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Pallion Shipyard Offices & Departments
The new Pallion yard in 1975
The following staff are those who I can recall from 1975;-
Head Office;
Managing Director was Eric Welsh. Also Brian Tennant was Group Planning Manager and later a Director. Brian Tebbutt was Design Director.
The Design Drawing Office
This office was located on the ground floor of the Head Office building.
Ken Lovell, John Carr was Head Designer followed by Jim Bawn, John West, Dave Atkinson, Tony Flanagan, Stan Wingate, Doug Wright, Stan Cantes, Tom Grieg, Colin Forster, Ray Laidler and Dave Smith. Tracers were Elizabeth Russell and Julie Perry.
The Estimating Office
This office was also located on the ground floor of the Head Office building.
Roy McGahan - Purchasing & Estimating Director.
John Corner, Adam Gray, Ken Donkin, Doug Percival, Dave Bage, Michael Brydon & Alan Washington.
Buyers;-
Gilbert Wilkinson, Head Buyer. After he retired, Jim Whorlton became Head Buyer. After he retired John White took over.
Jim Whorlton, Ernie Robinson, Jim Jamieson, Kevin Duke & Mike Woodward.
Fred Gooch worked at Pallion from 1973 until July 1988, mostly in the Buying office. He started in the Buying Department as a Technical Clerk and eventually worked his way up to be a buyer.
Progress;-
Alan Richardson & Doreen Patrick.
Alan Smith (engine buyer) and Harry Wilson (guarantee engineer) worked in the office next to the estimators.
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Time seems to have stood still in the Head Office as the following photos show;-
Head Office in 2007
Thanks to Oxygen Thief of UK Urban Exploration Forums. More photos at;- http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=21958
Head Office Reception area in 2007
Thanks to Oxygen Thief of UK Urban Exploration Forums. More photos at;- http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=21958
The Technical Offices
The new Technical Office in 1975
Chief Draughtsman was Dieter Karston who left about the end of 1975 shortly after the move into the new Technical Offices and he was then superseded by Bob Laidler who later became Technical Manager. Newton Steadman (ex Swan Hunter) became Chief Draughtsman but left after about a year and Neil Smith then became Drawing Office Manager.
The Outfit Drawing Office
This office was located on the upper floor of the Technical Office building.
Assistant Managers were Les Revell and Derek Dunthorne, Section Leaders were John Bage and Joe Armstrong, Terry Ward (who became CAD Trainer), Derek Ramsey, Harry Oxman, Bob Charlton, Derek Charlton, Tommy Atkinson, Arthur Archer, David Holding, Michael Brydon who later went into the Estimating Office, Charlie Waister, Ted Johnson, Alan Branton, David Parkin, Steve Quinan, Allan Washington, Graham Frater, Stephen Lundie, David Reeves, Danny Bachini, Martin Ball & Ray Liddle.
Sunderland Shipbuilders Outfit Drawing Office, Pallion 1975
From left to right;
Terry Ward, Derek Ramsay, Harry Oxman, Bob Charlton, Derek Charlton, John Bage,
Tommy Atkinson (sitting), Les Revell and Mike Brydon.
Photo taken by Charlie Waister
Not shown are Alan Branton, Derek Dunthorne, Ray Liddle
The Steel Drawing Office
This office was located on the upper floor of the Technical Office building.
Assistant Managers were Bob Begg, Ronnie Trimble and Bill Whitelaw, Section Leaders were John Foster and John Pillans, Draughtsmen were Andrew Purvis, Bill Freeman who later went into the Design Office, Harry Auty, Ken Wilson, Ken Jefferson, Peter Atkinson, Neil Millican, Alec Ross, Ian Rudkin, Stuart Dawson, David Young, Steven Huddart, Stuart Graham, Eric & Roland Greaves, John Yarrow, Stan Evans, Dave Warne, David Arkley, David Lane, Kevin Moore, David Hall, Andrew Tilley, Bob Pattie who was previously Laings Assistant D.O. Manager, George Lynn & Peter Reynolds (previously a Planner).
The Upper Drawing Office as it is today, minus computers, desks and chairs much of which ended up being sold to AMEC Offshore where many of the Technical staff were employed after the yard closure.
(The photo above this one was taken in the top right hand corner)
The Hull Piping Drawing Office
This office was located on the upper floor of the Technical Office building.
Gordon Kirkham, John Conlon, Harry Gardner, Phil Cotton, George Solomon, Ian McCormack, Kevin Moffat, George Laverick.
The CAD Office
This office was located on the upper floor of the Technical Office building.
Danny Stokes, Terry Ward and Ken Hern.
The Engine Drawing Office
This office was located on the lower floor of the Technical Office building.
Jim Barclay and Ted Perry were Eng. D.O. Managers, Doug Hall and Bob Place were Assistant D.O. Managers, Section Leaders were Syd Hall, Eric Shires, Gordon Hallard, Draughtsmen were Michael O'Halloran, Gordon Thirkell, John Bell, Malcolm Sherriff, Jack White, Maurice Clyde, Bill Bittlestone, Allan Elstob, Keith Stewart, Bob Murray, Russell Hughes, Malcolm Craig, Mickey O'Neill, Les Brown, Peter ?, Alan Bister, Paul Shaw, Jeff Callender, John Best jnr & Allan ? who was the Clerk. The Electrical Department personnel were Manager Peter Anderson and draughtsman Steven Howe.
H. D. O. Lifting Gear Department
Section Leader was Graham Woodruffe, Stan Kernen, Dave Ingram, Billy Ronald, Ken Hern (who became CAD Trainer), Brian Greenwell, George Brockbanks, Peter Meikle and Brian Short who went to work in Planning.
The following were also located on the upper floor of the Technical Office building:-
Steel Order Department
Dennis Wolfe, Dennis Rodgers, Ken Hern, Bob Cook, Mick Thurlbeck, Alfie Bamborough, Bob Palmer.
Jim Sharpe & others.
H.D.O. Tracers
Jean Wilkinson & Allie Hill.
Plan Clerks
Bob Hall, Mick Sproat, Nigel Atkinson, Dave Sergeant & Billy Walker.
Print Room
This was located on the lower floor of the Technical Office building and at the rear.
Print operators were Bill Phillips and Mike Ewart.
Loft
This office was located on the upper floor of the Technical Office building when CAD computers were introduced and they eventually merged with the rest of the Steel Drawing Office.
Head Loftsman was John Jameson and Brian Woodward was Supervisor, John Emerson, Arthur Myers, Des Bell, George Willis, Jim Dinning, Tony Pucci (who didn't move to D.O.), Bob Metcalf, Willie Watson, Walter Drummond, Jimmy Young, Les Dodd, Frank Potts, Phil Arthur, Stan Waistell, Jimmy Swinney, Jack Frankland, Gordon Linden & John Hall.
Planning Office
This office was situated in the shipyard.
Outfit Manager was Frank Longstaff, Peter Metcalf was Planning Manager at Deptford Yard, Tony Bell, Paul Weston and others.
From left to right they are:- Bob Barratt, Peter Wardle, Billy Thornton, Joe Armstrong, Billy Welsh, ?, Alan Macvicar (died about 1998). Photo courtesy of Peter Metcalfe
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Article from Sunderland Echo May 1988 'Remember When'
A life in the yards
IT is more than a decade since Sunderland’s shipyards finally closed. SARAH STONER recalls the heyday of the industry with retired manager Frank Longstaff.
There is a photo captioned;-
YARD MEMORIES: Former managers of Sunderland Shipyards pictured at a reunion in the Rosedene, Sunderland. From left, Brian Tennant, Sunderland Shipbuilders; Brian Tebbitt, naval architect; John Barker, Deptford; James Marr, Deptford managing director; Frank Longstaff, Laing’s project manager; John Carr, Doxfords designer; Eric Welsh, Doxfords/Sunderland Shipbuilders; oldest member of the group Ron Etherington, 84, Deptford; Michael Cook, North Sands manager.
"THE closure of the shipyards was the end of an era for us," recalls Frank Longstaff. "We were just like a family and it was a very sad time."
Frank was born into a shipbuilding family, although he never knew his father, Frances, who died of cancer just five weeks before he was born.
"It was the kind of industry where generations of men followed their fathers into the yards. Although I never knew mine, I still went into the shipyards," said Frank.
"My brother-in-law, who was the closest thing I had to a father, was an engineer in the yards, so I said I wanted to be one too. I started as an apprentice fitter at 14."
Frank, who was born in Hadrian Street, Millfield, signed up for his apprenticeship at Laing’s in 1940, just after returning from a 13-month stay in Yorkshire as an evacuee.
The war was a busy time for Sunderland’s shipyards, with scores of orders for merchant vessels processed – despite them yards being a priority target for the Luftwaffe.
Indeed, in the year Frank signed up, four men were killed at Laing’s during a daytime raid, after five German bombs fell on the yard.
"It was my scoutmaster, Mr Walton, who got me the job. He worked at Laing’s and thought it was time I was earning a living," remembers Frank.
"We had to fit all the ships we made with paravane gear, equipment to sweep mines away, during the war and for several years afterwards, just to protect them."
Frank, now 80, served a seven-year apprenticeship with Laing’s, which was known as a tanker yard, before moving to Thompson’s at the age of 21.
"I was testing a ship once when it lost power and we found ourselves hurtling towards the Tyne lighthouse, totally out of control," he recalls.
"The tugs got out to us at the very last minute and managed to pull us away, otherwise we would have crashed right into the lighthouse."
Frank spent several decades working on bulk carriers, latterly as a manager, until 1982 – when he was persuaded to become the project manager for Stena Ships.
"It was a different kettle of fish to what I was used to," he said. "I was used to tankers and bulk carriers, but the Stena Ships were built for the deep sea."
Frank finally retired from the shipyards in May 1988 – a time when the future of the industry was looking bleak. The yards disappeared within the next three years.
He still retains his links with the yards, however, by helping to organise a reunion for shipyard managers and directors each year. The 17th was held just a few days ago.
Frank said: "Although the river looks lovely now, old shipyard workers see another river when they look at it – one filled with ships, all side-by-side.
"I have many happy memories of my time in the yards.
"I met some great people, made a lot of very good friends and saw a bit of the world too."
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Stories and photos from employees and their families are needed for this website
Contact me at;- jbne17514@blueyonder.co.uk
DISCLAIMER; Although attempts are made to ensure complete accuracy, I cannot accept any losses incurred due to errors or mistakes within. Data has been sourced from many places and therefore can be subject to errors. It is the individuals responsibility to double check all information.
Copyright © 2008 John Bage