Tag Archives: World War 1

‘Saved by a Cat’ – a feel good story for Christmas

A few months ago I spent a morning at North Tyneside Local Studies Library, with my colleague Sarah Younas, looking through old editions of the Shields Daily News. We were searching for the stories behind some of the First World War… Read more

Family memories – a soldier’s Great War sketchbook

Recently, one of our visitors has shown us some interesting First World War drawings by his grandfather, Private James McGarrigle. A coal miner at Seaton Delaval before he joined up, Private McGarrigle was a soldier with 7th Northumberland Fusiliers Observation… Read more

First World War Stories: A headmaster’s view of the War’s first months

On 4 August 1914 Britain entered the First World War. Events moved swiftly over the following months and I thought it would be interesting to take a look at them through the eyes of someone who lived through those turbulent… Read more

Robert Spence – artist and ambulance service hero in France in World War 1

North-East artist Robert Spence (1871-1964) joined an ambulance unit in France as soon as possible after the First World War broke out. This scene shows a first-aid post on the front line near the village of Mesnil-les-Hurlus. In 1915, French troops… Read more

First World War Stories: The Birtley Belgians

I’m currently working on the ‘Workshop of the World’ project to catalogue the historic records of Vickers Armstrong and its predecessor companies. This project will make thousands of fascinating documents available to the public for the very first time thanks… Read more