Transcript

I understand your father worked at Swan Hunter then can you tell me what he did?

Well, he was head foreman iron stock taker from before the first war, that’s 1913 to after the second, 1946. A total of 33 years service in the one job.  He was 69 when his service ended having being kept on especially during the war.  His responsibilities were to check the delivery of the iron stock.  I think mainly plates, at the goods yard and that they were then allocated to the correct berth.  In those days of course, all transport was by rail so he spent a good bit of his time in the goods yard behind the cargo station which is still there.  His work load varied depending on the number of ships being built.  In the busiest periods he would work quite long hours with occasional nights.  At the other extreme, at the worst of the depression, around 1931-2, he and his fellow workmen and stock colleagues were kept on by the company physically breaking down the ships.  I think he was wielding a large hammer. To me it says a lot for the company that they showed appreciation of the services of some of their management.

I recall him as always wearing a suit and a bowler hat to work and a stiff white collar to boot.  The collars of course had to go to the laundry every week.