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Old 12-05-2013, 11:18 AM
janwhin janwhin is offline
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Default Viscount Alan Brooke

Now not many people may know this but.....Alan Brooke was well known as the Chief of the General Imperial Staff in World War 2, and he was also based in Warkworth for a few years after World War 1.
The reason I know about it? My aunt and her cousin worked for him whilst he lived there and when he moved to the staff college at Camberley in Surrey in 1923, he went to see my grandmother to ask if they could move with him to Surrey. And they did.
My aunt later married his batman and driver, himself a winner of a DCM in the First War, and carried on working for him as his cook at his home in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. Her husband later became his gardener.
Alan Brooke was appointed to the staff of 50 Northumbrian Division, TA, following a course at Camberley in 1919 and he lived in Warkworth until his return south.
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Old 12-05-2013, 11:51 AM
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hollydog hollydog is offline
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Very interesting, out of interest where did they live?

As an aside, Bede House on Bede St (my childhood home) was requisitioned as an officers billet and had none other than Group Captain Peter Townsend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_T...RAF_officer%29

and "cats eyes Cunningham" living there during their various stints at RAF Ackilington during WW2.
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Old 12-05-2013, 11:55 AM
janwhin janwhin is offline
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My memory is a bit flawed on this one, Hollydog, but I believe it was one of the big houses up the Shilbottle road.
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Old 12-05-2013, 05:54 PM
Alan J. Alan J. is offline
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Default Bede House.

This was , in my time, the house of Dr Thompson who I presume was there in the WW2 period. Did they throw him out or did he have to act as host to the officers.
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Old 12-05-2013, 07:50 PM
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hollydog hollydog is offline
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Dr Thompson moved in after the war, the house was built for a Dr McNab (not sure on spelling) in the early thirties, he joined the RAF and died in Burma later in WW2. Presumably with him having an empty house and being in the RAF someone put two and two together!

Last edited by hollydog; 12-05-2013 at 07:52 PM.
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