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JOHN ALAN WATSON 1894 -1961 J. Alan Watson was born on 28th April 1894 at Hardwicke Hall, Castle Eden, where his father was farming. The family moved to Eastfield Farm, Spennithorne, Leyburn, at least by 1904 as postcards exist from then. It was a small tenanted farm (90 acres?). Alan had an elder brother, Grainger, who emigrated to Australia before the war and returned with the Anzac forces to Gallipoli and France (see War Diaries). He also had a younger sister, Jenny, who married Robbie Hodgson, the owner of a neighbouring farm, Hallwith, during the war (?). Alan went to school at Spennithorne, leaving at 14 having spent the last couple of years teaching the juniors, as it was a very small school. He played cricket for local sides, including Leyburn, where he is reputed to have been offered a trial for Yorkshire as a fast bowler. There is, however, no record extant of this; it has been suggested that this will be because his birthplace being Co. Durham would have caused the invitation to be withdrawn. However, his skills in this area won the approval of Frank Wilson, himself a leading light in local cricket and the father of his future wife, Tess, despite his not being a Catholic and the Wilsons being very strong R.Cs. He also had strong ties with Joe Wilson, Frank's only son, who was the local scoutmaster, and Tess's sisters, Mary, Clare and Gertie. There are several photos showing members of both families clearly all friends before the war. Alan volunteered with a number of friends, including Joe Wilson (see War Diaries) on the outbreak of war, but his enlistment was postponed until the harvest was in. He eventually joined the Royal Garrison Artillery at Newhaven on 25th August 1914, training at Portsmouth in October - December 1914. He went to France with 13th Siege Battery, R.G.A. on 23rd April 1915, having joined them on 10th December 1914. With them he took part in the Battles of Aubers Ridge and Loos. On 11th November 1915, after a few days' leave, he joined in the forming of 76th S.B. (see Regimental History and War Diary II), going abroad with them on 1st April 1916, and taking part in the Battle of the Somme. He was sent home to OCTU at Maresfield Park (No 2 R.G.A. Cadet School) in April 1917 and eventually joined 291st S.B. on 29th December 1917. He was with them in the March Retreat in 1918, the Battle of Villers Bretonneaux in April 1918 (the probable time of his Mention in Despatches) and the following advance. Unfortunately there is no trace of a diary for this time, but an attempt has been made to trace the history of 291 S.B. and link it with some surviving photos. After his demobilisation in February 1919, he gained qualifications as a sanitary inspector by correspondence course and got a job in Skipton for the local authority. He married Tess (Margaret Teresa) Wilson in 1920, their eldest child Jack (John Francis) was born in October 1921, and the second, Bob (Robert Alan) in 1922. Shortly after, in 1923, he got a post at Bedale under the local authority, presumably in the sanitation department as he made friends with Cis and Edwin Gatenby at this time when his first job was fumigating the house when Cis's brother got Sleeping Sickness. However, the North Riding was at this time taking over responsibility for various parts of local administration and he was appointed as a District Surveyor in charge of roads in Bedale-Leyburn-Hawes and adjacent areas. In 1930 he moved to Easingwold in charge of No.3 Area, NRYCC. During his time there he was responsible for many major improvements - the surfacing of Sutton Bank, when no national contractor would touch it as it was "impossible" to use a roller on its long twisting one in four gradient; the dual carriageway from Spitalbeck Inn to Kirkham Hill on the A64 in the early thirties which is virtually unchanged today - both inside and outside his area. The team of workmen and foremen he built up was so good that they were employed as a task force outside the area on major works on the Al between Leeming and Boroughbridge. |