Our River Stories: Phyll Thorman
It’s amazing what rifling through an old suitcase can do! The memories came flooding back for Phyll Thorman who has kindly shared her story with us.
“Our River Stories: Like many other families the yards provided secure employment. My dad was a wood machinist and dad-in-law a joiner, who both worked in the Neptune, Wighams and Swan Hunter‘s yards. Then my husband was a draughtsman in Swans drawing office.
Although yard life was tough there was occasionally time for celebrations and annual bus trips. The picture above shows my father retiring in 1981 surrounded by his work mates, the one below was a bus trip in the 50/60s to the seaside.”
“The shipyard poet Jack Davitt aka Ripyard Cuddling wrote a poem “Dark Deeds” (you can read below) about the death of a night shift foreman discovered by a plater, which acknowledges my dad’s cousin Frankie Thompson!”
