As most folks know, I come from Newcastle on the Tyne, about 150 yards off Scotswood Road in a place which now doesn’t exist, except in the minds of City Planners, South Benwell. Thinking about the Somme last night opened a big chest full of memories, none more vivid than Old George”. George was by trade a “watchie “, the traditional form of security on building sites. On every site there would be one, he would turn up after work and get his brazier lit and do his random walk arounds to keep an eye on stuff. Watchies were usually not the most intellectually gifted of the race but they endured. Many an ex soldier found his way into the profession and even further into the Corps of Commissionairres. George was one of these and had reached the retirement age at a time that I was just starting to go out to work. He had a new job, to be one of the “gadgies” at one of the two working men’s clubs in our small bit of Newcastle, the Old Hall. Georges job was to make sure anybody underage or not in the club or affiliated, didn’t get in. George was fierce with me, I never got past him to sneak a quick half of Exhibition with the Coulsons. George had me tagged with his strident ” Hey ye- aaah naa your father”. I went back once after I had joined up and done a bit overseas. He accosted me in the foyer at his little office and asked for my club card, which I didn’t have, and I showed him my military ID card. He looked at it and said to me I knew you were going to be one of us since you were a laddie. That puzzled me but talking to the old guys playing dominoes later, I found out that he had gone over the top on 1 July 16 with the Tyneside Brigade and had got to the first German trench line before being headshot. How he survived was a miracle, but after months in hospital they saved him and amazingly signed him off as being fit for service.

The only name in France more frightening to a British soldier than the Somme was actually, the third battle of the Somme – Paschendale Ridge! Guess where they sent George. There were hundreds like him who got on and did it, men and women. They did it again 23 years later. It puts it into perspective belief that older people have ruined the future for todays young’uns. Not so, those older people saw their families and friends lose a generation and a half to the World Wars. God speed George, now long gone and only remembered by his family and the odd maudlin wordsmith. Time some of that came from our betters mate.