Teesdale Talk: Fond memories of camp shop – except fish day

11:50am Saturday 3rd November 2007

WHERE was the first self-service shop in Teesdale?

Neil Turner tells me it was at Stainton Camp in the Fifties, when it was a busy army base.

The store was run by the NAAFI and was about the same size as the present Co-op in Barnard Castle. Customers included many civilians as well as service families.

"We sold everything," he recalled.

"I knew a lot of people in the town and they used to come over in droves to get our special offers. It was a really busy place, with 17 staff. When I started there in 1955, the manager was Ann Gibson, of Forest. There was also a service club which was packed every night."

Mr Turner, who now runs the Milbank Arms, in Barningham, came forward with memories of the camp in response to an appeal by Stainton Grove Community Association. It is gathering details for a history project managed by Eileen O'Hara, and is holding an event connected with it this afternoon.

One important task for the store was to supply rations to the other army camps at Deerbolt, Westwick, Humbleton, Streatlam and Barford. Lorries from each of those places queued every morning to pick up their meat, bacon, eggs, vegetables, bread and butter.

But one type of food was not at all popular.

"I didn't like the mornings when fresh fish arrived," said Mr Turner. "Fishy water from the boxes would run all over my clothes and I was stuck with a really disgusting smell for the rest of the day. I hadn't time to go home to change, so when I went into the shop I noticed people backing away from me."

by Jim McTaggart