The River Tyne is one of the most important rivers of Great Britain.  Its north and south banks are, perhaps, the most industrial areas of our island.

            At the commencement of the war, we were evacuated from Jarrow to Crook, in the south-west corner of Durham.  This small mining and agricultural town is in the foothills of the Pennines.  The scenery here is different from that around Jarrow.  There, one sees nothing but endless rows of houses and factories.

            Crook lies in the crook of the hills from whence it gets its name.  Standing in the market place, one can see Dowfold towering high above.  On either side of West Road, the fields stretch in never-ending line.  Under the stately trees the cows sit quietly chewing the cud.

            Further on, the sheep nibble the grass and perhaps a few horses are grazing not far off.  In the distance, the deep blue sky, patterned by occasional fleecy clouds makes a perfect setting for the purple-peaked hills.  In the foreground the gently-flowing river winds its way around the foot of the hill and over the plain into the open arms of the sea.

            When out blackberrying one afternoon, we came across a small path on either side of which were bramble bushes.  On either side of these hedges there were woods in which the rabbits scuttled here and there.  In the trees the birds sang sweetly.  The wild flowers, painted in shades of delicate hues as if by some magic artist, were "fluttering and dancing in the breeze."  What a panorama of colour!

            One of the steepest hills around here is Church Hill.  On the skyline Stanley Church stands grey and old.  To the east of it there is Stanley itself and to the west Sunnyside.  From Crook market place begins a very long and steep climb.

            On the right are the Catholic Church and schools.  On the left is the "Hole in the Wall" farm around which the black rabbits scamper.  Further on there is a break and, turning to the left the climb is continued.   In a field on the left there are a number of stones.  These rocks are different from any others around here and it is thought that they were left by a glacier.  They are called the "Blue Stones," although more commonly known as the "Devil's Stones".  The next part of the climb is known as Dowfold and, on very clear days, The Pennines can be seen from the top.

            The scenery around Crook is entirely different from that around Tyneside.  At Jarrow there are dull streets and grimy buildings whilst at Crook the green fields stretch for miles around.

------------------

THE HIKE

            While in Crook we decided to go hiking.  The first hike, which was the last, took place on Saturday, April 6th.

            The boys and girls who were going met at the market place.  We set off walking briskly up West Street and passed the Gate House.  Then we crossed a farm where lambs were playing in the afternoon sunshine.  Further on we came to the river which we had to cross by means of a suspension bridge.  Many of us were afraid when the bridge sagged in the middle.  After crossing the river we walked over the fells.  Once we came across a stream running along the bottom.  We here had difficulty because there was nothing by which we could cross.  At last we crossed and, after many an enquiry, we were told we were NEARLY at Hamsterley, our destination.  After walking another two miles we came to Hamsterley and there we had tea.  After tea, we watched the blacksmiths at the forge in a grimy building.  We went on again after tea but this time turned our feet towards Witton-le-Wear.  When we came to Witton we saw the tower.  After passing through the village, we walked along the road back to Crook.

            After being "The Walking Dead" ourselves for a few hours, we finished this memorable day by watching Boris Karloff enact the chief role in the film of that name.

While in Crook we had to sit Northern Counties Examinations.  Everyone went in feeling very happy but came out in quite a different frame of mind.

As the minutes passed and we were waiting for the papers, girls were saying in startled whispers, "Is it "yond" on the line or is it through the line?"  They were also asking questions about things they knew before going into the room.  One lady, who was supervising, said, "you have half an hour left girls," never realising Ken Marshall was in the room.  He was quite indignant!  In the Geography examination, the girl who was best in the form forgot a lot of things she had been taught.  With others it was Accounts or Arithmetic.  We were in the same room as the evening class people in Crook Council School.

The results have just arrived and everyone has done quite well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE SIREN!

As the clock struck twelve, it was accompanied by that weird noise, the siren!

 During our stay in Crook we had pleasure in watching the boys playing cricket with local teams.  Our team consisted of eleven of the smallest boys.

The boys always went valiantly out to bat but after a few fast balls from the bowler their spirits sank.  We lost the first six matches but won three of the last four.  Evidently our team is better at fielding and bowling than at batting.  Widdrington and Logan batted and bowled very well, and Winship the wicket-keeper hit in Jessop style.  Widdrington, who scored 36 runs with an average of 3.6, took 48 wickets for 147, an average of 3.3.  Logan, who scored 50 runs, an average of 6.3, took 35 wickets for 85, an average of 3.4.  Winship scored 42 runs, averaging 5.3, D.Dodds scored 25, with an average of 4.2.  Wildon 24, with an average of 4.0, and Porter 27, with an average of 3.4.