David Besford was born on 31st August 1919 at 273 Rosalind Street, Ashington, Northumberland. His parents were John William Besford (known as Jack) and Agnes Jane Besford (née Hewit). David was named after his paternal grandfather. When David was born his sister Dorothy Jane (Dora) Besford was just three weeks short of her fourth birthday. The two of them would remain very close throughout their long lives.
The Treaty of Versailles had been signed two months before David’s birth, officially bringing to an end the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Marshal Ferdinand Foch, who had commanded the Allied Forces, declared with remarkable prescience “This is not Peace. It is an Armistice for twenty years”. David’s father Jack Besford had been opposed to the war and had broken with the methodist church over its support for it. His strong pacifism would have a deep impact on David’s beliefs, with dramatic effect when those twenty years elapsed and war returned.
273 Rosalind Street was a three-roomed terrace house overlooking Hirst Park. It had a living room, scullery, and two bedrooms. In one of these, David and Dora shared a bed. The house did not have electricity or gas. It was lit by oil lamps. There was a cold water tap in the scullery. Water had to be taken from this and heated by means of the coal fire which had to be kept going.
When David was 6 years old the family moved to 3 Beech Terrace, Ashington. This house had electricity and a downstairs bathroom with hot and cold water. The water was heated by a boiler behind the coal fire. There was a coal house and toilet in the back yard.
David attended Hirst North School in Ashington. The Morpeth Herald dated 3rd July 1931 records that he passed his exams and obtained a county scholarship to attend Bedlington Secondary School. He was one of only eight boys from the school who achieved this.
David left school and at the age of 16 was working for the Cooperative Wholesale Society (CWS) at Blandford Street in Newcastle. (The former CWS building now houses the Discovery Museum and Tyne and Wear Archives.)
In 1935 David met Joan Matthews on the bus going into Newcastle. He was 16 and Joan was 15. They discovered that they both worked at the CWS. Romance blossomed and they went on to marry during the Second World War.
David was a keen footballer and acquired a reputation as a hard player who would not shirk a challenge. He earned the nickname “Dirty Besford”, partly as a result of running with his elbows out ready to fend off an opponent!
In 1939 David’s parents Jack (then 47) and Agnes (then 49) relocated to Newcastle when Jack was elected to the post of Financial Secretary of the Northumberland Miners’ Association. David (20) and his sister Dora ( 24) moved with them to 12 Moorfield in Gosforth, David’s maternal grandfather Alexander Hewit (76) also came to live at Moorfield.
On 3rd September 1939 Britain declared war on Germany and entered the Second World War. David was a conscientious objector and as such had to attend a tribunal on 6th December 1939. His father attended with him (see newspaper report below). The result of this was that David was registered as a conscientious objector provided that he undertook work of national importance.
Click to enlarge page from the Newcastle Journal and North Mail, Thursday 7th December 1939
Image © National World Publishing Ltd. Image created courtesy of The British Library.
David joined the National Fire Service (NFS) which was established as a result of the war. The NFS was an amalgamation of the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) with the local authority fire brigades. At its peak the NFS employed 370,000 individuals. Serving in the NFS was no sinecure. Its members were called upon to attend the aftermath of German air raids involving both high explosive bombs and incendiary bombs. These could sometimes still be in progress whilst the NFS were in attendance. More than 900 members of the NFS were killed during the Second World War.
On a lighter note, David recounted an incident which took place one night when he was on guard duty. He was playing cards with colleagues when they heard an engine start up. David remarked jokingly that someone was stealing the fire engine, and the card game carried on. A senior officer had unfortunately driven off in the fire engine to test David’s state of alertness! A few minutes later, much to everyone’s confusion, the officer came in asking where the engine was. David was reprimanded for this and fined seven shillings and sixpence.
David married Joan Matthews on 11th September 1943 at St. Paul’s Parish Church, Choppington. They went to live at 2 Mowbray Terrace, Choppington, Northumberland, the home of Joan’s parents, John and Mary Matthews.
Their son John Besford was born on 23rd August 1944 at the Mona Taylor Maternity Home, Stannington, Northumberland. David was still serving as a fireman at this point.
David and Joan’s second son, David Besford, was born on 10th January 1946 at Dilston Hall, Northumberland. Dilston Hall was on the site of the ruins of Dilston Castle. The castle and original Hall had been the home of the Radcliffe family until the failed Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. James Radcliffe (the Earl of Derwentwater) was a leading Jacobite. He was beheaded and his property was forfeited. The Radcliffes had owned extensive land and property and their family name was the origin of Radcliffe near Amble where David Besford (1863-1954) and his wife Mary Besford (née Turnbull) lived with their family in the first decade of the 20th Century.
David (by now back in civilian life and working again as a Clerk at the CWS) and Joan were still living at 2 Mowbray Terrace at the time of David’s birth. David cycled to Dilston every day for over a week after David’s birth (which had been a week later than anticipated) to see him and Joan. He must presumably have done this from 12 Moorfield, his parents’ home. This would have been a round trip of 38 miles each day (in winter!) so David must have been very fit at the time.
David and Joan’s third son, Alan Besford was born on 3rd January 1948 at the Princess Mary Maternity Hospital in Newcastle. David had by now joined the Civil Service and was working as a clerk for the Ministry of Health. He and Joan were now living at 18 Mill Hill Road, East Denton, Newcastle.
