TEESSIDE BATTALION HISTORY FROM 1967
In the 1960’s, BB in the Teesside area was at its height with a total of about 40 companies & an estimated 1500 members. Teesside Battalion was formed on 1st January 1967 from pre-existing South Durham & Middlesbrough Battalions & Cleveland Group. It held its inaugural Battalion Parade on Founders Day, 8 October 1967 to Linthorpe Road Methodist Church, Middlesbrough, home of the 2nd Teesside, with Lord Bruce, Brigade President presenting new Battalion Colours. Over 1100 members were present.
The original dates of formation of some companies are not known as Teesside Battalion re-used company numbers after a company closed & in those cases earlier records are sometimes unavailable. This makes the records a little confusing. The full list of Teesside Battalion companies excluding companies which had been closed prior to Teesside Battalion being formed (with a ? shown where we don’t know which company the number refers to) is:
1st - St George’s Presbyterian, Yarm Lane, Stockton started 1892 as 1st Stockton, closed 1996
2nd - Linthorpe Rd Methodist started 1920 as 2nd Middlesbrough, closed abt. 1997
3rd - Thornaby Baptist started 1935
4th - Yarm Rd Methodist started 1920 as 2nd Stockton, closed in 1940’s. Number used for Oxbridge Lane Methodist started 1950 closed before 1972; then St Aiden’s Presbyterian, Stockton in1972 & St John the Baptist, Durham Rd, Stockton started 1983, closed 1995
5th - St James C of E, Parliament St started as BLB before 1926; demolished 1936 & moved to new Church at Crescent Rd. Closed for a period then restarted 1971 & about 1976 moved to St Barnabas C of E, closed 2000
6th - North Ormesby Baptist Mission started 1929/30 (as 8th Middlesbrough) closed by 1980, then 1985 Berwick Hills Baptist
7th - Central Hall Methodist Church, Billingham started 1932 (as 1st Billingham)
8th - Newcomen Methodist, Redcar started 1972 closed abt. 1982; then Brotton Methodist started 1986, closed about 1998
9th - Grove Hill, Methodist Middlesbrough started 1934/35 (as 11th Middlesbrough); had period closed, reopened 1978, closed 1997/98
10th - Thornaby Methodist started 1923 (as 1st Thornaby), closed around 2000
11th - Norton Methodist started 1941- STILL OPERATING
12th - Trinity Methodist, Eaglescliffe started about 1941, closed after 1967 then used by St Francis Church, Ingleby Barwick started 1994, closed 1996
13th - St Chad’s, Middlesbrough (previously at St Stephen’s Free C of E started before 1925)
14th - West Dyke Methodist, Redcar started 1946 closed 1976 then Skelton Methodist started 1959, closed for a short time & restarted 1979, closed 1999
15th - 2nd Stockton (closed by 1980) then number given to Guisborough Methodist in 1980 (started 1926 as 1st Guisborough)
16th - Stockton Baptist Tabernacle started 1936 (originally 8th Stockton) – STILL OPERATING
17th - 1st South Bank closed about 1970 then in 1974 number given to St. Andrew’s URC, Marton – STILL OPERATING
18th - Cannon Park Congregational, Middlesbrough started after 1950
19th - Loftus Congregational started about 1959 then St John the Devine, Stillington started 1972
20th - Nunthorpe Methodist started 1971, closed 1998
21st - Marske Methodist started 1958, closed abt. 1995
22nd - Yarm Methodist, started 1946, closed abt. 2000
23rd - Hardwick Baptist, Stockton started 1959, closed 1997
24th - Eston Grange Methodist started 1979
25th - St Thomas’ Anglican, New Marske started 1963 – STILL OPERATING
26th - ?
27th - St Aiden’s C of E, Boosbeck started 1981
28th - Ormesby Methodist started 1964
29th - Saltburn Methodist started 1964 as 2nd Saltburn closed around 1970’s
30th - North Billingham Methodist started 1962, closed abt. 1964 & re-started 1968 closed in 1990’s
31st - St Luke’s C of E, Stockton started 1967?
32nd - Yarm Road Methodist, Stockton re-started 1969
1st Lingdale - Lingdale URC, Stanghow Rd started 11th Sep 2013 – closed 2016
1st Hemlington – St Timothy’s Anglican started 7 Nov 2013 – Closed July 2018
If you have any information to help us expand the above history, please contact us.