This year marks the
centenary of the armistice to end the fighting in World War One, and to mark
the anniversary I am writing regularly about the part Hexham and Northumberland
played in the Great War, as told by Brian Tilley in his brilliant book Tynedale in the Great War.
Many of us will
remember ARP Warden Hodges in the beloved sitcom Dad’s Army, and one of the
many fascinating anecdotes in the book reveals that the police in Hexham were
just as passionate about keeping out the lights as Mr Hodges. The number of
prosecutions for breaches of lighting restrictions was extremely high,
suggesting that Hexham’s police were tougher than anywhere else in the country
when it came to maintaining the blackout. For example, a woman from Prudhoe was
fined half a crown for having the wrong type of light on her baby’s pram.
However, as strict as Hexham’s police were, following lighting restrictions was
vitally important in order to prevent devastating damage in air raids.
I wholeheartedly
recommend getting hold of a copy of Tynedale
in the Great War by Brian Tilley, which gives a fascinating insight into
life in our region during the Great War- the book is available from Forum Books
in Corbridge and elsewhere.
