Wartime In Sunderland

A Memory of Sunderland.

My aunt Phoebe and uncle John George Charlton lived near the hump bridge crossing the Sunderland to Newcastle train line. We got off the bus at the Wheatsheaf pub travelling from Gateshead to walk about one hundred yards. Their home was adjacent to the line next to an abattoir down a narrow lane. My mother used to visit them during the war years beginning in about 1940. I was seven years old and I would lean over the wall for ages in their back yard watching the trains pass. Sometimes I would wander on my own near to the Monk-Wearmouth bridge passing the museum on my way. There was a picture house on the opposite side of the road. On my next visit I was shocked to see that the picture hall had been flattened by German bombers no doubt trying to hit the bridge. I got to know later that that quite a lot of people lost their lives that fateful night. I have been back to view my late relative's  old home which I believe was a railway house as my uncle John George was a signalman on the railway. The abattoir has gone as is the house where they lived but the lane where I walked down to wander around is still there bringing back many memories. My relatives moved to Sandringham road opposite Roker park. My aunt Phoebe a lovely woman died shortly before her 100th birthday. I have some relatives left in Sunderland but I doubt if I will meet up with any of them again. However I hope the lad who was just a baby in 1940 and I have met once since during the miners strike in 1986, at my aunt Phoebe's home, will read this message and maybe respond. His name is Billy Charlton. I next visited Sunderland's Roker park after the war when Sunderland were playing Norwich city. It might have been the third round of the FA cup in 1949 winning 3-1 and again in 1956 when Sunderland played a friendly against an Italian team Juventus with the great John Charles playing for them. They won 3-0.




Les May.  lsmy59@aol.com

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