FOR many people in Teesdale the armistice was not an end to their worries and their suffering.
Armed forces personnel were only gradually demobilised. Some were prisoners of war who returned home in poor health. Moreover, the population had to cope with an influenza epidemic, mistakenly called Spanish flu.
In Teesdale, as early as July, cases began to be reported.
In October there were 12 deaths in Startforth and by November the numbers had increased.
In December the epidemic was described as “alarming”. Social meetings were cancelled and the North East County School ended the term early because of the large number of cases among boys and staff.
On February 26, 1919, the Teesdale Mercury deaths column carried two sad reports in its roll of honour.
Private Sidney Carter 75440 of the 6th Battalion DLI, who had been a prisoner in Germany, had died age 19 in St George’s Hospital, Waterloo, London. He was the fourth son of Thomas and Mary Hannah Carter, of Cross Lanes. His older brother, Alfred Victor, served with the Royal Engineers and survived the war. Sidney Ralph Carter’s grave is in St Mary’s churchyard, Rokeby, and has the inscription ‘Peace, perfect peace.”
Thomas Wilfred Wearmouth 1890-1919
THE other death was Thomas Wilfred Wearmouth, eldest son of Joseph and Margaret Wearmouth, of Hanging Shaw, Forest-in-Teesdale.
Wilfred, as he was known, had enlisted in October 1917 and was Private 20328 in the 6th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment.
Sent to the Western Front on March 10, 1918, during the German spring offensive, he fought at Amiens, Albert and Cambrai. He was wounded, underwent an operation at Le Havre and was then transferred to the Tayside Auxiliary Hospital, in Perthshire.
He made good progress and it was expected that he would soon be discharged.
However, he contracted influenza on February 13 and died of pneumonia on February 18, aged 28. His grave is in Forest churchyard with the inscription “one of the best”.
He is commemorated in the church of St James the Less, Langdon Beck, and on the Forest-in-Teesdale Primary School Triptych.
By June Parkin, volunteer for The Bowes Museum’s First World War project
Thank you to the reader who suggested that John Warwick (whose story featured in an earlier article in the Teesdale Mercury) might have served in a pre-war colonial unit. AJ Warwick served in the Natal Carabineers in the Zulu War and the uniform shown in his photograph is very like that of the Carabineers. So, an interesting avenue of research to follow. If you have any information about Teesdale men and women serving during the war or involved in war work in the UK, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact libraryandarchives@thebowesmuseum.org.uk
