大象传媒

My father Joseph Kidd was born in a small hamlet in Weardale Co Durham called Swinehope Burn in 1893. When leadmining failed in late 1800's his father who had seven children made the decision to leave Weardale to benefit the prospects of his children by living in Stockton on Tees. My father went to Oxbridge Lane School until it was time to leave and find a job. He joined the London North Eastern Railway as a lampboy with his school and lifelong friend Fred Moiser. (Fred became Chief Signals Inspector for LNER NE Region). They both joined the East Riding Yeomanry who recruited them on the way back from Castle Eden Co Durham to Diss Norfolk.They trained at York and Hull as Cavelrymen and were then posted to Egypt for service in the first World War. Both survived the war but my father caught a disease called Bilhazia a water born parasite which was incurable then and he was sent to Dudley Road Hospital Birmingham for treatment. It was there he met his wife-to-be Nurse Gertrude Norman in 1918-19. They married in 1920 Gertrude was the daughter Sgt Major A.E.Norman of the Worcestershire Imperial Yeomanry he was awarded this Rank for Life for his services to the Yeomanry and Country. When he spoke he was obeyed, and he was a Grandfather to be proud of. In the early 1920's after completing Fever Training at Haine Hospital Kent my Mother obtained a post nursing at Eston Hospital and Mum and Dad lived for a short while with my father's parents in Hind Street and Hartington Road Stockton until they could afford a house of their own. Neither parent had any capital on leaving the forces. One and sixpence a day as a soldier, or thirty five pounds per annum as an Auxillary Nurse did not leave much to be able to save! Incidentally, I have my mothers nursing contract as issued and signed. Also my fathers discharge papers for two World wars and his World War I certificate.

I was born in 1928 when they could afford to have a child, the only loan they ever had was a mortgage to buy their house, and they worked hard to provide a good standard of living and raise me and keep the home. My mother had to give up working as a nurse as many other women were forced to leave their employment as a matter of routine in those days. Firms did not want married women. It was only in 1939 that suddenly and without warning, Direction of Labour, forced everybody into essential war work and the women of this country contributed so much to winning the 1939-47 war. Incidentally my father joined the TA in 1938-39 and in August he and the other members of R.A. (HAA) Middlesbrough Drill Hall went off to camp at Tenby Wales and were mobilised on their return from camp on 3rd September 1939. Many soldiers from here had been sent with the BEF to France and never returned from Dunkirk. Fortunately my father being older was not sent to France but served his war at Sunderland Grangetown Battery HAA defending Teeside. I was eleven years old and my mother in the change of life. She had not forgotten the carnage of the first war or even the smell of gangrene and the patients she had nursed from all over the world ruined for life. Australia, New Zealand, Canada and of course Great Britain. This did leave a scar never to be forgotten. That was the "war to end all wars"!

In 1939 an Anderson shelter was delivered and the neighbours helped dig it in to its regulation depth. The garden was dug up and planted with vegetables. The barrage balloons were put up around Teeside and fourteen immediately struck by lightening killing people with debris from falling cables. It was quite a spectacle to observe. Kia - Ora Gun site was equipped with naval anti aircraft guns - there was not a great deal of choice in weaponry as the country was not prepared for war. I collected waste paper with my scout friends of 2nd Norton, the scoutmaster was killed in the forces. I had only been a member for a short time but loved the scouts. That all finished when it was decided to evacuate from Norton back to Weardale to live with an Aunt who had just been widowed. The day after we arrived the billoting officer knocked on the door with another three Newcastle evacuees, all brothers, and Mum and I rented a cottage so that my Aunt could take two of these lads. The other brother went to the Vicarage to stay. The Westgate Village school was packed to capacity - it only had two classrooms with a partition and two teachers supplimented with one evacuated teacher who died shortly after arrival. It was very sad as the Newcastle children knew her and that made seperation a little easier for them. The war was critical - our losses were heavy with shipping and forces personnel plus the bombing of cities also with big losses. Families disappeared, evacuees fretted for home wondering what was going on. Mum and I wondered what would happen to Dad and we had deep snow and ice every winter. In 1942 my father was sent to Cherry Knowle Emergency Hospital and after convalescence at Lartington Hall which was owned by Mr & Mrs Norman Fields of the Fields of America fame, he was invalided out of the forces and we all eventuallyreturned home to Norton.People helped each other and we all tried our best to win the war.

I had two older cousins in the war Joseph Kidd RN joined as a boy sailor before the war, training on HMS Callidonia and was then sunk twice on convoys - a great lad, his pal went down on HMS Hood. Joe survived the war finally as a Radar operator on Submarine HMS Andrew also sunk on convoy duty. Joe was demobbed in about 1950 and killed when a load slipped off a lemonade lorry on a bend killing Joe outright, badly injuring his young son who was scarred for life with facial injuries. The car was a Reliant three wheeler. The world stood back while the family fought for compensation! My other cousin, Flying Officer Alfred Kidd, survived until 1944 when, as a Lancaster navigator, he was murdered by the Germans having bailed out over the target. On landing the Germans killed him in retaliation for the bombing of the target.

On return to Norton air raids continued nightly and on one occasion I was standing outside the shelter watching the converging search-lights which picked up a German 'plane in the cross-beams and I saw parachutes come out of the 'plane and thought the crew had bailed out. Actually it was landmines on parachutes. For some reason, probably because of the gun fire, I went back into the shelter and the whole shelter rocked with the explosions. I never ventured out again to watch the action. I also recall the Newcastle train being bombed in Middlesbrough Station on a Sunday lunch-time with many casualties. I think Middlesbrough had the worst damage on Teeside. Eventually in 1947 peace was declared, rationing continued until the 1950's and we were all urged by the Chancellor (Stafford Cripps) to tighten our belts. Our generation has done nothing but since.

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