And Then the War Came.

The Brewis' are a typical Tyneside family living in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. An area that had been a foundation stone in the Industrial Revolution - home to mining, shipbuilding and engineering works. All industries producing goods that were world renowned and exported globally Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson were one of the most well know shipbuilders in the world. They were responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century - most famously RMS Mauretania which held the' Blue Riband' for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic and for RMS Carpathia, which rescued survivors from RMS Titanic. This was a time when for those of the working classes, personal possessions were few and housing was very much more basic than it is today . A time when a steady income was essential to guarantee a families well-being. To have little or no income could mean destitution and the breaking up of families. There was a fine line between survival and poverty. Life was precious - many a child died in infancy and those who survived to adulthood, if working in manual labour industries risked death or injury at work -falls, explosions, being buried underground, asbestosis, pneumoconiosis. Walker men were high on the list of those at risk, its main employment being in the shipbuilding and coal mining trades. The Brewis's had been through tough times - the 1911 'lock outs' at the shipyards that had lasted nine month and had the family relying on nothing but hand outs and the soup kitchen. By comparison with today, life was incredibly grim, but with the spirit of optimism folk got on with life and made the best of it. It is now mid-December and thirteen year old Bob Brewis and his family are like most other families, looking forward to a Christmas shared with friends and loved ones. Elder brother Billy will be home on leave from the Army and Uncle Ernie, a miner, will come up to visit for a few days from Durham. Nana and Grandad will trudge along from Wallsend with a wheelbarrow full of vegetables from the allotment. Grandad, as always, will trot off ahead and leave Nana to make her own slow way; hindered by her arthritic knees. This is the story of an ordinary family, who, living in extraordinary times, open up their home and their hearts to the reader to come and experience life in the 1910's Let us begin with the first of seven Christmases - seven very different Christmases..............