Chief Fire Officer Alfred Leyland

Alfred was born in Prior’s Lee, Salop in Shropshire in about 1910, to Alfred & Annie Leyland. He had an older brother & sister, Arthur and Winifred as well as one sister, Audrey, who was less than a year younger than him.

Most of the following information has been gathered from newspaper cuttings preserved in scrap books by the Middlesbrough Fire Brigade of the time.

We know nothing about Alfred’s early life, but in 1931, when he was 21 years old, he joined Manchester Fire Brigade. Seven years later he was Deputy Chief in Stockton-on-Tees Fire and Ambulance Brigade.

He appears to have been quite ambitious as in 1941, only 10 years after he began his career in the Fire service, he became Officer in Charge of the Western Division in Newcastle and a year later, 1942, was responsible for the whole of the Newcastle area.

In 1945 he moved to Middlesbrough, where he would remain for the next 18years. At this time his post was Sub-District Commander.

Three years later in 1948 he became Middlesbrough’s Chief Fire Officer a post he would keep for approximately 16 years.

On July 12th 1951 Middlesbrough Fire Brigade officially opened an extension to their Workshops building.

In November 1955 Alfred was presented with the Queens Medal for long service and good conduct. A picture and article, shown here, were in the Evening Gazette of the time.

A month long Exhibition, to mark the centenary of Middlesbrough Fire Service was opened 2nd September 1955. Alfred was very much hands on with every part of this successful exhibition and even organised a huge painting of Middlesbrough, displaying futuristic imaginary of skyscrapers with fire fighting techniques showing rescues using helicopters and wide television screens.

Only a year later, 14th February 1956, the queen mother presented Alfred with an OBE. Here is a lovely photograph taken the next day, of Alfred showing his O.B.E. to his proud wife and two daughters, in the Northern Echo.

I did find an interesting little snippet in an article written in January 1956 which told of how the Chief Fire Officer had been complaining of his house, 113 Park Road South, being extremely cold and impossible to heat and as a result was affecting both his family’s health as well as his own. He requested the Fire Brigade Committee look into this and asked them to include a further £250 in the 1955/56 estimates to heat the house.

In October 1959, Leyland was appointed President of the Chief Fire Officers Association – a position he took very seriously, remarking that his post required he ‘demonstrate in a manner beyond reproach the sense of responsibility, loyalty enabling a Chief Officer to serve his council and community.’

In 1963, a year before Alfred should have retired and at the age of 54, he accepted a post to join a 12 man team within the Fire Department of the Home Office in London as Assistant Inspector. His resignation was accepted and he handed over his post to the new Chief Fire Officer, Mr Harry Johnson, leaving at the end of July to begin his new position.

Alfred died aged 69 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in December 1978, after a long and successful career working in fire prevention.

The Life of John Shiels

John Shiels was born in Girvan, Scotland in 1841 to Patrick and Margaret Shiels who had emigrated from Ireland. Patrick worked as a traveller, hawking of soft goods, and in 1851 he and John (who was only 10) were lodging with other Irish hawkers in Glasgow.

We have no further information about John until 1860, when at the age of 20 he was appointed a Police Constable in Leeds City Police. Records show that John’s previous employment was as a commercial ‘traveller’ like his father, and that he was recommended for the position by a ‘Major General Johnson of Garnsallow’.  (We have not been able to establish where Garnsallow is, or how John came to meet Major General Johnson; one theory suggests that as a teenager John may have joined the armed forces and fought alongside Johnson during the Indian Mutiny of 1857).

Police notice from Head Constable of the Hartlepool Borough Police, John Shiels, circa 1870-1875.

John was described in the Leeds City Police appointment book as having “blue eyes, light brown hair, fair complexion with a height of 5’ 9¾”. In August 1861 he was promoted to 2^nd class Constable and was subsequently promoted to 1^st class in June 1862. A year later he was reprimanded for disobedience of orders. That same year he married Selina Goodliff and their first child Margaret was born in 1864.

In June 1865 John was reprimanded again, this time for ‘improper conduct’. However, he must have been thought of highly at Leeds as later that month he was also promoted to Sergeant with a weekly wage of 23 shillings. A year later John was promoted again to 2^nd class Sergeant and his pay increased to 24 shillings and 6 pence a week. I’m sure a much needed pay increase to support his growing family was welcomed as his second child Patrick was born that year.

By January 8th 1870 John Shiels was in position as ‘Chief Superintendent’ at Hartlepool Borough Police and ordered 1/2 dozen files. Here is a sample of his signature.

In July 1866 John moved his family to Scarborough after he was appointed Inspector of Detectives. John remained at Scarborough for two years before moving to York City Police as Detective Inspector. John was thought of highly at Scarborough and on his resignation was presented with a gold watch; “as an especial mark of our cordial regard and high appreciation of the manifold services you have rendered to the town of Scarborough, while acting as detective in the Police Force of this Borough.” (Extract taken from Assembly rooms, Testimonials, Scarborough, 8^th February 1868, J.W. Sharpin, J. P., Scarborough). 

After moving to York John’s third and fourth children, John and David, were born in quick succession in 1869. That same year John was named one of four Detectives involved with the apprehension of three criminals convicted of felony in the Norfolk area.  The other detectives were from Birmingham, London and Norwich. Together, with a Superintendant from King’s Lynn they received £10 as a recognition for their skill and activity in the capture of the criminals.

Police Notice from Superintendent John Shiels of the Hartlepool Borough Police, regarding two men who deserted from the fishing smack “Rescue” of Hull in July 1871.

In January 1870 John Shiels was appointed Chief Constable of Hartlepool Borough Police. At the time the Hartlepool’s were made up of two towns; Hartlepool Headland and West Hartlepool. In 1851 the Headland re-established its ancient Charter of Incorporation and thus pulled away from the Durham County Police Force (which policed West Hartlepool) and established the Hartlepool Borough Police – overseen by the Watch Committee of that Borough. When John took over as Chief Constable the force had only been in existence for 19 years, and he was the second Chief Constable.

The job included a house, gas and coals, which amounted to approximately £15 plus £120 per annum. This was a huge step up for John, whose testimonial for this position still survives as part of the Robert Wood Collection at the Museum of Hartlepool. Here are a number of quotes which are testament to John’s character at the time of his appointment.

Reference given by Chief Constable H.Pattison of Scarborough Borough Police, to the watch committee of the City of York, 1867

Reference given by Surgeon Robert Cameron of York, 1869

Reference given by J. E. Hunt of Leeds City Police Detective Department, 1866

Only a year after moving to Hartlepool two of John’s children died, David aged 2 and Margaret aged 7.  John and Selina had three surviving children; Patrick, John and new born Mary Agnes. In 1873 another child, Helen was born, and in 1875 another girl, Kate, followed.

In 1874 John’s salary was reported to have increased from £130 per annum to £150 per annum (York Herald 10.1.1874) implying that the Hartlepool Borough Council Watch Committee were pleased with John’s work. Only a year later however John resigned his position as Chief Constable after a period of only five years. We have no information regarding the reason for John’s resignation or the demise that was to follow.

In 1877, two years after John resigned, he and his family were living near Leeds where another child, Emma was born.  Two years later in 1879, Charles was born and a further two years later in 1881, the tenth and last child, Christiana Virginia was born. John was registered as a ‘Hawker’ which would have been something of a reduction in salary and quality of life – so why did John do this? One theory is that something happened to John in 1875 which meant that he was forced to resign his position as Chief Constable (perhaps he turned to alcohol after the death of his children? – sobriety was an important characteristic for a Chief Constable). He turned to the only other occupation he knew, ‘hawking’. He may have found this difficult to do in Hartlepool as John would have required a licence from the Chief Constable.

Police Notice from Head Constable John Shiels of the Hartlepool Borough Police regarding the burglary of the Mayor of Hartlepool’s house, 1873

Selina died aged 42 in 1881 and was buried in a nonconformist site in Leeds. Three years later in 1884 John, married his second wife Margaret McIver (nee Goldie). Margaret had previously been married to a West Yorkshire police officer who had died in service, because of this she received a payment of £70 as compensation. Together they had ten children all under the age of twelve – six of which belonged to John. Their address at the time was 9 Meanwood Terrace, Leeds. Again, John’s occupation was described as a ‘commercial traveller’.

Margaret died three years later and it would appear that this was something of a turning point for John who was starting to find life difficult, as we can see by the following displays of behaviour:

• On 24^th October 1887 John was charged with assaulting his nine year old son in their home. John, “when sober behaved well to his children”. (The Leeds Mercury Tuesday 25^th October 1887)  As stated by various newspaper reports at the time, John received a sentence of two months hard labour.  Three of John’s younger children were put into institutions.

• In 1888 there was court case against John, this time for ‘annoying passengers on the railway,’ According to the Yorkshire Post Thursday 12^th April, John is described as a Book Hawker, of Newcastle, ‘When the train had passed through Marsh Lane Tunnel he commenced dancing about the compartment and annoying the lady, and making himself objectionable.’ Although he didn’t appear in court he was ordered to pay a fine of 40s (shillings) plus costs or one month in prison.

In 1906 John is recorded as having died – although there is limited information as to the circumstances of this.

One of the interesting questions we are left with is what happened to John Shiels while he was living and working in Hartlepool as Chief Constable? Why did he leave a well paid, prestigious job, where he was well respected in the town to become a Hawker in Leeds? was it the pressure of losing children, or did he simply wish to live a more simple life? We may never know the answers to these questions and so we might be left to fill in the blanks with only the facts we have. Please feel free to discuss what you think may have happened to John Shiels in the comments.

Images copyright to the Museum of Hartlepool, Robert Wood Collection.

With particular thanks to Janet Richardson and family whose research into John McAdam Shiels (2nd Great Grandfather) has formed much of this research.

Superintendent Richard Merryweather

Names and addresses of Hartlepool fire fighters, including Superintendent Richard Merryweather and his second son James. The poster shows that at the time there were no fire alarms, instead the Fire Brigade relied on the public calling on each of the fire fighters at home. A financial incentive was provided to encourage the public to raise the alarm. (Robert Wood Collection, Museum of Hartlepool)

In the 1830’s the Borough of Hartlepool paid a premium to the West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company. In exchange they provided fire insurance and a manual fire appliance overseen by a volunteer Fire Brigade. For many years this Brigade was Superintended by Mr Richard Merryweather.

Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette – Saturday 19 August 1876

Merryweather was originally from Yorkshire. His father William was brother to Moses Merryweather, who at the age of 14 was apprenticed to a fire appliance manufacturer in London called, Hadley, Simpkin and Lott. Eventually the firm transferred to Mr Lott whose niece Mr Merryweather later married. Moses went on to inherit the firm and worked hard to make it one of the most respected and sought-after fire engine manufacturers in the World.

One man who gave much attention to the means of extinguishing fires during the early 1800s was the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. In 1820 one of the Duke’s country estates was completely destroyed by fire, the experience lead him to take an interest in the work of the Merryweather firm, and also to become great friends with the Merryweather family. The Duke had a curiosity for mechanics and was frequently seen ‘volunteering’ in the works at Long Acre – either in the fitting shop or the smithy. The Duke also had the best private Fire Brigade outside London at his residence, Stowe House in Buckinghamshire. In 1839, the palace was said to have eight fire engines, four of a smaller type situated on each floor of the building, and four larger engines stationed around the mansion. He built four elevated reservoirs within the palace that had suitable attachments for all engines and also had Merryweather make a powerful carriage engine. The Duke handpicked 24 men from his team of staff to form a Brigade. They were smartly outfitted and armed in the London Brigade fashion and were under the charge of an engineer from London.

It is thought that Richard Merryweather was that London engineer. It is known that Richard spent some time working for his uncle at Long Acre in his early twenties. He was trained to use and maintain fire fighting appliances and it seems, was trusted to publicly test them for potential clients.

Derby Mercury – Wednesday 08 February 1837

In volume 38 of Mechanics Magazine and Journal of Science, Arts and Manufactures, it states that ‘upon the occasion of a recent incendiary fire at Tingewich, three miles from Buckingham, the efficient exertions of Mr. Richard Merryweather (Superintendent of the Stowe-fire engines) and his men were beyond praise’.

It was while Richard Merryweather was at Stowe that he met and married the Duke’s maid Elizabeth Mould, who was originally from Easton in Hampshire. Sometime after 1847 the couple moved to Hartlepool.  It is assumed that Richard left employment at Stowe House because that year the Duke was declared bankrupt. His debts totalled over a million pound and so he was forced to sell the contents of Stowe House – including his fire appliances. Richards father William had moved to Hartlepool some time earlier to start a ship-owning business and so he took his wife and three young children to start a new life.

Richard and Elizabeth Merryweather went on to have six children altogether, with one boy, Henry, dying in infancy. The family lived on the Headland, close to St Hilda’s, and played an active role in the community and church. Richard set up a business as an auctioneer selling homes and their contents’. As well as his duties as the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, from which he retired due to ill health in 1879, Richard also acted as as High Bailiff of the County Court and Councillor for the Borough. He was also one of the original 39 men made Freemen during the passing of the Freeman’s Land and Harbour Dues Act in 1851, and was also one of last surviving men from this group, dying in 1891 aged 77.

York Herald – Tuesday 06 October 1891

Images copyright to the Museum of Hartlepool and the British Newspaper Archive

Middlesbrough Chief Constable : William Ashe

Guest post by Museum of Hartlepool Volunteer Ruth Iles

Chief Constable William Ashe, early 1900s

In mid February, 1876 Sergeant Ashe of the Middlesbrough Police Force was dispatched to Australia to apprehend a former Middlesbrough Borough Council accountant, Thomas Cameron Close.

Close had embezzled over £2,000 and then fled the country with his wife and family of five children.  Sergeant Ashe was hot on his heels and, with the help of the Australian police, apprehended Thomas Close in Melbourne.

Close’s wife and family had no money to return to the UK, but an Australian newspaper, The Argus, printed the story appealing for funds and raised over £134, with which the wife & family were gratefully able to return to England.

Sergeant Ashe returned to Middlesbrough with his prisoner in August 1876.  The press reported the story in great detail.

In December 1876, after five minutes deliberation, the jury reached their verdict of guilty & Thomas Close was sentenced to five years penal servitude.

William Ashe was born in Masham, Yorkshire in 1846, in 1870 he married Jane Elizabeth Hall in Guisborough and they subsequently went on to have 10 children.  At the time of the Australian assignment Sgt. Ashe was away from his wife & two children for a total of five months.

William Ashe’s page in the Middlesbrough Police Force’s book of appointments, 1866

In his late teens William Ashe had a connection to the Leeds police and in 1866, age twenty, began his vocation in the Middlesbrough Police Force as a third class constable. At this time there were only forty seven policemen on the force. After twenty years this had risen to seventy one.  By 1893 the force was up to seventy six strong and possessed three police horses.

Unusual at that time, Ashe made the police service his career and in 1883, seven years after his ‘jaunt’ to Australia became Middlesbrough’s Chief Constable following the retirement of Mr E. J. Saggerson (Superintendant of Police the Chief Constable from 1874).  He remained in this post until 1902.

In May of 1902 William Ashe was at work when he was struck down with paralysis, and on 31^st August of the same year, William Ashe retired on a generous pension of £300 per annum.

William Ashe had begun his long career starting at the bottom of the rung and worked his way up the ladder. He told friends, colleagues and council officials, at he and his wife’s Silver Wedding presentation,  that he “knew what it was like to work twelve hour days and parade the streets on dark winter nights”.  Twelve hour days were normal when Ashe began his career but this had been reduced to eight by his retirement.

Chief Constable William Ashe seated center, and the Middlesbrough Police Force cricket team. Early 1900s

Ashe was described as being a strict disciplinarian but also having a ‘kind heart for every member of the force’ and was always anxious to do his duty.

Middlesbrough was still being compared to the wild Australian Frontier when Ashe began his profession, with crime at its height after the influx of men needed to work in the up and coming industries in the local areas.  Luckily for Ashe crime settled and began to level out from the 1870’s.

Images copyright to the Teesside Archives and The Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough.

A West Hartlepool Police Superintendent

As part of the Safe and Sound project, we are attempting to trace some of the people who were Superintendents of the West Hartlepool Division of the Durham County Constabulary.

One of those men was Superintendent William Parkinson.

Born in Chester-le-Street In 1848, to Robert Parkinson, a small landowner who kept animals, and Martha Parkinson, who died when William was only 2 years old.

Parkinson joined the Police force on the 26th of January 1868. After a fortnights training at the Police Headquarters in Durham hewas transferred to Houghton-le-Spring, where he remained for 6 months.

By 1874, Parkinson had also been stationed at East Herrington, Ebchester and Quebec near Lanchester.

In 1874, Parkinson was promoted to Sergeant and stationed at Consett. He remained there until 1875, when he was moved to Spennymoor and later Crook.

In 1878, aged 30 he was promoted to the rank of Inspector and stationed at Stockton until 1885 when he was appointed to the position of Superintendent at West Hartlepool, replacing Superintendent Scott, who was reportedly Roberts brother-in-law. Parkinson held the position at West Hartlepool for 10 years and 9 months before resigning.

He was therefore connected with the Durham County Constabulary for 28 years.

Privately, William Parkinson married Mary Jane Parkinson, also from Chester-le-Street, and together they had 5 children, George, Jane, Robert (who died in childhood), William and Percy.

If anyone has any information about Superintendent William Parkinson. Please contact us at the Museum of Hartlepool

Whose Lifesaving medal is it anyway?

Bronze medal made by Vaughton of Birmingham. One side of the depicts a lifesaving scene and is inscribed ‘THE LIFE SAVING SOCIETY ESTABLISHED 1891’; the otheris inscribed ‘AWARDED TO J.O.MANN’ and is within a ring inscribed ‘QUEMCUNQUE MISEUM VIDERIS HOMINEM SCIAS’ (Latin for whosoever you see in distress, recognise him as a fellow man). The medal was awarded by The Life Saving Society, founded in 1891. Its purpose was to safeguard lives in, on and near water. The Society has had Royal Patronage since 1904, meaning that this particular medal is an early, rare example, predating 1904.

The photographed medallion was found in the numismatic collection at the Museum of Hartlepool. The only information we had regarding its existence was that it was awarded to a J. O. MANN, the donor, W. O. MANNs father, who donated it in the late 1980s.

Medals like this were awarded for knowledge, skill and judgement in lifesaving by the The Life Saving Society founded in 1891. The Society has had Royal Patronage since 1904 – meaning that this medal was awarded between 1891 and 1904.

While searching the Hartlepool Mail for lifesaving medals awarded between these dates, we found an article written in 1897, on the Hartlepool Amateur Swimming Club, which brought up the name Oswald Mann.

In 1897 Oswald Mann took part in a swimming competition for under eighteens and was awarded a watchguard for competing in the ‘Dive and Swim Underwater’ event, and a silver medal the ‘100 Yards Handicap’. Although not a bronze lifesaving medal, the article does go on to list members of the club who received this medal on the same day.

The Mayor of Hartlepool who oversaw the event, observed that “a swimming club in a town like Hartlepool was a very important institution”. He spoke of the great advantages of swimming both to the swimmer himself, in the matter of health, and to other people, in the matter of lifesaving. He went on to state that six or seven thousand people were drowned every year on the seaboard and in inland rivers and waters in the United Kingdom.

Dr Rawlings, the president of the club, went on to say that because of their work it was “possible for a man to rescue from water anyone who was drowning” he stated that in previous years “they did not know how to set about resuscitating the drowning person, so the latter was merely rescued from the water to die from the effects of his immersion.” Dr Rawlings continued that, “one of the greatest things the lifesaving class was now taught… was the best methods of restoring to life the apparently drowned.”

As we can see, lifesaving classes were highly regarded in Hartlepool, a town where the livelihood of its many inhabitants depended solely on the sea. This was recognised at the Hartlepool Swimming Club, whose members were taught lifesaving and resuscitation techniques which they would take into the workplace. Although Oswald Mann did not receive his medal in 1897, it would not be wrong to assume that he gained the medallion in the coming years.

Assuming that J.O.Mann is the Oswald Mann referred to in the newspaper article (it was not uncommon for men at this time to be called by their middle names), we used Ancestry.com to trace him further, searching for an ‘Oswald Mann’, living in Hartlepool, born around 1880 (due to him taking part in an under eighteens event in 1897). The first record to arise was the 1911 census return for a John Oswald Mann.

John Oswald ‘Ossie‘ Mann, was born in Hartlepool in 1882. He married Jane Isabella Oswald in 1907, and their first child William Oswald Mann was born in December that year. Their second child Albert Oswald Mann was not born until 1916. They lived in Throston initially, but eventually moved to a house in Elm Grove.

Like his father John Thomas Mann, Ossie became a Marine Engineer, spending most of his working life away at sea. From 1903 to 1928 he worked for Jacobs, Barrington and Garratt a consulting engineers – for fourteen of those years Ossie sailed as Chief Engineer. He then worked briefly for an American company, before returning to his former employer.

During the First World War Ossie was a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, he served in the Middle East and India where he contracted malaria. After a spell in hospital he was transferred back to Hartlepool, where he continued his service in the Inland Waterway section.

Coming from a long family tradition of Marine Engineers and Seamen, we can see the value that Ossie would have placed on becoming a strong swimmer, and learning the techniques needed to rescue others from drowning at sea, and resuscitating them if needed. I can find no mention that Ossie had to put his life saving techniques into action, although I am sure that had the situation arisen, the efforts of the Hartlepool Swimming Club to instill lifesaving techniques in their young members, would not have been put to waste.

All images copyright to the Museum of Hartlepool