Stories on My dar! part 1

[Grimesy]

he lost his dad when he was 7, he was working from the age of nine helping the rag and bone man. giving his wage to his mam.

At 13 he was selling coal sacks from a cart, filling it from a yard on the dock road, traveling up to upper parli, weaving from one side of the road to the other as it was steep and the cart very very heavy.
Once he got to the 3 storey houses or the flats he would have to hump the sacks up the stairs, when empty back to the dock road to refill. giving his wage to his mam.

At 15 he was on the docks as an apprentice Boiler maker welder, at the tender age of 16 he led the 1st ever apprentice strike, all the shipyard went on strike 9pay and conditions), in the past the apprentices weren't affected and turned up at the yard and through the picket line, the strikers knowing no work would be carried out by the lads, just cleaning up duties.
This time the management were gonna get them to continue doing jobs unsupervised.
my dad called the lads together and they walked out, news spread and they came out in Glasgow and Southampton and Harland & Wolf and all over.
The strike after a number of weeks out, was won.
When called back to work the Union contacted my dad and the workforce was led in by the apprentices, the workers lined the dock road applauding the young lads. (this makes me cry).

He worked down the docks for a couple of years and was then called up for national service and in no time was part of the United Nations envoy on his way to Korea to fight in the Royal tank regiment (Liverpool)
1950: British troops arrive in Korea
A British force of about 4,000 infantry has arrived in Korea from Hong Kong.

When people talk of fear! and I'm sure we've all been a bit scared or worried, when my dad talks of his fear, its right back in his mind and it like it was just a moment ago, he wells up, chokes talking.
His tank was dug-in just the gun and turret showing over the bank!
The battle was intense and the line was broke and the North Koreans came over the top, they swarmed all over the tanks trying to open them to drop grenades in.
My dad said they were trying to back out of the postion but it was no easy task and its a steep bank you've driven into for being fired upon by the opposition.
The fire this time came from his own side trying to keep the Koreans off the tanks and its postion. the fear of being blow up either way was and still is terrifying.
They got out but were captured and held as prisoners, the war was over a couple of months later and soon enough and they were sent home on a ship.
more later....

[pazza]

Good reading that.  They don't make them like him any more.   

[Hampsy]

Different world! 

[tomolfc]

The part about the apprentices going out on strike reminded me of my days as an apprentice on the docks working for the MD& HC. The difference being when there was a strike we apprentices had to stay put as we werent allowed to strike. Probably in some part due to the previous presence of Grimseys Dad.

[jowlsy]

good read grimesy lad keep it up 

[zizkov]

Great reading this. Reminds me of my great uncle Jim when I was a kid, telling us about when he was a captain on the Russian convoys from Liverpool to Murmansk/Archangelsk being hunted by U-boats. My cousin inherited his OBE, I got the binoculars, which I still have on the mantelpiece. Or the old neighbour who told us about his time in the merchant navy, going to Fiji and meeting a witchdoctor.

You cant beat family history. Looking forward to the next bit.

[jowlsy]

l love history especially family history some great stories about make no mistake