Shipbreaking/Ship Repairing/Boat Building
Memories of Clayton and Davies
Tom Goulbourn recalls memories of the Dunston shipbreakers Clayton and Davies.
Read by Tom Goulbourn.
Available on: A Miscellany of Twentieth Century Memories from the old Whickham Urban District - Part Three.
Listen to Podcast (10MB download)
Clayton and Davie, Limited
When a ship grows old and becomes uneconomical and a liability to the owners, the shipbrokers of the world offer her for sale to the ship-breakers. Many ships have ended their days at the jetty of Clayton and Davie Ltd., Dunston.
This famous firm, (a founder member of the British Ship-breakers Association), was formed in 1926 by Mr. Herbert Clayton after returning from World War One. A little later Mr. William Alexander Davie joined him by buying into the company.
A German ship waiting
to be broken up.
Torpedo boat "Walrus"
in Scarborough harbour.
Since 1926 many vessels, famous and infamous, including destroyers, German U-boats, frigates, passenger ships, tankers, submarines, dredgers, fishing boats, tug-boats and cross-channel steamers have fallen into the hands of the Clayton and Davie acetylene cutters.
Acetylene torch cutters divided huge sections of steel and other metals. They were then lifted onto the waiting trucks by a crane carrying a lightweight electric lifting magnet, 45 inches in diameter, capable of handling 1,250lbs.of metal in a single lift. Some of this metal was exported to European countries.
In the fifties when the yard was fully operational, between 75 and 100 men were employed. Many had worked for the firm since boyhood. When an employee completed 25 years service he was presented with a gold watch from the management. Many watches were presented.
The firm was managed in the sixties by Mr.William Alexander Davie and Mr. Herbert William Clayton
Here are some interesting stories connected with Clayton and Davies.
Killed in action
The ship, which had been in action, had had many casualties, and the emergency repairs necessary to keep the ship afloat concealed the presence of some dead sailors, who sailed in this floating hearse until found by the men at Dunston.
There had to be an inquest, then the bodies of the unidentified were buried in Garden House Cemetery.
Tom Goulbourn tells us that he was on board when the bodies were found and that his father Thomas Thompson Goulbourn was Foreman of the Jury at the Inquest.
Reprieve
The veteran paddle wheel tug 'Eppleton Hall' built in 1914 was bought to scrap by Clayton and Davie in 1967.
The news of the tug's fate reached the ears of Mr. Karl Kortum, director of the San Francisco Maritime Museum in the U.S.A. He told Scott Newall who did a "United States Marine Act" by crossing the Atlantic in haste to reprieve the 'old lady' by buying her from the Dunston firm.
A book, The Eppleton Hall, written by Scott Newall, tells the story of the discovery, restoration and journey from the Tyne to San Francisco of the ship. (Howell-North Books, Berkeley, CA, 1971) and is available from local libraries or second hand bookshops - try the Internet.
The "Eppleton Hall" paddle
steamer now in San
Francisco Maritime Mueum
Mr Scott Newall
Plaque for the "Eppleton
Hall" at San Francisco's
Maritime Musuem
Mr. Scott Newall spent £41,600 to rebuild the tug. Then after many trials and tribulations, set sail on her last voyage on the 16th July 1969 - not to a breakers yard - but to honourable retirement as a show-piece in the San Francisco Maritime Museum.
The "Eppleton Hall"
at San Francisco Maritime
Museum - picture supplied by
Norman Lees
The "Eppleton Hall"
pictured at San Francisco's
Maritime Museum
The "Eppleton Hall"
pictured at San Francisco's
Maritme Museum
The Cruel Sea
When the film "The Cruel Sea" was being made, the Elstree Studio camera team visited the breakers' yard of Clayton and Davie at Dunston to shoot scenes aboard an ex-Royal Navy corvette awaiting demolition.
Later most of the superstructure of the vessel was sent off to the studio to be re-assembled.
Some of the name-plates of ships of the past hung on the walls of the yard fitting shop which could be likened to a Naval Museum. Names which quicken the heart-beat of a naval man-'Plucky', 'Paladin', 'Linnet', 'Echo' all ships of war. Ships of commerce include 'Thornaby', Hallmoor', 'Lievvroukerk','City of Christiana', etc.
We would be pleased to have more stories about this and of other Dunston Riverside Industries.
Taylor Pallister Limited
Taylor Pallister commenced ship repairing in 1900 from a small workshop near the Dunston Staiths, servicing the small ships that came up the River Tyne to the Staiths and Derwenthaugh. During and after the 1914-1918 war, the firm provided lifting gear and items for steering and mooring of much larger vessels. During the Second World War many demands were made upon the firm. Taylor Pallister Warping Guides were used to moor tank landing craft.
In 1958 they took over the site of the original Dunston Colliery.
Dunston was world famous among sailors because of the 'Rollos' or 'fair leads'* on ships, which were made at Taylor Pallisters. More recently, some of the world's largest ships, including the Q.E.2, were fitted with Taylor Pallister Fair Leads.
* A fairlead is a hole, set of holes or a more elaborate device for guiding a rope etc. to reduce friction!
Hedworth Boat Yard
Built all kinds of racing boats.
Saddler's Boat Building Yard
Saddlers Boat Building Yard was famous for the building of Keelboats. Later on the building of Wherries and Yachts was carried out at the same yard.