This is an image of my maternal grandmother, Mary Jane Redican (1886-1912). She is also the grandmother of my cousin Jim McCurley, who is a regular contributor to this site. Mary Jane married Andrew McCurley, after whom I was named, in 1905. They had two other children apart from my mother and Jim’s father. Mary Jane died of rheumatic fever during 1912, aged just 25. Andrew McCurley died in 1916. The Evening Gazette of 26 December 1916 reported, “Fatal accident at Stockton”. A verdict of death caused by being run over by a cab, was returned at an inquest in Stockton today on Andrew McCurley, of 37 Waverley Street, who died at the hospital. It appears that on Friday night the deceased, when in Hartington Road, stepped off the pavement in front of an approaching cab, and before the driver could avoid the accident the wheel of the vehicle passed over Mr McCurley”. The cab was horse-drawn.
Folklore claims that Andrew had just left the Clarendon public house on Dovecot Street
As a consequence, all four children were orphaned, the eldest, Jim’s dad, was ten years of age and the youngest just five.
In those days there were only two options open to orphaned children, the workhouse/orphanage or be ‘taken in’ by the extended family. Fortunately, the latter was the choice for these four children. That did not mean that there were not hard times ahead, there were plenty, but it was far better than the alternative.

Photograph and details courtesy of Andrew Wood.

This is a picture of a Stockton Amateur Stage Society production, probably during the 1950s. While my mother-in-law Joyce Bullock (then Croft) was a member of the Society, we cannot see her among the cast. So, afraid we don’t know anything more about the image. Costumes are interesting to say the least, looking at the set and costumes I wonder whether this was a production of Heidi?

Photograph and details courtesy of Tony Meehan

A team picture from Norton Cricket Club this time from 1946. The line up is as follows. Back Row (L-R: S Forster (scorer), Basil McQuillan, Tom Birtle, Harry Thompson, George Carter, Wilf Lawson

Front row (L-R): Dick Spooner, Freddie Harker, David Walford, David Townsend (captain), Jimmy Grigor, Edgar Manners.

David Townsend had played for England in the 1930s and Dick Spooner went on to play 7 test matches for England in the 1950s. A very strong team which won the league in 1946.

Photograph and details courtesy of Martin Birtle.

This photo is in an unusual format, it is a folded card the same as any greeting card with the image on the front and the players and officials names on the back, the inside is blank, possibly for a message.

It is titled Billingham Football Club but it doesn’t specify if it is The Synthonia or another Billingham Club. I remember the Synthonia and North End were the two teams in the 1950s and 1960s, the North End played on a pitch where the Forum now stands but in 1935 the ICI houses in the Pentland Avenue area were still under construction so that team were probably not yet formed. If anybody knows differently then please let me know.

Back Row L-R: Thompson (Secretary), Finlayson, Simpson (Captain), Redpath, Bains, Walker, Lowes, Ferguson (Trainer), Front Row L-R: Skeldon, Downs, McLean, Harforth (President), Thompson, Anderson. Unfortunately the name of the dog was omitted!

This picture is from 85 years ago and many of the people in it will have been born before the First World War. This card is one of a series all showing small town football teams such as Shildon and St. Helens, I wonder if they were for presentation to the players.

Photograph and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.