.
Many more films were made over the preceding years, some have been made by local companies, others have internationally known characters from the acting world in the casts. This was a presentation with a difference which the members present at the meeting thoroughly enjoyed.
The meeting held on the 19th March was a Members Forum, the purpose of which was to discuss ideas for the Branch display at the forthcoming NDFHS Conference. 10 Members were in attendance at the meeting plus 1 apology.
Consideration was given to a number of suggestions which were put forward, the outcome of which is that several Members volunteered to research collieries and pit disasters, which have occurred in mines located in the wider area of South Tyneside.
