The Graveyard of Ships

[moe19]

British Pathe from 1932 of  the ship breaking yard at Blyth the voice-over says it is known as 'The Graveyard of Ships'

.I wonder if this was part of the Hughes Bolckow company

Obliviously long before the days of health and safety 

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/new-ships-from-old-aka-new-ships-for-old/query/Northumberland

 

Four pages of films with Northumberland interest  http://www.britishpathe.com/search/query/Northumberland/search-field/record_keywords/page/1

[mercuryg]

Fantastic stuff!

 

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Great footage!

When Choppington High Pit was scheduled to close in 1966,I was transferred away in late -1965 to Bedlington A pit.

I was marra'd up with a canny lad from the nearby Bomarsund Pit which also closed at the same time.

As we got to be very close marra's oot the pit as well as in the pit,he told me one day how his Dad died when he was a very young kid,I don't think he even knew his Dad,he was so young.

His Dad had worked at Bolckow's ship-breaker's yard,and was fatally injured when he was hit directly by the iron ball which they dropped from the height of the crane jib,to pound the upper structures of the ship they were breaking up.

This footage shows exactly how complacent everyone was...standing next to all the action nonchalantly,cranes throwing massive sections around , the ball sending shrapnel and asbestos and other materials everywhere!!

Fatalities just waiting to happen!

We miners  were aware of the dangers,and did our best to respect them,and take actions to help reduce injuries etc.

......Well,most of us did,except for the odd one or two...and you always get at least one....in any employment!

It was a pity the footage was pixellating very badly,but at least I got the jist.

I was thinking how strange it might have been if one of those men standing watching the iron ball crashing down,happened to be my Marra's Dad.

[moe19]

I see the BFI have  added  some new local home-made footage ,

I rather like this one that starts out from Morpeth market place, I noticed some of the buses were from a Choppington company but I could not make out the name (it was not Dickson Jordan)

The film is a day out for the kids from the old Sanatorium at Stannington ( it was just further up the road from St Marys ) , I believe it was a hospital for TB recuperation

 

http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-pcha-childrens-sanatorium-outing-to-cresswell-1930/