South Shields Sanddancers Forum

But the Commando although built nearby was a new 1960s build.

I was in there yesterday buying a light shade it seems to be run by two ladies.

Yes thats the place Memor.

Its a good picture Ralph and brought back memories for me, luckily this sort of thing doesn't happen very often and yes its a nightmare for those in charge, the captain of this vessel went on to sail in and out of the Tyne for many years and the Pilot involved was very well respected on the river an...

It was called Hedworth Hall, it was only the Golden Slipper on a Saturday night as far as I can remember.

It was 1976, I knew the pilot well, it was thick fog and the captain of the ship, who came to the Tyne regularly insisted on picking his Pilot up inside the piers against the Pilots advice, but as the Tyne was a non compulsory district (Take note Mr A) he was within his rights to pick the pilot up a...

Its 10 years since I retired so I expect some of the skippers have started since I left, yes the cutters have changed a lot since I started in 1964.

I knew an Alfie Coverdale who was skipper of the Pilot Cutter but he would be older than the one in the picture, maybe the father of the lad in the picture, I also know a Peter Middlemass who is a Compass adjuster but the one in the picture is older, maybe his father !

can you put names to any of them ?

I was often at the Golden slipper on a Saturday night in the mid 1960s it was just a short walk from my digs.

I was in Drydock at Smiths in 1973, we had West Indian crew and one of them caught something very nasty in the Jungle, we sailed to Miami and I was giving him tetracycline the standard treatment for VD at that time, but when he went to the doctor in Miami it turned out to be a lot worse than Gonorrh...

stealing pram wheels to make the bogies, many a woman came out to find her pram on bricks

The dungeons
Spratting at the black path
Rafting on the reservoir
The Marsden rattler
Pouring water on the pavement on frosty evenings to make a slide.

He was in my class at Horsley Hill Juniors, not seen or heard of him for 50 years

Frank Lowe, does that ring a bell Pete ?

And a canny walk there and back pete, Ive been trying to remember a school mate of mine called Hill lived on Prince Edward Road near the Marsden inn end on the left as you faced the pub cant remember his first name, any ideas pete, he was my age so maybe a couple of years younger than you.

Merchant navy officers and crews must not have been classed as Civilian as Shields lost a lot of men.

Is Aidan, Bamboo ?

He's got a look of Mr A about him

I remember the Merchant navy club would meet monthly at the seaman's mission Mill dam during the 1980s when it finished I cant remember. I was never a member.