Berwick Not at War With Russia shock

What a shame-I have firmly believed, ever since we moved here, the traditional version of the story that Berwick and Russia are technically still at war only to be corrected by Wikapaedia Thus:

The story tells that since Berwick had changed hands several times, it was traditionally regarded as a special, separate entity, and some proclamations referred to "England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed". One such was the declaration of the Crimean War against Russia in 1853, which Queen Victoria supposedly signed as "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions"
Hence the curious apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently was) technically at war with Russia. However, when the Treaty of Paris (1856) was signed to conclude the war, "Berwick-upon-Tweed" was left out. This meant that, supposedly, one of Britain's smallest towns was officially at war with one of the world's largest powers – and the conflict extended by the lack of a peace treaty for over a century.

The BBC programme Nationwide investigated this story in the 1970s, and found that while Berwick was not mentioned in the Treaty of Paris, it was not mentioned in the declaration of war either. The question remained of whether Berwick had ever been at war with Russia in the first place. The true situation is that since the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 had already made it clear that all references to England included Berwick, the town had no special status at either the start or end of the war.

Nevertheless, in 1966 a Soviet official waited upon the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and a peace treaty was formally signed. Mr Knox is reputed to have said "Please tell the Russian people that they can sleep peacefully in their beds." To complicate the issue, some have noted that Knox did not have any authority with regard to foreign relations, and thus may have exceeded his powers as mayor in concluding a peace treaty.

But wait-if they were at war the Mayor of Berwick was surely ultra vires in concluding a peace treaty with a foreign power? And if they were not what on earth was a Soviet diplomat wasting his time talking to His Worship? He must have thought he was on an official mission as in the 1960s Soviet officials had to get formal permission to travel beyond 50 miles from London. (Retaliation for similar bans on Western diplomats in Moscow) So if Berwick thought it was at war and so did the Russians perhaps it is Wikapaedia which has got it wrong. And if so, and Mayor Knox did not have the authority to make peace, irrespective of what the Soviet official thought he had done,legally the hostilities continue.

Which goes to explain that you see very few Russians in Berwick these days.


(And you might well ask-if Berwick is at peace why on earth maintain the walls in such good condition? Are we at war with some one else? Otherwise what a waste of public money)

Labels: Berwick upon Tweed, War with Russia

  ¶ 1:43 PM (2) comments

 
Berwick reaps benefits from England/Scotland debate



IAN SMITH a Berwick Advertiser (the townee cousin of the Berwickshire) reporter writes in the latest edition:

BERWICK is preparing for a surge in tourism interest as a direct result of the mass media coverage it has received over the past few days.

Television crews have beamed pictures of Berwick all over the world since the town hit the headlines in a debate over whether it should be English or Scottish.

Hundreds of newspaper column inches and hours of radio air time have also been devoted to an issue which has really caught the public's imagination.

The fact that Berwick has been bathed in glorious spring sunshine, showcasing the River Tweed and Elizabethan Ramparts at their best, has made it a marketing dream for tourism bosses.

Giles Ingram, executive director of Northumberland Tourism, said: "The amount of prime time television coverage and other media interest has been absolutely fantastic — you just can't buy it.

"We really want to try and spin it out as long as we can so we are now looking at ideas to help keep Berwick in the spotlight and maximise the benefit."

They are already working with BGB Communications, a London-based travel and tourism agency with key media contacts, to build on the publicity already generated.

"Berwick is an absolutely key part of our tourism offer but we know it has not realised its full potential.

"It's a historic town that ought to be attracting more visitors so this sort of publicity is great for us," admitted Mr Ingram.

Berwick Borough Council has been inundated with media inquiries from as far afield as the United States, Canada, Australia and even Russia*.

"There has been a huge amount of interest from the media," said a council spokesman. "We've had requests from broadcasters all over the world, including a Russian news agency.

"Closer to home we've had all the national press, television and radio interested as well as the regional and Scottish media while a production company has been in touch about doing a documentary on Berwick.

"There's no doubt that with all the sunny weather we've enjoyed recently it has helped to show the town in an extremely positive light."


I am not too sure about all the sunny weather we have been having recently-sunny yes.
Weather yes; but hardly conducive to sightseeing this latest Tourist Mecca. I took a friend on the standard visitor trail: Coffee and cake at Doolally's and then a walk around the Elizabethan walls (finished 1588 just missing the Spanish Armada, apparently) Cake good but once on the walls the horizontal wind and low eye dazzling sun made beating the bounds very hazardous especially as the top of the walls are exposed to the gale and the drop to the moat below is sheer and sometimes terminal; we have lost the odd visitor too busy reading the blurb about the Berwick Artist WS Lowry (well he did a couple of paintings here) to notice (no pun intended) where his feet were (all victims have been male they say) -a gust of wind and Bob's your bereaved uncle.

I am sure the city fathers wil be thinking of many eye catching slogans to attract new folk as visitors cashing in on the recent publicity but perhaps they should avoid

See Berwick and Die

* Why 'even Russia'? I am sure the phones have been humming with anxious Russians asking for assurance that they are no longer at war with Berwick

(The image is of a section of Berwick's wall-fall off that you remain very fell)

Labels: Berwick, Berwick's Walls, War with Russia

  ¶ 9:48 AM (0) comments