Bensham In The 40s

A Memory of Sheriff Hill.

I was born in 1934 in Southill Rd, Bensham and went to Lady Vernon School, my name in them days was Sheila Lucas. I had a wonderful life in those days. My life revolved round Bensham, the baths in Mulgrave Terrace were freezing cold, the library on Redhaugh Rd and the Saturday cinema at the Bensham. My grandparents lived next door and as I was a only child, I was very spoilt. My grandfather, Arthur Tooth, was secretary of Gateshead Labour Party and I remember at one time they had an empty shop on First Street and when the local councillor stood for Parliment, my grandfather had me out with a banner. There were three fish shops on First street, all excellent and I was friends with Therza Thomas whose parents had the fish shop on Sidney Grove. I too, went to part time school in a house in Spencer Terrace - one day mornings, next day afternoons. We often went to Saltwell Park with a bag of broken biscuits and a bottle of pop or water. Sometimes we had money to go on the boats. Or buy a fishing net and a jam jar to catch tiddlers. We thought we had everything. I remember my father and all the men in the street digging up the snow in case we needed ambulances, in case of bombing. My aunt lived in Dixon Street and we used to go through the Dead Mans Arch and down the stairs to get there. There was also a barrage balloon down there with RAF lads. My friends in those days either lived in our Street or went to our school. My life changed forever in 1942 when my grandmother died and my grandfather married again and brought a widow with four children to live next door. The kids made my life hell, and the new wife drank and took an axe to our front door. That was it, my Dad was a joiner and could get a job in London on the bomb damage so he got us a house and we moved down to Camberwell in 1944 together with the V1s and the V2s. We were away for over 20 years, but my Mum was always homesick and came back. I came back in 1964 and met and married a lad I use to play with from Derwentwater Rd. Happy times of Bensham.

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