The North Eastern Cottage Homes and Benefit Fund originated during the Great War, when the employees of the North-Eastern Railway Company contributed £87,568 through paybills to various war relief funds through the Provisional Committee appointed at the beginning of the war for this purpose. Of this, £33,308 was contributed and administered by the committee of the N.E.R. Employees War Relief Fund. Contributions to these funds ceased in June 1919.
At the same time, Mrs. Granger placed £10,000 to be used for the benefit of North-Eastern men in memory of her brother, Dr. Tempest Anderson, who was well known as the company's doctor for many years.
As a result of meetings with representative men on the system, it was decided to inaugurate a fund for cottage homes and other benefits. Contributors to the two funds were asked to continue their subscriptions and the Company doubled the contributions of the staff during the three years up to 31st Dec. 1922 with a maximum contribution by the Company of £20,000.
The high cost of building cottages provided difficulties, but withe the aid of a Government grant, two cottages were built at Haddricks Mill, South Gosforth, two at Brinkburn Road, Darlington, (opened September 1921) and two at Acomb, near York. These would be occupied by men wounded during the war, or war widows. A brass plaque on each pair cottages reads: "N.E.R. Cottage Homes and Benefit Fund, Tempest Anderson Memorial, 1921".
Evening Despatch 07/09/1921