By George, what a task

Sep 19 2007 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

LOCAL historian Bill Arbuckle is on the hunt for George Washington – or to be precise, 73 George Washingtons.

Bill is chairman of the Friends of Washington Old Hall in Tyne and Wear, which is the ancestral home of the Washington family.

The once derelict hall was saved by Washington headmaster Frederick Hill, who in 1932 began a 23-year fight to rescue the building and open it to the public. Mr Hill also became closely involved in American celebrations in the same year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of first president George Washington.

His American partners sent him 75 framed portraits of George Washington for distribution in the North-East and in 1933 Mr Hill also helped organise an exchange of national flags between five schools in Washington DC and five in and around his home village of Washington.

Now Bill, whose wife Sheila has written a book on Frederick Hill and his role in saving the National Trust hall, is hunting for the flags and the missing 73 portraits.

The only two portraits which are accounted for are in the library at Washington Galleries and Washington Parish Church.

Next year is the 75th anniversary of the flags exchange and Bill hopes that if they and the portraits can be traced, they could form the basis of a re-enactment of the ceremonies. He is appealing for families of 10 children known to have taken part in the exchange event –or the individuals themselves – to get in touch.

The Journal covered the story in February, 1933, when Paul Squire, American Consul for the Northern Counties, handed over the flags in Washington Miners’ Welfare Hall.

The paper began its story: “If the atmosphere at New Washington last night could radiate all over America and Great Britain there would be no Anglo-American problems to speak of.” The paper reported that the children who received the flags were Kenneth Luke, Kathleen Baker, Arthur Naylor, Gladys Scurfield, Sarah Savage, Harry Bates, Ina Davison, Madwyn Pearson, Nancy Anderson and Arthur Lee.

“Three of the Washington DC schools are still open and I am making similar inquiries regarding the five British flags,” said Bill.

In 1932 Frederick Hill was the founder and first secretary of the Old Hall Preservation Committee and Bill said: “Having already published his biography, the Friends are continuing with research into his life and activities.”

Mr Hill used the 200th celebrations to point out that the Old Hall was an earlier Washington family ancestral home than Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, and asked Washington Urban Council to mount descriptive panels in the village. The council refused. Bill can be contacted on (0191) 416-2559.