Jack and Marjorie Holmes on their 70th wedding anniversary
Jack and Marjorie Holmes have lived most of their lives in Frosterley but neither were born there. Marjorie arrived from South Shields in 1942 to live in Low Bollihope and Jack came to live at Hill End from his previous home in Sunderland.
Marjorie (Warner) Tanner was nearly five years old when she arrived at Low Bollihope and attended Frosterley Junior school but when she was 11 years old, the family moved to Otterburn. She finished her schooling there at 15 years old and returned to Frosterley in Coronation year 1953.
John Alan Porter Holmes, known as Jacky, moved to Hill End with his family in 1949 when hewas 17 years old. It was a difficult age to move so far away from where he was brought up and leaving his friends behind. Jack said that work and Frosterley people all made him welcome and new friends came easily in Frosterley via football, cricket and playing snooker in Frosterley institute. He has never wanted to leave the village since.
Although they knew each other, it wasn’t until the late Queen’s coronation in 1953 that they got together. Jack and his friend, Jack McCabe, decided to join the all-girl Frosterley Kazoo Band for the day – they only had one practise a couple of days beforehand– to parade through the village on Coronation Day, June 2nd. They were told they would have to wear skirts like the girls but overcome the problem by sporting kilts!
The Frosterley folk roared with delight when the two Jacks appeared, marching along the street with the girl band. The two lads were having a whale of a time but Marjorie wasn’t too impressed.
“So, that’s the great Jack Holmes, is it?”, she commented to her sister, June.
At the time, Jack was a 21-year-old time-served apprentice bricklayer, which had meant he was free from war conscription at 18 but now he was qualified, conscription was compulsory and he chose to join the DLI, reluctantly leaving the village for Brancepeth Camp to train. Not long afterwards, he was transferred to the Duke of Cornwall Regiment. He didn’t mind because for the following 18 months, he was in Caribbean Jamaica! His call into action, now and again, was against American soldiers in the bars.
Meanwhile, he and Marjorie exchanged letters and Jack was offered immediate promotion from Lance Corporal to Seargent if he agreed to stay on in the army – he refused and returned to civvy street in 1955, back to Frosterley – and Marjorie.
Marjorie had been busy herself, travelling around the north of England, working. Her jobs took her to the Otterburn Hotel, The Ranch at Ireshopeburn and Durham Cathedral at the Choristers School as well as to a special needs school in Leeds, which is now part of the Leeds/Bradford airport.
And so, Jack returned to Frosterley with his aim to win the hand of Marjorie and in the following year, on January 7th 1956, they married. With only a bricklayer’s wage and rented houses their only option, they began married life in Toronto near Bishop Auckland but within months, they were back in Frosterley to a cottage with no running water or electricity at Bridge End. Soon, they were on the move again, to a place behind the ‘Middle House’ pub and eventually with their two sons, they moved into Westfield with electric, a bath, indoor flushing toilet and hot water – bliss.
With a third child – a daughter – born, they moved again to a larger, three-bedroom house but still in Westfield. It was a house that many Frosterley people will remember as a party house where everyone was welcome. Their last move was 13 years ago – again in Frosterley – to the Green near the bottom end pub.
The family – Shaun (1956), Kevin (1958) and Debbie (1962) were born Frosterilers and they are all very thankful that they were brought up there throughout the decades from the late 1950s.
To celebrate Jack and Marjorie’s 70 wedding anniversary, a family get together was held at The Brown Horse at High Stoop where their three children, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren along with wives, husbands and partners. A great time was had by all. Shaun gave a speech but the one made by were made by Jack reduced some to tears when he conveyed his undying love and adoration for Marjorie that has never waned in 70 years marriage and 73 years together.
The couple agreed they had a wonderful day with the icing on the cake being the telegram card from HM The King and Queen Camilla, which they will treasure forever.
Many congratulations Jack and Marjorie on this magnificent milestone in your married lives.
