North Shields

Tyne shipping past and present

North Shields

Postby Hornbeam » Sat Nov 27, 2021 9:16 pm

It was interesting to see that North Shields plays a vital part in protecting London against flooding which featured on a television programme last night, seemed appropriate bearing in mind the present weather and the direction it is coming from. The monitoring of a 'Surge' starts at Wick and its progress is monitored down the East Coast including N.S, All the information is collated at the Barrage Control where a decision is made to raise the Barrage Gates which were constructed by a Thornaby on Tees Company called Head Wrightsons and complete with a mast towed down to the Thames. Head Wrightsons along with others in WW2 and known as Stockton Construction built many Landing Craft some being launched off the same Slipway as the Barrage Gates. One of the Stockton built Landing Craft still exists as a land locked Museum in Israel.
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Re: North Shields

Postby northeast » Sun Nov 28, 2021 12:25 pm

Bearing in mind the Barrier was designed in the late 1960's, I would have thought a new and higher one would be needed very soon, but opinions seem to vary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Barrier
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Re: North Shields

Postby Hornbeam » Sun Nov 28, 2021 1:46 pm

Whilst I was watching the programme about life on the River Thames presented by Tony Robinson my thoughts were the same bearing in mind the recent events at Glasgow :( and the predicted we are all doomed future for Mankind/Womankind, Head Wrightsons is no more of course, they were a very old fashioned company in their approach to personnel matters, a friend worked for them and although you were allowed a mid morning tea break you were not allowed to sit down or eat anything, tea break meant just a tea break, Wages wise there was the basic wage plus a War Bonus left over from WW2 to bring them up to National Wage level. They did however turn out some great work which lasted many years. Their contribution to the WW2 effort was quite outstanding from the aforementioned Landing Craft to the Casings for the Bouncing Bomb.
Last edited by Hornbeam on Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: North Shields

Postby Hornbeam » Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:36 pm

Bit puzzled about Wiki Waki as far as I am aware the Gates were launched at Thornaby and towed to the Thames complete with a little Mast affixed, a Former Tees Pilot has endorsed that from reading his previous comments on another Site about the Gates.
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