Blyth History.

[pityackafromblyth]

The loss of the SS Flush occurred in Nov. 1919.  It had sailed from Blyth with a cargo of coal, and the ship's first port of call was Malmo, where its cargo was unloaded.  It then sailed 'in ballast' for Harnosand which is in the north of Sweden, Gulf of Bothnia.  However, on the night of 19th-20th November, in a blizzard, the ship went aground on rocks at Aland Islands.  All hands were lost, and the vessel wrecked. A list of the crew was in The Scotsman, dated 29.11.19 but some crew members were not listed.  The names below are from an article in the Blyth News & Wansbeck Telegraph, and is complete except one name.
   Capt. Brady.       1st Mate. Mr. Jones.      2nd Mate.  O. Sorenson, of London.
   Chief Engineer.  ??      2nd Engineer.  Fred Ravenburn,  Station Street, Blyth.
   3rd Engineer.  R. Wood, 73, Waterloo Road.    Michael Sweeney, boatswain, 124, Nile Street,
   Gateshead. Married.     J. Sorensen, AB, 7, Charlton Street.     R. McNeil, AB. 5, William Street,
   W. Palmer, Boy, 35, Goschen Street.    C. Langley, Boy, 10, Nelson Place.   Jake Johnson,
   Donkeyman, 6, King Street.  Married.     M. McIvor, Fireman, 31, George Street, single.
   I. Kirten, Fireman, 26, Holmside Place.  Single.    A.F. Nadgreen,  Fireman, 26, Holmside Place.
   Married.    T. Forster, Fireman, 19, Clive Street. Married.  G.W. Loud, Fireman, 19, Clive Street.
   Single.   A. Coyne, Fireman, 79, High Street.  Married.   J. Langlands,  Cook.  GRainger Street.
   Widower.   J. Hunter.  Messroom Steward, 37, Gladstone Street.  D. Young.  Steward, of North
   Shields.
Re the 2nd Mate O. Sorenson, his surname is spelt like that, and also ' Sorensen' in two different newspapers.  It is not known wether he was related to J. Sorensen.
J. Sorensen had served in the Danish and British Navies.  In 1917 he was on the S.S. Kurdistan when it was torpedoed in the Mediterranean.  It was en route from Blyth to Alexandria with a cargo of coal.  Mr. Sorensen was in the ship's lifeboat when it was run down by a British minesweeper which was rushing to their aid.
Mrs. Coyne had previously lost two sons at sea, and then her husband in this tragedy.
J. Johnson was the only survivor from a ship lost in WW I.
Mr. Forster had served 4-1/2 years in the Army, and was stepfather to G. W. Loud.
In 1920 questions were asked in Parliament and are recorded in Hansard.
Part of the Flush's wheel and another item are in the Maritime Museum at the Aland Islands.

[emmadog]

Hi Pityakka, Ihave found your last message very interesting as my grandfather was in the merchant navy in WW1.

Very strange that he had a stepbrother with the surname Coyne and I am now wondering if they could have been related.

My grandfather was 15 in 1914 when he first went to sea. I am pleased I did not sail with him as his ships seemed to have had bad luck ( maybe someone had mentioned the word "pig" before the left.  When I was young I was never allowed to call anybody a pig as it was bad luck when you come from a family of seamen!!

I  have a piece a note somewhere of when his ship got torpedoed and the were towed into Messina for repairs.  The comment was that the only casualty was some of the china.

Barbara

[pityackafromblyth]

Can anyone recall the large nissen huts which were on Links Road, same side as the Wellesley School and just after it ?  They would be opposite the old bandstand area at South Beach.  For some reason the memory of them came to mind just last night.  I cannot recall how many there were.  They must have been connected to Forces personnel stationed at Blyth in WW II.
I believe they were used to house families after the war, presumably due to bombed housing and the shortage of houses.

[Phodgetts]

I had thought they'd be on this shot of the area but I was mistaken. Were they on the site where the static caravans are in the shot?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36891793@N08/8601293958/

Lots more images on that Flickr page to reminisce.

P

[Phodgetts]

When do you remember them being there PYFB? I have cropped out a section of an old postcard of the area dated 1959 and there is no sign of the huts in the field by the band stand. Unless of course the houses down there are blocking the view of the huts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/8867395122/sizes/k/in/photostream/

I'll continue looking through other aerial shots I have of the area, but thus far nothing is coming up trumps. Looking forward to hearing what others say on this one.

P

[dolly dimples]

  I well remember the buildings that PYFB is on about, I always understood they were used by
 Military personnel in war time, then as he said people were moved into them, until they were no longer fit for habitation.
  A large housing project is on going there now which is changing the area altogether, much for the better.      Dolly
                       

[pityackafromblyth]

Phodgetss, and Dolly,  The first photo you posted shows the field they were in, ie where the static caravans are.  The start of them was opposite the posh house over the road, which was on the end of the beach, and also at the end of the timber yard. (Wrights ??)
How many of the huts there were I do not recall.  Certainly 2, but I would think there would have been many more, stretching further back into the field.  Would they have been used during the war for RN personnel, ie due to submarine base ?
Quite a bit back, on World War Two Talk, (I think) I found a posting from a WREN, who had been seconded to Blyth base.  She travelled north by train; was met at Newcastle Central; not told where she was going to; and travelled by jeep to Blyth, and found that the winter was very hard.

[TriciaK]

I remember the Wellesley school, but not the nissen huts.
Later, probably just after the end of the war, I think they built some prefab houses on the same side as the dunes.
What I do remember are the huge concrete blocks on the beach, and a few concrete shelters.  I was told, to stop the german tanks if they tried to invade.

[dolly dimples]

  Well PYFB youv'e got me there? My better half can remember a couple in the grassed area which was later the swingpark, I only remember the sqare buildings around the Wellesley School, that  closed about 2006.        Hoping someone can produce a photo of these huts,
                                                                           Dolly