The Belfast Central Mission ‘Waif’s Excursion’ to Newcastle (1910)

Here is a first-hand account of the day:

‘So ye want me to tell ye all about the trip till Newcastle, and ye’ll put it in the paper; (The Grosvenor Hall Herald.) All right mister. Begin at the beginnin’ did ye say? Where else did ye think I’d begin?
Well Jimmie and me; Jimmie’s me wee brother, ye know; sleep tilgither; an on the mornin’ av the trip, when I waked up, he was sleepin like a top, so I gave him a shot in the ribs and towl him did he not know what day it was. An’, dae ye know, he’d clean forgot. So sez I till him ‘It’s the day av the Govenor trip, and then sez I till him, James dear, intil your striped trousahs and your frock coat like a strake of lightinin’ an’ I’ll run over an’ wakin Scotchy – Scotchy and me’s chums, ye know. I hooked it over till Scotchy’s but he’s ma had him up long ago, an when I got home again Jimmie was ready, an we set out. What about our breakfasts? Sure we put them in our pockets an ate them goin’ down the road.
I thought we’d be fust at the Govenor. I wanted till get with No 1 flag; they go out first, ye know; but when we got down there was a hole lock of fellas and girlses there afore us, stannin at the dure. We hadn’t long to stan, for the dure was opened and we wur tuk in.Me and Scotchy took Jimmie’s hand, an’ we got gran’ sates near the front. We had a good while till wait till they all got in, and then we saw the Balmoral Sailors; it’s their ban’ goes wi’ us. They’re not rale sailors, ye know; they’re only wee boys in sailors’ cloes; but, man. They’re gran players.
When we were going out to form into percession Scotchy wanted till carry the number, but the teacher told him better let a bigger’n boy an him carry it; but there was a man at the dure givin’ out flags, an’ he got carryin’ one of them. Well, when we were got intil the percession the ban’ began to play, an’ we marched till the station. We had to stan’ a wee bit till get our tickets ready, an’ then they let us in. We got intil a gran’ kerridge, with windaes all roun, an’ cushioned chairs. Av coorse, the kerridges wurn’t all as good as ours, but, ye mind, they wurn’t bad. When the train began to go we started countin the telemagraph poles. I counted two hundred an’ nine and then they went by too quick; for the train goes far quicker’n the ‘lectric trams.
Nothing eventual occurred till we got till Newcastle. We wur furst train, an’ had to wait till the rest come; then we all marched till the fiel’, an the first thing I sees was a hole lock av smoke, an sez I till Jimmie – he was niver at the trip afore – Thons the men what makes the tay. When we all got intil the fiel’ the man rung the bell, an’ the teachers made us sit down roun’ our numbers, an’ then they gave us mugs, an’ after that bags av buns, quare’n good ones, an then tay, an then – ah man!
Well, when the tay was done they towl us to play, an’ we had a quare lot of games and swings, an’ then, after a while, we wur took down till the say. Did ye iver see the say at Newcastle? Mind you there’s far more’n water in it than there is in the Ormeau Park nor the Lagan. When we got down till the water, sez I till Scotchy “Dar ye bathe?” “Av coorse I dar bathe” sez he “what dae ye tik me for?” We peeled aff our cloes an’ giv them til wee Jimmie till watch till we came out. When we were swimming – Scotchy swims with one foot on the ground; so do I, but don’t tell him that – we caught a great big fish, and we tuk it out with us, an’ Mr Carr tuk our futty graphs with it.
We wur just gittin’ tired av the bathin’ when somebody said the tay was ready, an’ we went back til the fiel’, an’ right enough the great big kettles was smokin’ away. The teacher made us sit down again roun’ the numbers, and they give us buns an’ tay, an’, mind ye, I didn’t see one refusin’ them; I know Scotchy an’ Jimmie an’ me ate all ours. When the tay was over we had a hole lot more games, an’ then the ban’ begun till play, and we all marched round the fiel’, an’ out intil the road, an’ up till the station, an’ then we knowed we wur goin’ home, an’ I wished it was mornin’ again.
At the station we had till wait a while till a train come in, an’ then we got in an’ started for home. We had the best fun comin’ home. Did I tell you that me an’ Scotchy got two big crabs an’ a hole lock av limpets to tik home wi’ us, an’ the girls wur afeard the crabs wud ate them. We had such fun I didn’t know till somebody shouted “There’s the lamps” an’ then I looked out av the kerridge windey and saw we wur goin’ intil the station. When we got outside my ma wus waitin’ for us, and she tuk Jimmie in her arms an’ carried him home.
“Didn’t we get a very wet day?” I should think not, indeed; right enough it rained a bit in the mornin’ an’ at night, but all the time we wur at Newcastle till we wur comin’ away it was gran’ weather.
“Would I like to go back again?” Ah mister! Would ye tik me?’