Memorial for a Spennymoor giant’s forgotten son

A Spennymoor family’s effort to trace its heritage and long-lost relatives resulted in the discovery of a forgotten infant who died almost a century ago.

The full story of the short life of two-year old Eric Hirst will probably remain a mystery, beyond his cause of death from bronchial pneumonia and whooping cough, but the discovery that he ever existed ensures his memory is preserved in a town cemetery.

Nigel Scott, who is from Spennymoor lived in the town until leaving for university in 1977, first heard of the existence of his “uncle” when a friend was researching the Hirst family and its larger-than-life grandfather Alderman William (Billy) Hirst, on popular genealogy website Ancestry.com

“I was in Spennymoor for a funeral and my pal John Brass told me he’d discovered a child named Eric who’d lived from June 1930 to June 1932. He was buried in a tiny grave without a marker in Tudhoe Cemetery,” said Nigel. “I told my cousins, who agreed we can’t have this little fella in ground without anything to mark that he was ever here, so set about organising one.”

The heartbreaking discovery did, however, bring back fond memories. Nigel’s grandfather, and Eric’s father, was Spennymoor Urban District Council stalwart, Alderman Billy Hirst. A former soldier and miner, who chaired the Council (which preceded Spennymoor Town Council) four times over four-decades of service as a councillor. There is even a road named after him called Hirst Court, in Middlestone Moor.

“My grandad was of his generation,” said Nigel. “He fought in two World Wars, but I never heard him speak about his service. He used to joke with me about getting my hair cut when I was a kid in Spennymoor and had a miner’s handshake that was like iron, but nobody in the family had heard him talk about baby Eric, who’d died in 1932.

“I too was named Eric Nigel Scott, so it’s clearly a beloved family name.”

The family ordered a grave marker for Eric, unveiled in a service this week (October 6) at Tudhoe Cemetery, attended by Spennymoor Town Mayor, Cllr Liz Maddison.

“In Spennymoor, we’re proud of our history and those who old enough will know how important Billy Hirst was for the town and its council. His portrait still hangs in our Council Chamber” said Mayor, Cllr Maddison.

“When Nigel informed us about this discovery, we felt it was vital to not only offer to help honour the passing of young Eric, but also an opportunity to remember Billy and what he and his generation did in service to our town, our county and our country.”

Serving in both world wars in the DLI, Billy was in the rearguard for the Dunkirk evacuation and one of the last off the beach. He served on Spennymoor Urban District Council from 1931-1970, chairing it four times. He also sat on Durham County Council. One of the Spennymoor Gala founders, he helped create the “Old People’s Treat Fund”, which the Town Council still supports (albeit in a different guise), Billy also served as chair of the Water Board.

Nigel, who lives in Somerset following a career in engineering, added: “The grave marker means so much to our family and has provided us all with a wonderful opportunity to remember my grandad, who I think stood as councillor because he genuinely cared about people.

“He was a good man and hard as nails. He never spoke about his achievements or exploits, but others told plenty of stories about him – he saved the life of a panicking vicar in Dunkirk by knocking him out cold. He was making too much noise with Nazi soldiers converging on a copse of trees where his regiment was hiding. Until the day he died, he received a Christmas card from the vicar, who he’d then carried on his shoulder to the beach for the evacuation.

“He saved many in Dunkirk and kept morale up by telling his men to “sing, shout and yell” until they were picked up off the beach. They came back to Spennymoor, and were isolated in a drill hall in Jubilee Park. Despite being yards from his family home, he stayed with his men.

“He didn’t suffer fools, but he loved Spennymoor and was proud to represent the town he’d called home for almost all his life.

“I think it’s fitting that the memory of both him and his infant son are preserved in some way.”