By Diane Wailes

With discussions underway about how the town should celebrate its 800th birthday next year, we could take a leaf out of the book of Arthur Jefferson, the father of Stan Laurel and a flamboyant theatrical impresario.

In 1900, Arthur was tasked with organising a procession through the streets of North Shields to celebrate the Relief of Mafeking (a famous battle of the Boer War).

The epic event featured a procession of marching bands, servicemen, carriages, horses and an estimated 8,000 school children! There were theatrical tableaux, and a nine-year-old Stan Laurel appeared in one of them as ’Bugler Dunne’, a hero of the war. The parade went from Dockwray Square through the town to Northumberland Square. A huge bonfire was lit on Clive Street and there were various sporting events – including a challenge to climb a greasy pole  – with the prizes including hams and soap!

The celebrations went on all day and in the evening there was a torch-lit procession, followed by a massive firework display. The Shields Daily Gazette reported that, “Dockwray Square was magnificently lit up and presented a dazzling sight. A band played in the area and there was a capital pyrotechnic display given in the presence of thousands of people”. 

Definitely food for thought for the North Shields 800 celebrations!