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Shipyards of Tyne & Wear and Clyde.
The final programme in the 2006 Radio Ballads series examines the lives of shipbuilders from Tyne and Wear and the Clyde,
two regions with a proud maritime history. Shipbuilding has been in the blood for generations on these rivers, although the
heyday for both communities is well in the past. The men and women in The Ballad of the Big Ships talk about how
building ships has driven their lives, their hopes, their humour and their culture.
Shipyard closures in the twentieth century took place during economic slumps and occurred in two phases, between 1909-1933
and 1960-1993. Early closures included Smiths Dock at North Shields in 1909, which became a ship repair yard, Armstrongs of
Elswick in 1921, Richardson Duck of Stockton (1925), Priestman's of Sunderland (1933) and Palmers of Jarrow and Hebburn (1933).
There were 28 North East closures in this period of which 14 were on the Tyne, 7 on the Wear, 6 on the Tees and 1 at Hartlepool.
Six shipyards closed in the 1960s including W.Gray of Hartlepool (1961), Short Brothers of Sunderland (1964) and The Blyth
Shipbuiding Company (1966). There were five closures in the region in the 1970s including the Furness yard at Haverton Hill,
near Stockton, in 1979.
Only Remembered
Fading away like the stars in the morning
Losing their light in the
glorious sun
Thus would we pass from
this earth and its toiling
Only remembered for what
we have done
Only the truth in the fife
we have spoken
Only the seed that in life
we have sown
These shall pass onwards
when we are forgotten
Only remembered for what
we have done
Who'll sing the anthem
and who'll tell the story
Will the line hold will
it scatter and run
Shall we at last be united
in glory
Only
remembered for what we have done
[traditional/John Tams]
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![Tyneside Shipyard 1986 [click for larger image]](/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=https://the-radio-ballads.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/tynesideshipyard1986bw.jpg&target=tlx_new)
