The fish quay… where you are who you are, there’s nothing artificial
In 1945 my father gave my mother an ultimatum that, if he was going to be discharged the following year from navy service, he would prefer my mother to either live in North Shields or Genoa in Italy where he was employed by the navy. I was born in Aberdeen. My mother was from Aberdeen, and she decided that rather than go to Italy she would go to North Shields. So, I came to North Shields at 6 weeks old in 1945. My dad was born and raised in North Shields.
I lived in Willoughby Road, North Shields, backing onto Heaton Terrace where the playing fields are. That was where I was raised.
I went to Collingwood infant school and then the junior school then from there I went to Linskill at the age of 11. I still live in North Shields, I married in 1966 and I lived in a flat in Belford Terrace, saved up to buy a house in Brighton Road and from Brighton Road I moved to Westdene Drive and from Westdene Drive I went to a very posh street Camp Terrace and then I moved to where I am now which is Spring Terrace, North Shields just off Albion Road. My wife was a school teacher, she taught at King Edward’s.
Richard Irvin & Sons photo by Ernest Storey
I left school at 15 my father sorted out the employment at Richard Irvin’s on the fish quay so I went to work as a stores boy taking coils of rope, various goods, whatever was needed for the trawler fleet and the Seine net fleet that were fishing from North Shields. In the February I gave up my work at Richard Irvin’s I’d joined at £3 a week at 15 years old and in the Christmas or the New Year they upped my wages to £3-10s (£3.50) and I went to work at Parsons for £2-7s. So, almost a third of my wages came off to do my apprenticeship. I did five years and by the time I’d left, I was a technician and working in a laboratory and in the factory doing lots of things. I stayed at Parsons until I was 25. I got an interview with International Computers, got the job and commenced working for ICL.
I’ve lived in North Shields from 6 weeks old to the present day, 80 years. I think the fish quay brings everybody down to a particular level where you are who you are. There is nothing artificial, everybody is who they are and that’s always been a grounding for me.
North Shields FC badge
From being quite young my next-door neighbour used to take me to North Shields football at Appleby Park and from that day I was a North Shields supporter and have remained so for all my life.
It can never go back to what it was it was a very busy bustling town, Saville Street and Bedford Street were the main centres of the town and they were thriving. Lots of businesses, everybody bought local it was a big deal to go the town. I had family in South Shields, so I’ve got lots of memories of South Shields and Newcastle and they were sort of major trips out almost like a day trip. So North Shields has been the centre of my life. I was part of the Saving the Foot Bridge over Borough Road, and I got the Inspector to wheel me around across the bridge in both directions to the supposed zebra crossing on Borough Road and I think it may have influenced the Inspector.
John was interviewed as part of the North Shields Voices Project.