William Bell
(1900 – 1947)
William was born in February 1900 at the family home in Sycamore Street, New
Hirst, Ashington. He was the third child (only son) to William and Agnes who also
had five daughters. By the time that William reached school age at five years, the
family had moved to Severn Street, New Hirst, Ashington. He attended the local
school and at age thirteen years, he left to take up employment at one of the local
collieries, possibly nearby Woodhorn Colliery where his deceased father had
worked.
Nothing is known of William until just after his seventeenth birthday. Like thousands
of young men, he was desperate to enlist to ‘do his bit for King and Country’. It is not
known if he had his mother’s permission but on the 21st May 1917, he
travelled into Newcastle upon Tyne where he enlisted in the Royal
Marines Light Infantry. His service record shows that he was 17
years 3 months and 14 days of age and that by profession, he was a
coal miner. The record goes on to describe him as being 5 feet 53/4
inches in height with brown eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion.
He had no distinguishing scars or marks on his body.
Being under the age of 18 years, he was unable to take part in active service. His
record shows that he was based at the Royal Marines Light Infantry Depot, Deal,
Kent for training from his enlistment until the 28th November 1917. He then
transferred to the Marines depot at Portsmouth where he underwent further training
until 3rd May 1918. His record shows that he was classed as ‘very good’ in infantry
and musketry drills and his sea going gunnery skills were also classed as ‘very
good’.
By now, as William was eighteen years of age, he
was able to go on active service. On the 4th May
1918, he joined the Marines aboard the battleship
HMS Canada, part of the Royal Navy’s 1st Battle
Squadron. By October 1918, HMS Canada was with
the British Grand Fleet which was preparing for a
major sea battle with the German Navy, a battle that
never took place due to mutiny aboard the German
ships. William remained on board HMS Canada until
she returned to Portsmouth on the 29th March 1919.
The 4th April 1919, saw William joining Marines aboard
HMS Glory, a battleship that was the Flagship of the
British North Russia Squadron and had been stationed
at the White Sea (Russia) port of Archangel since
1916. The primary role of HMS Glory was to ensure
that urgently needed supplies reached the Russian
Army in their fight on the Eastern Front against the
Germans. However, the Bolshevik revolution of March 1917 greatly complicated the
British position in northern Russia. For a brief period the British fleet and Royal
Marines cooperated with the Bolsheviks against the Finns and their German allies,
helping to move reinforcements and equipment to exposed parts of Northern Russia.
This ended in November 1917 when the Bolsheviks declared Russia as being
neutral and ceased fighting against the German Army. The Eastern Front Army were
then diverted to the Western Front which caused great alarm amongst the Allies. The
Allies decided that the troops in Northern Russia would support the Russian White
Army in their fight against the Bolsheviks. The hope was that the White Army would
overcome the Bolsheviks and that Russia would re-join the Allies, forcing the
Germans to move men back to the Eastern Front.
The Allies continued to fight alongside the White Russian Army, but by January
1919, they found themselves being pushed back to Archangel. It was soon after this
that a decision was made that all Allied troops would be withdrawn, leaving the White
Russians to fight the Bolsheviks alone. Allied reinforcements in the form of Royal
Marines (including William) arrived to assist in the withdrawal of all Allied troops. The
withdrawal continued over the next six months until finally HMS Glory left Archangel
at the beginning of October arriving back at Portsmouth on the 8th October.
William remained in Portsmouth until his discharge on the 17 th November 1919 when
he then returned to the family home in Ashington.
It is not known what William did for work when he arrived home, but as his mother
was a widow, it is highly likely that he returned to his earlier profession as a coal
miner.
William married Isabella Gray in 1928 and it is known from the 1931 baptism record
of their first daughter that William was the publican of the Station Hotel in Blyth. The
family were still there at the time of the birth of their second daughter in 1936.
By 1938, William was the manager of the North Seaton Hotel, Ashington, a position
that he kept for several years, possibly until his death in 1947.