Peter Fairbairn
Peter belongs to: Cullercoats RNLI
Peter was born in Simpson Street in Cullercoats. From an early age he wanted to be a fisherman and lifeboatman. Peter fished from a coble, herring drifters and trawlers.
Peter was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 24 November 2005. The interview took place at the Interviewee's living room and lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
Changes at the Fish quay and the in the fishing community
"North Shields harbour? Hell of a sight better than it is now"
North Shields harbour? Hell of a sight better than it is now but it was a very, what can I, a close knit community when you went down Tanners Bank. You, I think you had about 40 odd trawlers there, you know, and you knew everybody- that was your living. I mean, when you come ashore in the middle of the week, and none of your friends had the money to go drinking or what have you, so you kept with your crew and you went out drinking with them, when you got married, you went out with their wives, you went out to a show or something like that- it was a very close knit community. Happy community, you know.
And as things started to decline, they started to bringing new trawlers in, well that was when I bought my own boat, you know, got into a company and after that, things started to decline, people were going for smaller types of boat, especially the Scotchmen, they were coming into Shields because there’s a good fishing area out here, and they used to come into Shields and the decline then was the strike we had, or the blockade in, I would think, 1975, and that got rid of most of the big trawlers. There weren’t any big trawlers left in North Shields.
Peter has 19 memories in the memorynet:
Peter's memories with a Lifestyles theme:
Peter's other memories:
The herring drifters- Following the herring
- Being knocked overboard
- Meals
- Sounds and smells
- Changes in equipment
- Changes at the Fish quay and the in the fishing community
- The RNLI
Photograph of Peter- The herring drifters
- Wheelhouse of the Faithful Star
- Photograph of Peter
- Peter on the Alpha
- The Akede
- Photograph of Peter
- Peter's father
- The Alpha
This memory has these themes:
Change | Community | The North East | Work
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