Craig Armstrong – författare

In 1939, North Northumberland shared a proud tradition of military service with it s wider region and this was reflected in the huge numbers of men and women from the area who came forward for service in the military or in roles such as the Home Guard, ARP services or nursing. This part of Northumberland was a key recruitment centre for the local county regiment, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, with men from the area being heavily involved in the fighting during the blitzkrieg of France and the Low Countries, the miracle of Dunkirk, as well as many more battles. Yet, to the dismay of many, an entire territorial battalion was taken prisoner at Singapore. This district was also vital as a training area, with the wide and relatively uncluttered skies being widely used for the training of aircrew, one airfield played a key role in the build up to D-Day. In addition to combat and training, this area was also rich with fertile land and so played a crucial role in the war effort as it supplied food to its own communities and wider Britain. Many communities in the area welcomed evacuees from urban Tyneside whilst also welcoming servicemen (especially from the RAF) into their homes.Others saw the business opportunities and this book includes accounts of the struggle that many families faced in coping with rising wartime prices, longer working hours and endless worry.Despite the hardships the people of North Northumberland undertook, they all bundled together, and continued to provide incredible charitable support right up until the end of the war in addition to their normal efforts. They managed to maintain their morale throughout the majority of the war despite rationing, blackout and wartime restrictions. North Northumberland at War 1939-1945 poignantly commemorates the efforts and achievements of Northumberland s northern communities: farmers, fighters, families divided, all surviving astounding feats.

Sunderland was a key shipbuilding and repair facility with a long history of providing vessels for the British Merchant Navy. As well as its shipbuilding industry, the town also possessed other important industries such as paint manufacturing and extensive industries connected with shipbuilding and coal mining. The port town, on the banks of the strategically important River Wear, was also a main hub, along with its northerly neighbour the River Tyne, for coal exports, with much of the coal produced in the huge Durham coalfield being dispatched south via the Wear. All of this meant that the town found itself on the front lines of the war effort and marked it as a prime target for the Luftwaffe.The town experienced several heavy air raids, including one which caused a great deal of damage to both housing and key industries, as well as resulting in serious casualties to the civilian population. The considerable disruption and dislocation caused meant that the authorities struggled to provide adequate shelters and to fill the gaps within what were to become vital Air Raid Precautions services. When the bombing came, these volunteers were to make a vital contribution.Sunderland also had a proud tradition of military service and many of her men and women volunteered for service in the armed forces, with many paying the ultimate price in defence of freedom. A large number of Sunderland men served in the Merchant Navy, while the Royal Navy also boasted many Wearsiders. The local Army regiment, the famed Durham Light Infantry, also boasted many Wearsiders and the regiment saw action in almost every theatre of the war. For other Wearsiders, the attraction of flight drew them to service in the ranks of the RAF, for some, service in Bomber Command was motivated by a thirst for vengeance after witnessing the bombing of their home town.

Scotland was of grave strategic importance during the war due to its geographical position, while its capital was the location of a significant number of important military and civil organisations. Aberdeen possessed important shipbuilding facilities, including Hall, Russell & Co., which built a number of vessels during the war, such as corvettes and frigates, resulting in the yard being targeted by the Luftwaffe on a number of occasions.The fishing fleet was also of prime importance in supplying food for a war-starved Britain and many Aberdeenshire men constantly risked their lives putting out to sea in order to land fish. Many were killed in attacks by enemy aircraft or mines.No member of the population of Aberdeen escaped the war, whether it was the huge numbers of men and women from the area who came forward for service in the military or in roles such as the Home Guard, ARP services, nursing, working in vital war industries, or struggling to maintain a household under strict rationing and the stresses of wartime life. Evacuation proved a thorny issue as Aberdeen was originally classed as a neutral area' and no plans were made for evacuation. By 1940, however, there was anger and frustration as several groups petitioned for this classification to be changed.These petitioners were probably proved correct as Aberdeen went on to become the most frequently raided city (after London) in Britain suffering 32 attacks and 364 air raid warnings earning the city the nickname the Siren City'. Aberdeen also suffered the final Luftwaffe attack on Scottish soil when a concerted attack was made on 21 April 1943, resulting in 125 deaths and an estimated 12,000 houses being either destroyed or damaged.Aberdeenshire also played a significant role in the war effort in the air. It was ideally placed to enable the RAF to patrol not only the north-east of Scotland, but also the North Sea and the vital approaches to the naval base at Orkney, while the RAF also launched raids on occupied Norway and enemy shipping.Aberdeen at War 1939-1945 poignantly commemorates the efforts and achievements of Aberdeen: workers, fighters, families divided, all surviving astounding tests.

During the Second World War, Darlington had a number of industries that were important to the war effort. With its historic links to the railway industry, the town possessed several engineering firms, as well as a number of companies that produced iron and steel products, and many of these companies switched some or all of their production over to wartime demands. The town also had an extensive rural hinterland and the farmers of Teesdale were faced with a barrage of new demands and regulations governing their vital work.Many residents of the area served as members of the armed forces and losses were grievous: the number of Darlington men killed while serving with the RAF was particularly high, with the impact of these losses spreading throughout the community.Despite many setbacks, Darlington was very efficient in bring its Air Raid Precautions and civil defence services up to full strength. With Britain facing invasion in 1940, many older men in the area, along with those younger men who were in reserved occupations, volunteered to serve in the Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) and one man was still serving at the age of 89.Thankfully, Darlington did not see the heavy bombing that many other communities in the North East of England suffered. However, there were still a large number of accidents in the area caused by the blackout, resulting in a number of fatalities. Locals also had to deal with rationing and not all were willing to pull together, seeing the wartime conditions, instead, as an opportunity to make illegal profits.

For much of the nineteenth century, the women of Newcastle had occupied crucial, though largely underappreciated and acknowledged, roles within society. Aside from the hard life of raising families in an area where money was often hard to come by, and where much of the available work was labour intensive and dangerous, women were also expected to play a role in bringing money into the household.The use of female labour in Newcastle was often criticised by visitors to the town, particularly with the use of women on building sites. It was believed that many of the roles undertaken by women had a poor effect on their character, but it also created a unique and colourful variety of local personalities, some of whom were celebrated in song and story.The period was also one of considerable upheaval. Women were increasingly demanding greater rights and freedoms and Newcastle became a hotbed of support for the suffragist movement. Indeed, a number of prominent Tyneside suffragists and radical suffragettes launched several attacks in the area. The Chancellor was attacked while on a visit to Newcastle to make a political speech, and a number of suffragettes were arrested for damaging properties and for attempting to throw things at him. On another occasion, a bowling clubhouse was burned to the ground in an arson attack made by local, though unidentified, suffragettes.Women had also been excluded from many of the vital industries on Tyneside. Shipbuilding, heavy engineering, mining, women were excluded from all of these male bastions and there was a prevailing attitude amongst many Newcastle men that women should be kept out of industry as much as possible. The two World Wars changed this, when the rush of men to the colours resulted in these vital industries having to employ ever larger numbers of women and to acknowledge their contributions.