Bill Bendelow
Bill belongs to: The Doxford Engine Friends Association
Bill was born in Sunderland in 1927. He served his apprenticeship at the Doxford Engine Works, starting fifth January 1942. After five years at sea he returned to Doxford's where he worked until its closure in March 1987. Bill was the last person to leave Doxford's and was given the task of switching off the power to the works.
Bill was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 26 January 2006. The interview took place at Sunderland Museum and lasted 40 minutes and 53 seconds.
First trip to sea
"My first trip to sea was in a coble"
My first trip to sea was in a coble, as one of our friends at Doxford’s, Gordon Firtle and I went out in his coble one night and we went across what you call the Bar, that’s between the two piers, you know the piers circle round- you’ve got a pier there, North Pier and a South Pier and to cross the bar meant to go across the entrance to those piers, so that’s crossing the bar.
And when I got across there in the coble, of course there you encounter very choppy water and I’ve never been so sick in all my life. I was really, really ill, and Gordon said, “about time we go back,” and I said, “please!” And I could have died there, you know. But anyway, we got back into the North Dock and we tied the coble up.
And you know Carl, the trams were running in those days and they were going up what you call Roker Avenue. So we got at the bottom of Roker Avenue and we took a tram car to go right the way around through Sunderland and I’m going up this Roker Avenue and of course the trams in them days had a bit of a sway on them- I had to get off! I was feeling sick again! And I had to get off, honest, until I got myself pulled together and then got a later, I don’t know, a tram, maybe a bus. But, honest, I went through that experience- what an experience!
But when I went to sea, didn’t get seasick once. So I was initiated into that feeling of seasickness and what it does to your system, but when I went to sea, I was never seasick once, and I saw plenty of them.
Bill has 13 memories in the memorynet:
Bill's memories with a Relationships theme:
First day at Doxford’sBill's other memories:
50th birthday cardThis memory has these themes:
Leisure | The North East | Travel
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