Not Just A Desk Job

Albert Wallbank served as a police constable in Carrington, Newcastle for seven years until March 1921, when he was transferred to Dudley, then a small seaside town.  The ink stand pictured dates to the 1920s and is believed to have been gifted to Constable Wallbank. Perhaps it was a farewell gift from the Carrington community, […]

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Father Figures

Constable Albert Wallbank was dedicated to three things: his family, his job and his adopted community of Dudley. Sadly, Albert (1887-1953) had not known his own father, because he died when Albert was 14 months old. Through his mother Sarah (neé Singleton) Albert descended from the convict William Singleton who arrived in New South Wales […]

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An Unusual Token of Esteem

As a retirement gift this silver ink stand made by Barker Brothers of England is perfect. But it is much more than a retirement gift, it is a symbol of the high regard in which the recipient was held and the exercise of commonsense in uncertain and difficult times. The ink stand was presented to […]

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Credit Crunch?

Three hearty cheers for William J.A. Bryce concluded an event on a Wednesday evening in 1903 at the Milton School of Arts. Bryce had been manager of the Milton branch of the English, Scottish & Australian (ES&A) Bank for over thirteen years, but it was closing since the town had suffered a downturn in business. […]

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