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For Mac Hardy the Hebburn Drill Hall plus
Posted by Allan C. on 21/9/2025, 3:25 pm
Mac it a bit difficult to find the info as I had to hunt for it and once clarified move on.
If your male relations served in WW1 and lived in Hebburn or Jarrow they would more than likely serve in the Northumberland Fusiliers or the Durham light Infantry or maybe the Green Howards.
Fenham Barracks in Newcastle was used by them all.
In 1914/15 the N’land Fus’s open a drill hall or recruitment Center in Walker so that probably covered east Tyneside.
There were others and one was up in Alnwick.
In those days you went into Local Regiments. No idea about Navy recruitment.
However your relation could later on in WW1 be moved to another Regiment or Battalion etc. as losses of life very high.
There is a figure of 16,000 men of the Fusiliers killed in WW1. I am unsure if that all during WW1 or just certain Battles like the Somme. They took part in over 4 or more.
Those that used The Ellison Drill Hall were Territorials and would first sent to protect important buildings and installations. In 1915 they were sent to France maybe in batches?
What I have written is my understanding at the moment and could change.
In WW2 things were different it appears. A man could be sent almost anywhere by the recruiters.
An uncle was sent to a Tank regiment down south. He wrote a lot about his war service. North Africa, Sicily, up Italy and ended up in Austria.
Ann’s eldest sister married a chap Herbert Rippington and we have a photo of him in I think fire brigade uniform with his wife or future wife.
Yesterday I found a photo of him in Army uniform and wearing shorts so maybe N. Africa or Italy. Tents the background but could indicate in a compound in a village Center.
There is a portion of a building in the background so we’ll have to check it but it a very small portion..
Herby ( Herbert) had a well known Hebburn man his brother John Rippington. I’ve forgotten what I knew about John. Was he a writer or a historian?
