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Hirst

Hirst is part of the town of Ashington in Northumberland. Traditionally, the area to the east of the railway was called Hirst and that to the west was Ashington proper.

David Besford (1919–2015)

David Besford worked for the Cooperative Wholesale Society in Newcastle, where he met his future wife Joan Matthews. He drove a fire engine during the Second World War, and later joined the Civil Service.

George Besford (1893–1966)

George Besford was born in Amble, Northumberland. He lost his leg in the Battle of the Somme, and later worked in the lamp cabin at Woodhorn Colliery, Ashington.

Harry Hornsby (1909–1992)

Henry Charles Deamster Hornsby was a wireless engineer and amateur radio enthusiast, who served with the Royal Air Force in the Middle East.

David Besford (1897–1991)

David Besford was injured fighting in the First World War. He and his family emigrated from the UK to Australia in 1925, where he worked as a mines inspector.

Alexander Sanderson Besford (1901–1992)

Alexander Sanderson Besford was a miner, and a member of the Salvation Army at Ashington, where he played in their brass band. He was also, like his father David Besford, a Methodist lay preacher.

Thomas Besford (1899–1994)

Thomas Besford was born at Chevington Crescent, Northumberland. He was a miner who first relocated with his family to Kent, and then in 1928 to Australia.

William Lyons (1926-)

Willy Lyons worked as a milk roundsman and subsequently as the driver of the funeral hearse. He was a sportsman earned money as both a professional footballer and a professional sprinter.