WHAT YOU SAY…#160
More memories of Nurse Carruthers
As a child, I remember Nurse Carruthers very well. She was a frequent visitor at my Grandma’s house in Dandsfield Place in Radcliffe. Margaret Keen, my Grandma, used to help by waiting at the homes of mothers about to give birth until Nurse Carruthers arrived.
Grandma provided reassurance and preparations for the birth, then stayed on until the baby was safely born.
I know that Nurse Carruthers will be fondly remembered by many people in Amble and Radcliffe.
Susan Smith (Norfolk)
via email
Nurse Carruthers, (left) receiving her MBE, with her niece Anne (centre) and Anne’s cousin Margaret
The recent article of the well respected Nurse Carruthers (#150 p6) appears to be taken in Dr Robertsons garden. It seems that it’s captured three of my daughters, namely Sandra, Angela and Lynda and possibly their cousin David Thirtle. She was well known to our large family.
Des Thirtle
via email
Agnes Carruthers was the oldest girl from seven children. The family were Scottish, from Glasgow, but moved to Wallsend, her father was a shipyard foreman. She was born in Newcastle in 1902, before the family once again moved back to Glasgow, and then in 1920 back to the Newcastle area.
She trained at Willington Hospital in Manchester and Tynemouth Hospital, she qualified as a midwife in 1930. I understood that she began work as District Nurse in Amble in the 1930s. Initially she lived in Newburgh St, (not Percy St. as I said previously). She had a fully equipped surgery at the front of the house, and living quarters at the back. I can remember the smell of the surgery, and the equipment, much in the style of the TV programmes we have seen from that era. She moved to 1, St. Lawrence Ave around 1957 where, again, she had a fully equipped surgery attached to her house.
The area that she covered included Red Row, Broomhill, Hauxley, Acklington, including the RAF station. Initially, and during the war she would cycle around the area to her patients, but by the time that I was aware of her she had a small Austin car. I was told that throughout the war she was solely responsible for the medical needs of her community as Dr. Robertson was away assisting the war effort. This seems like a huge responsibility, especially on a bicycle and on night calls.
She was regularly called out at night, the majority of babies were born at home, and she attended at deaths too. She had a regular surgery and there were often people knocking on her door for medical emergencies, often with fishing hooks stuck in fingers I seem to remember!!
Amble at this time was a pit village and a fishing community, she would receive gifts from grateful patients; salmon and crabs I particularly remember. A carpenter in Amble made gifts of furniture for her, I still have a desk and chair made by this same person. She would get a regular load of coal when the miners got theirs. She was highly thought of, evident when we walked through Amble, everyone greeted her, hello Nurse how are you, I’ve got a little something for you.
We, as a family, stayed with her every summer, she was a fantastic cook and baker. I would often accompany her when she went out to bath the new babies, a lovely experience for me.
She finally retired in the late 1960s.
Anne Ranger,
via email
Money found for other areas
Northumberland County Council constantly tell the people of Amble that there is not a magic money tree to provide a community and sports facility in Amble.
And yet miraculously today they have committed £1.1m to upgrade an outdoor pool in Haltwhistle.
NCC, the people of Amble would like to know why you do not think that Amble deserves the same facilities that many other towns have.
I’m sure that £1.1m could have transformed the old Bede Street Club into a Community Centre.
Ken Henderson
via email
Traffic concerns at new Persimmon estate
I often wonder what is the point of complaining about developers, but I can’t just ignore Persimmon’s ongoing deathtrap construction at the A1068 southern approach to Amble.
Our ineffective councillors and planners couldn’t insist on a logical vehicle entrance directly off the Percy Drive roundabout for the Hauxley View development, so instead they’ve allowed a dangerous T junction off the 60mph A1068 just 50m further south.
To avoid consequent accidents, they specified a ghost right hand turn lane to enter the estate, a right turn ban to leave it, localised widening of the A1068, a southern extension of the 30mph limit and a 3m wide footway northwards so schoolkids don’t have to cross the A1068,
Despite residents already in Hauxley View, ABSOLUTELY NONE of these safety features are provided. Pedestrians consequently take unacceptable risks just to access the estate as this recent photo shows.
Please will our spineless County Council ensure Persimmon install these measures BEFORE the inevitable road accident occurs.
Tom Lloyd
via email
P.S. They’d also better start saving for traffic lights at the “Top Hoose” junction once Longstone Manor is full and Tantallon start building – the 600 new homes using Acklington Road will drown it in traffic.
Gulls attacked
On Thursday 9 September at 6.30am someone lured birds onto a roof in the lane behind Newburgh street by throwing out bread, with the deliberate purpose of then shooting them.
They shot and killed two beloved seagulls that neighbours and children had watched nesting, being born, and successfully fledging.
We are all truly devastated by this awful, cruel act. We all mourn their loss, they might have been ‘just a couple of seagulls’ to some, but to us they were OUR seagulls, OUR babies.
Police and wildlife crimes have been informed and statements and evidence takenIf anyone has any information please contact Northumbria police and quote crime reference NP 20260910-0538
Kitty,
ia email
Warkworth Harbour Commissioners
Warkworth Harbour Commissioners would like to thank Mark Hetherington at Trident Maintenance Services for kindly donating all the paint and accessories required to paint the South Pier Lighthouse. He also gave his time and expertise which was greatly appreciated, to advise us on correct paints and procedures.
We felt it would be nice to give him and the company a public thanks, as the lighthouse looks really good now, and hopefully will for many years to come, which has to be good for the town.
