John William (Jack) Besford (1891–1975)
Jack Besford began work as a miner on his 13th birthday, and went on to become a leading trade unionist.
Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne stands on the north bank of the River Tyne. It was historically part of Northumberland, and became a county in its own right in 1400.
From 1530 all coal shipped from Tyneside had to pass through Newcastle Quayside, and the town’s wealth came from that trade and later from shipbuilding.
Besfords lived in the suburbs of Gosforth and Heaton, and Dora Besford married Harry Hornsby at St Hilda’s in Jesmond in 1948.
Joan Besford (née Matthews) (1921–2019)
Joan Matthews was born in Haltwhistle, Northumberland. She married David Besford four years after the start of the Second World War.
Dorothy Jane (Dora) Besford (later Hornsby) (1915–2018)
Dora Besford spent two years training to be a teacher at City of Leeds Training College, and returned to teach at Hirst North Girls School.
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 (1871–1938)
George Besford started out as a shipbuilder, but went on to become a cinema manager.
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.
Agnes Jane Hewit (later Besford) (1890–1958)
Agnes Jane Hewit grew up in Ashington, and married Jack Besford in 1914, supporting the family through Jack’s trade union and political activities.
Catherine (Kate) Besford (later Gordon)
Catherine Besford worked as a general servant in a household in Bedlington. In 1903 she married Robert Gordon, a coal miner, at Gateshead Register Office.
John Besford (1826–1914)
John was born in 1826 at Eshott Heugh. He would have worked as an agricultural labourer from a very early age (5 or 6). He later worked as a coal miner, which he continued until he was at least 74 years old.
Charles Herbert Besford
Charles Herbert Besford was working as a butcher’s boy in Heaton when the First World War broke out. He joined the Royal Navy and remained a reservist following his return to civilian life.