Remembering The Past

Women in Shipbuilding

We have recently completed a project looking at the vital role women played in shipbuilding during the First World War. You will hear more about this project soon when the material collected has been processed. When the war ended and the men returned, these women had to leave even if they wanted to stay. It became evident when we were talking to people that the story didn’t end there. When war broke out again in 1939, women once more needed in the yards. Attitudes were starting to change and in the years that followed the Second World War, women overcame the difficulties in being accepted into such a male dominated environment and became increasingly successful in gaining permanent roles in the industry. We are delighted and thankful to have received funding from Community Foundation which will enable us to tell the rest of this story.

We therefore would like to hear from women who had a career in shipbuilding and are willing to add their story to our collection. Many of these women are no longer with us, but we would love to hear from surviving relatives or people who knew them and can share their stories with us. If you have a story or information about these women that you would like to share with us then please let us know via Facebook Messenger or via our website Contact Page www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/contact-us/

An amazing memory from our archive about the grand opening of the Tyne Bridge in 1928 - ON THIS DAY:

October 10th 1928.
A cold day but the excitement was such that I didn’t personally feel it, not just because I was well wrapped up, but because I was going to see the King and Queen. I was 6 years old and had never seen the King and Queen except at the cinema or in newspapers. To be honest I didn’t have much interest in the bridge. I was going to see the King and Queen and that was enough for me. With me was my Mum, Dad, and my brother Joseph who would be about 18 months old. He wasn’t interested in anything I don’t think, but when the cheering started he joined in with gusto, not knowing what it was all about. He just joined in the fun.
Dad took us to the Jesmond Dene end of Armstrong Bridge as this was the best vantage point to see the King and Queen on their way to Newcastle city centre and then they would proceed down to the river. There must have been thousands of people lining the route that day. Suddenly voices shouted, “here they come” and there they were, King George and Queen Mary, in a coach pulled by four beautiful white horses coming down past the part of the route which is now occupied by the Corner House Hotel. A roar went up from the crowd, unheard of by me before anyway. I was told later on in life that it was only equalled by the roar from St James’ Park when Newcastle United scored a goal while playing at home, and which could be heard all over the city.
Queen Mary was wearing a dark coloured coat with a fur collar and a fur hat, and King George wore a civilian suit. They both looked wonderful. It is a memory which will be with me until my dying day, with all the others stored up in my memory box.

Photographs from Newcastle City Library Photographic Collection

Remembering the Past were delighted to be asked to look after a set of memories about life in the Bishopwearmouth Conservation Area during the 20th Century. The memories were collected as part of Sunderland City Council's Bishopwearmouth Townscape Heritage Scheme funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. These memories will be hosted in our archive and can now be accessed on our website. Although they relate to a time within living memory, they describe a very different life to that of today. Some of them are quite amusing as well and we think they will bring a smile to your face.

View the project here.
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/projects/bishopwearmouth-townscape-heritage-scheme/

MEMORY FROM OUR ARCHIVE, ON THIS DAY IN 1930:

‘One of my earliest memories was when I was four years old. I lived with my parents, sister and brother, in Cliftonville Gardens, Whitley Bay. The year was 1930. I recall my parents taking me, and my sister and brother, down towards the sea at the corner of Marine Avenue. If I remember correctly it was early evening. We soon heard the drone of engines coming from the sky, and then appeared an airship. It was the R101.

It was an incredible experience and I can still picture it in my mind. It was flying north just off the coast. I have recently found on the internet a site devoted to airship history, and discovered that the R101 was on a test flight over the North Sea on the 1st and 2nd of October 1930. The R101 crashed on the 4th October 1930 at Beauvais in France. There were 48 dead with only eight survivors.’ 📸 UK Government.

Todays memory focuses on the beaches at Whitley Bay, with a detailed description of what was there in the 1930s. It includes a lovely story of the local children riding the ponies back to the Frying Pan Ranch at the end of the day. It's also hard to imagine roundabouts on the sand surviving the high tides and storms that seem to be all too frequent now. Read the memory of Whitley Bay seafront here:
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memory/on-the-beach/

The fourth in this week's series of memories of the seaside features Tom. Tom's parents ran boat trips from the beach in the 1950s so, as a young boy, he spent his whole day there throughout the summer. His memories include getting water from the lion's head fountain. The picture attached shows the ornate surrounds of this fountain when it was uncovered for a few days back in 2010. Does anyone else remember using this fountain or the lights at Whitley Bay which Tom also recalls? Read Tom's story here:
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memory/toms-day-at-the-beach/

Does anyone remember the Shuggy Boats on the beach or the Miss Tynemouth competitions at Tynemouth Outdoor Pool? Our next instalment of our seaside memories comes from Elizabeth, who remembers them well. Leave your comments if they trigger any memories of your own. Read or listen to Elizabeth's memory here:
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memory/elizabeths-day-at-the-beach/

Today’s instalment of our series of seaside memories recalls the influx of Scottish visitors in the 1950s and 60s. Visitors to the beach are mainly from the local region these days, but the influx of Scottish visitors during Glasgow fortnight and then Edinburgh fortnight was the highlight of the year for local businesses. Read more about this here:
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memory/scottish-visitors-to-whitley-bay/

Hello, we’re back after a short break for the summer. We hope all our readers have had a good summer, but in case the end of the holidays makes you feel a little sad we thought we would share some of our memories of a day at the beach. We will feature one each day this week and hopefully they will bring a few smiles.
Today’s memory comes from a lady called Kitty who clearly loved to go to the seaside when she was young. How many of you remember the egg and tomato sandwiches or roller skating at the Plaza? Read Kitty’s memories of the seaside here.
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memory/kittys-day-at-the-beach/

The Pearey House Centre for the visually impaired has its annual garden party tomorrow afternoon (29th June). If you're in the North Shields / Tynemouth area, why not pop in and support a very worthwhile cause and have some fun in doing so.

Focus on Forest Hall – Forest Hall is an under represented area of North Tyneside in our archives, so we were delighted a couple of years ago when a resident offered to share her childhood memories of the village. Anne grew up in Forest Hall in the 1960s and 70s and was able to describe things in a way that paints a vivid picture of life in the area. These memories include her home and family, local shops West Moor Primary School and bygone paths and tracks she and her family walked. They were collected while the Covid pandemic was still impacting on our lives and the interview had to be conducted via telephone. While this has reduced the quality of the voice recording, they are well worth listening to and you can find them via our latest blog post at https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memories-of-forest-hall/

photo of Clousden Hill by North Tyneside Libraries (cc BY-NC)

Remembering the Past had the privilege of working with the Pearey House Centre for adults who have a visual impairment to help produce a booklet celebrating their 150th anniversary. The aim of this project was to collect memories from current and former staff members, trustees and service users and tell the story of the 50 years since their centenary celebration in 1973.
Those memories have now been added to our archive as an important part of this valuable record of our local history.

You can hear these memories on our project page here
https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/projects/pearey-house-150th-anniversary/

VE Celebrations

“Street parties were the most popular form of celebration. Everyone brought a table and tablecloth out of the house and joined them together right down the street. Children and elderly people all had seats while the mothers ran in and out of the houses beside the tables with pots of tea. Despite food rationing, a good selection of sandwiches and cakes were provided.”

8th May marks the anniversary of VE Day, when street parties would have been held all around our region. Read the full memory here

V.E. Celebrations - Remembering the Past Street parties were the most popular form of celebration. Everyone brought a table and tablecloth out of the house and joined them together right down the street. Children and elderly...

Last week Remembering the Past and North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage project hosted an event at the Linskill Centre to celebrate the completion of our latest project ‘Herring Girls’ and view the new webpage to accompany it.
The project was commissioned to coincide with the herring girl statue that was recently unveiled on North Shields fish quay. Our volunteers have been busy collecting memories of both the herring girls and the fishing industry in North Shields.
All those involved, including volunteers, staff and contributors met to view the final web pages and listen to excerpts of the memories. They were delighted with the results!

Read more on our blog post https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/time-to-celebrate/

First ever National Lost Fishermen's Day Service.
See details below of event in North Shields.
Sunday 12 May 2024 11AM Fiddler's Green Fishermen's Memorial, Clifford's Fort, North Shields Fish Quay NE30 1JA.
Followed by unveiling of blue plaque to the late Henry Howard at nearby Fishermen's Mission 42-47 Fish Quay, who along with his granddaughter had the original idea for Fiddler's Green. ALL WELCOME.
North East England FishMish
Fishermen's Mission
C Aware Fish Mish

Old Low Light
Association of Retired Fishermen
North Shields Fishermens Heritage Project
Phils Plaice on the Quay
Collingwood Seafood
Seaview fisheries
Parish Nursing North Tyneside
Waterfront North Shields
Fisherman's Bay
Royal Quays Marina
North Shields Fish Quay Opinions
North Shields Fish Quay Company
Churches Together in North Shields
Healthwatch North Tyneside
Healthwatch Northumberland
Blue Light Choir
For more details please contact Peter Dade by WhatsApp or mob 07917 754259 or email: [email protected]

🐣Recalling Easter Traditions🐣

This booklet was compiled after chatting to some residents and friends of Eccles Court, Backworth. They recall paste eggs, jarpin, new clothes, hot cross buns and many other wonderful memories of Easter traditions.

https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/projects/recalling-easter-traditions/

Good Friday

The Good Friday Procession of Witness (know as the Good Friday March) was a huge event that took place in North Shields for many years.
Our volunteers collected some fantastic stories of Good Friday Marching as part of the Heritage Action Zone Project memories.

“I’m going back to probably the late 1950s early 1960s. I went to Sunday school at Wesley Methodist Church on Coach Lane in North Shields and although I was also a member of the Brownies I don’t ever remember marching with the Brownies. I think it was the Sunday School because a massive part of Good Friday in North Shields at that time was marching in your new clothes and although it was the Procession of Witness, it was always referred to just as Good Friday marching, and it was something we really looked forward to.”

Explore the whole Good Friday Marching project here

https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/projects/good-friday-marching/

This looks set to be a fascinating talk. Organised by our friends at The North Shields Fisherman’s Heritage Project.

The North Shields fisherman's heritage project have a few tickets left for the afternoon and evening talk. It is the 50th anniversary of the tragic loss of the Gaul and crew. Contact Terry McDermott on 07810 546162 for tickets £6. 7 left for 3PM and 4 left for 6PM be quick.

💐Happy Mother’s Day💐

We’d love to hear your childhood memories of Mothering Sunday. Did you give a bunch of daffodils as a gift? Why not leave us a comment below.

North Shields 81 years ago

‘When I was five my parents took me to see Charlie Chaplin at the cinema in Howard Street, but my Mother had to leave with me because I kept shouting orders to Charlie.’

This is just one of the wonderful memories on our website as part of the North Shields Heritage Action Zone project.

Read the full memory here https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/memory/north-shields-81-years-ago/

Or view the rest of the Heritage Action Zone project here https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/projects/heritage-action-zone/

North Shields Heritage Action Zone

You may have noticed big changes happening in the Howard Street and Northumberland Square area of North Shields in the past few years. While this work was taking place as part of the Heritage Action Zone project, members of our team were also busy collecting memories of this area. These memories tell the story of what it has been like living, working or visiting the area covered by the Heritage Action Zone over the years.

You can find out more and explore some of the memories here https://www.rememberingthepast.co.uk/north-shields-heritage-action-zone/

Do you remember the bent spoons and cut fingers from trying to carve your Halloween lantern in the days before pumkins were so easily available? The smell of burning turnip when the candle got too close is something the really sticks with you! 🤭

🎃 Turnips were carved long before pumpkins and still are in some of the British Isles. Here's a top tip for not murdering your hands while carving them, though! https://lovelygreens.com/carve-turnip-jack-o-lantern/

‘Women in Shipbuilding - rewriting women into maritime history’ opens today at The Forum shopping centre in North Shields. We are excited to be working in partnership with Historic England to record family stories that have been passed down about women working in the shipyards during the First World War.

Wallsend exhibition of 'neglected' history of women in shipyards opens The project is appealing for stories of those who worked in World War One shipyards.