Is it true that Berwick-upon-Tweed formally was at war with Russia until 1966?

serpa

After reading the following I say 'no'. There is a curious apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently was) technically at war with Russia. 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". 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.[18] 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 as to 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. The grain of truth in this legend could be that some important documents from the 17th century did mention Berwick separately, but this became unnecessary after 1746. Nevertheless, reportedly in 1966 a Soviet official waited upon the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and a peace treaty was formally signed. 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.[citation needed] However, Jim Herbert of the Berwick Borough Museum said in 2006 that contemporary newspaper reports did not confirm that a treaty had been signed, nor could Knox's remark to the Soviet official be verified, presuming a Soviet official came to Berwick.[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berwick-upon-Tweed Nov 03 09, 10:26 PM

star_gazer

You would not believe it from walking around its peaceful streets or strolling along the battlements of its famous castle, but for the last 155 years the Northumbrian town of Berwick-upon-Tweed has been at war. And it's not with the 'obvious' enemy, either. When the Crimean War was declared in 1853, the town was mentioned specifically in the Declaration of War, which Queen Victoria apparently signed "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions". But in the peace treaty, the Treaty of Paris, there was no mention of Berwick-upon-Tweed. So technically at least, the war isn’t over for the town. Whether this gem is true or not - and Wikepedia at least disputes it - there's still a Russian weapon on display to remind folks of this fact. http://www.essentially-england.com/berwick-upon-tweed.html Nov 03 09, 11:46 PM

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