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The youngest member of the Jarrow Marches in 1936 |
John
William Farndale 5 March 1919 to April 1986
FAR00854
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Headlines
of John Farndale’s life are in brown.
Dates
are in red.
Hyperlinks
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blue.
References
and citations are in turquoise.
Context
and local history are in purple.
Geographical context is in green.
Jarrow
1919
John W Farndale, son of John Willie
and Elizabeth (nee Todd) Farndale (FAR00591), was born in Jarrow on Tyne (census)
on 5 March 1919 (1939
Register). His birth was registered in South Shields District in the
second quarter of 1919 (GRO Vol 10A Page 1318).
1921
He was living with his parents and six siblings in Jarrow in
1921.
1921
census
– Jarrow
John Farndale, 36, born
Barrow in Furness in 1883, labourer
Elizabeth Farndale, 35, born
South Shields
Joseph Farndale, 14, no
occupation, born Jarrow in 1907
Elizabeth Farndale, 11, born
Jarrow in 1910, at school
James Farndale, 9, born
Jarrow in about 1912
Margaret Farndale, 4, born
Jarrow on Tyne in about 1917
John W Farndale, 2, born Jarrow on Tyne in
about 1919
George Farndale, 3 months,
born Jarrow on Tyne in 1921
1936
The
Jarrow Marches, 5 to 31 October 1936
John was the youngest member of the 185 me who set off on the Jarrow marches
in October 1936.
Although the First World
War caused an economic boom in Britain, it masked a slow industrial decline
from the country's Victorian heyday. As wartime demands gradually fell away,
these failings again came to the fore and during 1920 Britain was plunged into
an economic slump accompanied by high levels of unemployment and poverty. The
situation was made far worse by the world-wide recession of 1929 and, having
remained relatively constant, though high, at 10% throughout the 1920's,
unemployment peaked at 22% in 1932.
Britain's traditional
industries were particularly hard hit meaning that the North of England, Wales
and Scotland, which had economies heavily dependent upon manufacturing, were
disproportionately affected by the slump. This meant that these regions actually
suffered far higher levels of unemployment than those suggested by the national
average. And the effects were long-lasting, rather than following a regular
economic cycle of prosperity and recession.
During the 1920's, the
National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM) organised a serious of 'hunger
marches' to London in the hope that these would force the Government to
radically rethink its economic policies. The term 'hunger march' was a recent
one, first coined to describe a march by London's poor in 1908. The marches
achieved nothing, however, the official view being that they were being
high-jacked to serve the aims of their 'Communist' organisers.
The end of the world-wide
recession in 1932 allowed Britain to begin a slow path to recovery. By 1936,
economic growth had reached 4% and mini-booms were being seen in housing and
consumer spending. The recovery was badly uneven, however, with those areas
which had seen their traditional employers devastated during the slump slow to
see any improvement.
The town of Jarrow, lying
on the southern bank of the River Tyne, had undergone a massive period of
expansion during the Victorian era. However its economy was based on precisely
those industries - iron, steel, shipbuilding - which were so badly hit by the
recent depression. Charles Mark Palmer, the so-called 'King of Jarrow', had
created an industrial empire in the town but gradually each of these businesses
failed in turn. Unemployment stood at 3,300 in 1930 (75% of the working
population) and at 6,793 in 1932 (80% of the insured population). When Palmer's
Shipyard failed in 1934, the town lost its last purpose for existing. As the
town's newly elected MP, the firebrand 'Red Ellen' Wilkinson, so forcefully
pointed out in the Commons in December,1935: "The years go on and nothing
is done ... this is a desperately urgent matter and something should be done to
get work to these areas which, heaven knows, want work."
The hunger-march had
become an accepted form of protest and in July, 1936 the town's political
leaders set in progress plans to mount a march from Jarrow to deliver a
petition to Parliament calling for the opportunity to work. Over 1,200 men came
forward to take part, but it was decided to limit numbers to the 200 fittest
and hardiest to make the logistics manageable. A fund was started to pay for
supplies and equipment and this would continue to collect donations as the men
marched south. Rallies were scheduled for the march's overnight stops to spread
the word of what it was trying to achieve. As one marcher put it: "We were
more or less missionaries of the distressed areas, [not just] Jarrow."
On Monday, 5 October, the
date set for the start of the March, the Marchers received the blessing of the
Bishop of Jarrow at a dedication service in Christ Church. This gained the
venture a boost in credibility, but the service was condemned by Hensley Henson,
the Bishop of Durham, who was unflinchingly opposed to the Trades Union
movement and Socialism. Henson condemned the hunger marches as a whole as
nothing but a vehicle for the Labour Party and his colleague in Jarrow, James
Gordon, was later obliged to state that the service was not intended to condone
the March. To add injury to insult, the Marchers later discovered that their
dole had been stopped as the March had made them unavailable for work!
Immediately after the
service, the Marchers assembled at Jarrow Town Hall and made their last
preparations before setting off. Although 200 men had been accepted for the
venture, only 185 made it to the start-line due to sickness, changes in
personal circumstance, etc. Around half of those taking part were veterans of
the First World War and the Marchers walked in step and in military ranks to
show their discipline and proclaim their past service. They took a 10-minute
break every hour, in the military manner, and a harmonica band encouraged the
singing of popular songs of the day to keep their spirits up. Before them they
carried a blue-and-white banner proclaiming the ‘Jarrow Crusade’ though in
Jarrow it was never known as anything other than ‘The March’. Again in the
military tradition, behind them followed a bus with a field kitchen, a medical
facility, and camping equipment for when beds were not available.
It would be a mistake to
think that the Jarrow March took place in isolation. The sixth National Hunger
March was setting off from 6 regional centres and these were due to unite in
London a week after the arrival of the Jarrow men. Meanwhile, a group of blind
veterans were marching in protest at the treatment of the nation’s 67,000
registered blind persons. The National Marches were seen as hostile and
confrontational, and this undoubtedly aided the high level of publicity given
to the Jarrow March which, by contrast, was recognised for its moderation and
quiet dignity.
Ellen Wilkinson
temporarily left the march at its first stopping point, in Chester-le-Street,
to attend the Labour Party's annual conference in Edinburgh. Although it was
proclaimed to be non-political, the Jarrow March was very much a product of the
town’s Labour Council and she may have hoped to gain some support from her
colleagues. In this she was to be disappointed, however. The Parliamentary
Labour Party (PLP) was a minority part of the National Government of the time
and anxious to distance itself from any accusations of ‘Communism’. So, neither
this nor the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would offer its endorsement. David
Riley, the Chairman of Jarrow Borough Council and a leading light in the
organisation of the March, later complained that they felt that they had been
"stabbed in the back".
As they moved south, the
reception extended to the Marchers varied from indifferent to warm and
welcoming. Local accommodation was secured in a series of Schools, Church Halls
or other spacious buildings, and often gifts were made of food and clean clothing.
What soon became clear was that the reception received bore no link to the
political affiliation of the local Councils and the organisers of the March
were at pains to avoid any action that might alienate any political body. Often
the weather was bad, cold with driving rain.
Very quickly the March
began attracting wide publicity and the Government in London, afraid that it
was gaining Royal attention, acted to limit sympathy for it, claiming that such
Marches only resulted in “unnecessary hardship for those taking part in them”.
Wilkinson continued to push for an official reception for the Marchers, but
received no encouragement from Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin during heated
exchanges in the Commons. In truth Baldwin was in an impossible position, for
opening Parliament’s doors to the Jarrow Marchers would have set a dangerous
precedent.
The March reached Edgware
in northern London on Friday, 30 October, leaving a relatively short 8-mile
walk to Marble Arch the following day. It had been denied permission to deliver
its petition to Parliament and so Ellen Wilkinson had to make the last stage of
the journey alone. The original petition, calling for Government aid for the
Town, had 11,000 signatures and was carried in an oak box. An additional
petition had been made available to those who had wanted to sign on the way.
A new session in the House
of Commons was convened on 3 November – the March had been timetabled to take
advantage of this – and next day the Petition was presented. A (very) brief
discussion followed after which the House returned to its normal business.
The March garnered a lot
of publicity, a lot of soft words, but achieved little real change. This was
not lost on the marchers themselves and the return journey home by train was a
sombre affair.
Not until the outbreak of
the Second World War in 1939 did the Town start to recover from its long period
of depression. When ‘Red Ellen’ published her history of Jarrow that same year
she titled it: "The Town that was Murdered.
Leicester
Evening Mail 21 October 1936: AGE AND YOUTH. Boer War
veteran George Smith, aged 61, and 18 year old John Farndale, the oldest and
youngest member of the Jarrow band of workers.
Hartlepool Northern Daily
Mail, 5 November 1936: JARROW MARCHERS RETURN IN SPECIAL TRAIN FROM LONDON. Hundreds
of people watched the departure of the special train containing the Jarrow
Marchers from Kings Cross station today. Mr P Malcolm Stewart, formerly Commissioner
for Distressed Areas, said goodbye to them, and also on the platform was Miss
Ellen Wilkinson MP, who had been with the men during their crusade, and who
presented the petition in the House of Commons. The men expressed
disappointment at the reception of their petition, but were gratified at
the general attitude of people in London towards them. Alderman J W Thompson, Mayor
of Jarrow, who returned with the men, said to a Press Association reporter: “It
was as I expected. I cannot say that I am disappointed at the way the petition
was received, but I feel now that the people in the South have a more
intimate knowledge of our plight in Jarrow, and from that I expect some
result.” One of the marches, John Farndale, of Clyde Rd, Jared, has taken a
job as a baker's assistant in London, and another, Thomas Dobson, of Stanley
Street, Jarrow, is staying at Hendon Cottage Hospital for a few days for
treatment before returning.
London
John worked as a baker’s assistant in London for a period of time (see above).
Gateshead
1939
1939 Register – 9 Ross Avenue,
Gateshead
John Farndale, born 5 March 1919, single, public works labourer
1961
There is an article about him in the Gateshead Post, 4 August 1961 when he lived at Westmorland
Road, Newcastle. There are other articles in the 60s.
Newcastle
upon Tyne
1947
John W Farndale, married Catherine
Slater in the third quarter of 1947 at Newcastle Upon
Tyne District (MR).
1951
Raymond Farndale (FAR01050)
was born in 1951 (BR).
1986
John William Farndale, born 5 March 1919 died Newcastle in April 1986 (DR).