Blyth History.

[c-side]

Pityacka - thanks for the the reply about the Home guard etc. I think ?Colin Durward from Blyth Barracks might know something , I've been trying to get in touch with him for ages, had given up.

I'm a volunteer at Blyth Battery and can get a message to Colin if you wish - send me a pm.

Also I seem to remember John Saddler giving a talk to Blyth Local History Society on some outfit akin to the aux. units

Christine

[TriciaK]

Thanks Christine, I'll send you a pm with my email address.

[david.f8]

Hi TriciaK
Ref your enquiry regarding the 'Home Guard in Blyth during WW2' I have a copy of a report sent to the 'Control and Report Centre' based at Broadway Circle Blyth dated 1940. The report lists various contacts of this group (including both my father and grandfather) and its my understanding that this centre formed part of the home guard setup in Blyth of which there were various groups such as the armed guards based at the shipyards on the river.

This building is still there on the roundabout of which most of it is below ground level.

[TriciaK]

That's interesting, thanks David, I think I know the building right in the middle of Broadway Circle, my parents spent the last years of their lives that end of Broadway, next door to the Seghinis.
That's not where my Mum worked though, her office was on Cypress Gardens just before the junction with Marine terrace, coming from Waterloo road.
Or maybe that was ARP? I wonder what the difference was between ARP and Home Guard?

[c-side]

ARP -air raid precautions.  The ARP wardens were concerned sounding the siren when an air raid was notified, making sure everyone got safely to shelters, checking for chinks of light showing through blackout curtains, sounding the all-clear etc.  They also logged bombings.

The Home Guard was part of the army defence.

Christine

[david.f8]

Hi TriciaK and others.

I have found a usefull site for info on Northumberland. This link defines Civil Defence
http://www.ne-diary.bpears.org.uk/Bck/BSeq_03.html#B16

David.f8

[c-side]

The North East War Diaries are an excellent resource - done by the same person responsible for the very useful Northumberland pages on Genuki

[TriciaK]

Christine and David - thanks for the interesting information - I guess we'll never know the details of Mum's place of work, or whether Grandpa was in the Home guard or an ARP warden, or whether my friend's father was really in an Auxilliary Unit.
The huge number of types of cover in Newcastle are surprising, but I think the shipyards were a major target. One of my uncles worked at Swan Hunter shipyard, my aunt and cousins were evacuated.

[peeem]

I hope no-one minds me asking a more recent (history?) question about Blyth. I was in my local hostelry and for some reason the talk ended up with the question, 'what stood on the site that Argos now occupies' ie on the corner of Bowes street and Church street.
It's not that long ago but I can't for the life of me remember.
Was it something to do with the church?