Sergeant John Sowerby

John Sowerby was a Freemason and member of Lodge Temperance 2557 who served in the 2nd World War. A letter to the Provincial Grand Secretary of Northumberland from him, when he was Secretary and dated 7th November 1947, attached a list of the names and service of forty three Brethren and Brother John is shown serving in the Army.

At the Lodge Temperance 2557 meeting held at the Royal Assembly Rooms, Westgate Road, on 17^th December 1923 John was proposed by W. Bro William Newton PProvAGDC and seconded by Bro Isaac Adamson as a fit and proper person to be made a Freemason.

He was a 34 year old railway clerk residing at 46 Scrogg Road, Walker.  A successful ballot was held the following month on 21^st January 1924 and he was initiated into the mysteries and privileges of Ancient Freemasonry on 21^st April. He was passed to the second or Fellowcraft degree on 19^th May 1924 and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on 16th June 1924.

He was a passionate Freemason and it wasn’t long before he took his first step on the way to becoming Master when he was appointed Junior Steward in 1932. By 1938 he reached Senior Steward and the following year took his first office on the ladder as Inner Guard. Then each year he progressed through the offices via the Assistant Secretary, Deacons and Wardens, to the highest honour – when he was installed as the Worshipful Master in 1944. After serving as Immediate Past Master in 1945-1946 he was appointed and invested as Secretary in November 1946, a position he held until 1961. He was elected as a trustee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys in October 1946. Established in 1785 it was a school for the sons of deceased and unfortunate Freemasons.

John was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1889 to John (1853-1912) and Annie Sowerby. John Snr was a stone mason from Blackhill, Benfieldside, an area in Consett, Co. Durham and appears to have followed in his father’s footsteps who was also a mason but died when John Snr was only 7 years old. John Snr married Annie Dodd (1854-1922) in 1887 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Annie was from Merthyr Tydfil in Wales and was working as a housemaid at the time of their marriage. They had three children:

• Frances Hannah (b 1888-24/04/1956)
• John (b 1889 – 6/10/1963)
• Annie (b 1895-13/02/1966)

The family had moved to Edward Street in the Arthur’s Hill area of west Newcastle upon Tyne by 1897 where they remained until after the First World War.

At the outbreak of war he joined the Royal Field Artillery and in 1916 was living at Fenham Barracks, Newcastle when he married Helen Burns Robson on 8^th July 1916 in Newcastle. Helen (1891-1980) was from Byker and was a dressmaker working from home. Her father was Matthew Robson and her mother Ellen McKendrick. The Robson family came from Haltwhistle where Matthew’s grandfather was a miller. The McKendricks were carpet weavers from Lanarkshire.

In the Electoral Register for Edward Street, Newcastle in the spring of 1919, John Jnr is with D Battery, 280th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery with service number 129572.  The records show that by the end of the war John had reached the rank of Sergeant.

The 280^th or CCLXXX Brigade was by 1916 part of 56 Division and D Battery was equipped with 4.5 inch light howitzers used as neutralising guns with gas shells, for bombarding weaker defences, firing along enemy communications trenches, for barrage work especially at night and for wire cutting in such places which the field guns could not reach.

Their first major action came on the first day of the Battle of the Somme attacking the south side of the Gommecourt Salient as a diversion to support the main attack further south. D Battery was assigned wire cutting tasks with their howitzers dug into the gardens and orchards behind Hébuterne. The attack at Gommecourt had only been a diversion, so it wasn’t continued after the first day and 56th Division remained in position. Thereafter, 280 Brigade, RFA continued to support 56 Division throughout the war. John served 3 years and 215 days and was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal for his service.

On his return from war service John and Helen had two children – John Robson born on 24^th June 1920 and Janet Paul born on 23^rd June 1922.

They moved to Scrogg Road, Walker when on 2^nd May 1923 John enlisted with the Territorial Army Unit of the Royal Tank Corps with service number 542867, the same year he became a freemason.

The family made a further move to Gosforth where they were living at 27 Briarwood Avenue on the eve of the Second World War.

John was already with the Royal Tank Corps at the outbreak of the war and he transferred on 1^st March 1940 aged 51 to the 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, R.A. (The Northumberland Hussars) (T.A.).

The Lodge records show he was attending meetings up to and including his Installation as Worshipful Master in 1944 so his service in the Army must have been local and while the 102^nd LAA/AT Regiment Northumberland Hussars left for the Middle East in October 1940 it appears he remained at home. The 102nd Regiment was formed in February 1940 when the Hussars were transferred to the Royal Artillery with four batteries. Two were equipped with 2 pounder Anti-Tank Guns, the other two were light anti-aircraft batteries.  Following conversion, the regiment joined the 2nd Armoured Division’s 2nd Support Group.

A major part of his life was his music. He played the cornet and was organist and choir master for many years at the Westgate Hall and also carried out this role at the West Avenue Methodist Church at Gosforth. He had an organ at home in Briarwood Avenue which his granddaughter remembers him playing and singing along to, one of his favourite hymns being Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer.

He was very into bowls and a very active member of the bowls club in Gosforth. He loved gardening and had a very productive veg and fruit garden at Briarwood Avenue.

John was living at 25 Ivy Road, Gosforth when he died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary at the age of 74 in 1963 leaving £2434 (about £43,000 today) to his widow Helen.

His death was announced to the Brethren at the Lodge meeting held in October 1963 and notices were placed in the Evening Chronicle on the 8^th and 9^th October 1963.

Evening Chronicle 8^th October 1963:

“Sowerby. Gosforth, 25 Ivy Road in hospital on October 6 aged 74 years, John, dearly loved husband of Helen. Cremation West Road Newcastle on Thursday at 2.25 pm leaving residence at 1.30pm for service in West Avenue Methodist Church at 1.45 pm. Friends please meet at church or crematorium”

Evening Chronicle 9^th October 1963:

“Sowerby. The Brethren of Lodge Temperance 2557 are requested to attend the funeral of W Bro J Sowerby PPGD at Newcastle crematorium on Thursday Oct 10 at 2.25 pm”

“Sowerby. Will all brethren of King Solomon Lodge please attend cremation of Worshipful Brother John Sowerby West Road 2.25 Thursday secretary”

Helen died in 1980 at the age of 88 and was announced in the Evening Chronicle on Tuesday March 4^th 1980:

“Sowerby (Wardley). 1 Lawrence Hill Court, on March 2 aged 89 years, Helen (nee Robson), dearly loved wife of the late John and dear mother of Jean and John, mother in law of George and Mary, and a beloved grandmother and great-grandmother. Cortege leaving daughter’s residence, 65 Manor Gardens, on Thursday, March 6^th at 11.15 am. Funeral service and cremation at Saltwell at 11.30. Will friends please meet at crematorium. Private afterwards.”

Many thanks to John’s granddaughter Helen for the photographs and help with this biography.