Jim Duncan
Jim belongs to: The Doxford Engine Friends Association
Jim was born in Sunderland in 1943. He followed his father into Doxford's. He began his apprenticeship in December 1959.
Jim was interviewed by Kylea Little on 24 January 2006. The interview took place at the Interviewee's living room and lasted 1 hour, 16 minutes and 2 seconds.
Value of Doxford apprenticeship
"That’s what you come across all the time. And I didn’t know that, I mean, you know, you don’t deliberately go, when you’re working for somebody, to expect them to be training you"
That’s what you come across all the time. And I didn’t know that, I mean, you know, you don’t deliberately go, when you’re working for somebody, to expect them to be training you, you know. But what they were doing was training generation after generation, so they could have a continuation and it was only the fact the shipyards closed that stopped that, otherwise it would have been going on and on and on. In Sunderland, for instance, they’ve been building ships for 640 years. How many generations of people have gone through systems over 640 years, you know? Families and people coming here- it’s colossal, but that’s what you get, you got knowledge from people who you work with.
The other thing was that I didn’t, I was, I was 18, I was an 18 – 19 year old, it was the 1960s, and we were completely rebels, I mean I had long hair and, you know, the works. The Beatles and the whole thing. We were completely different to any apprentices they’d ever had. We had our own opinions and our own way of life. They thought we were mad, you know, they really did. But what they did was, to actually teach you how to respect other people, as I mentioned, you never called a foreman other than mister, you know, unless you actually knew him very well, they didn’t like you being…and especially if he was talking to somebody who was a manager or you went in and saying Mr Madison and Mr Graham, can I do so and so, whatever it was. So you had that, that respect and I don’t how or why we developed that, but that just became standard.
Jim has 14 memories in the memorynet:
Jim's memories with a Relationships theme:
Jim's other memories:
Starting at Doxford's- The Doxford master plan
- Working in the Tool Room
- Training the apprentices and the closure of Doxford's
- Value of Doxford apprenticeship
- The apprentice strike
- Leaving Doxford's
The Doxford Ship Yard- Aerial view of the Doxford Works and the River Wear
- A ship being launched
- A Doxford engine
- Model of a Doxford engine
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