Listen in to the past

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• Life of the Canberra

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Audio Reminiscence

Listen to the stories of some of the men and women who worked in the Harland and Wolff shipyards.

• Bill Harrison Sea Trials

  Bill Harrison describes how important it was for a ship to be designed so that it could carry as much cargo as possible, as fast as possible

• David Fleming Shipyard Slang

  David Fleming describes the nicknames given to various jobs, such as catcher and heater-boy.

• Billy Childs Crane Greaser

  Billy Childs worked as a crane driver at the Harland and Wolff shipyards but before he could become a driver he had to work as a greaser

• BIlly Childs Harland and Wolff and Childs

  Billy Childs remembers his childhood, when his father and many other members of the Childs family worked at the shipyards so much so that

• Billy Nelson Plumber

  Billy Nelson was a plumber at the shipyards. He describes the work of fitting out a large passenger ship.

• Bob Bankhead - Welder

• David Fleming - Shipyard Slang

• David Fleming - Shipyard Slang

• David Fleming Plater

  David Fleming started work as a plater in 1947. He describes the change from steel to the lighter aluminium, as used in the Canberra.

• George McAllister Seven Minutes

  George McAllister remembers how only seven minutes were allowed for a toilet break in the shipyards. A man stood by the toilets and timed y

• Dorothy McCormick Tracer

  Dorothy McCormick was a tracer. Her job was to draw up the final copies of the ships plans, including the Canberra.

• Harry Lowry Homers

  Harry Lowry was a painter at the shipyard. He remembers how workers collected soft soap from launch slipways.

• Harry Lowry Painter

  Harry Lowry was a painter. He worked on the Esso Ulidia and had to finish the job at sea because poor weather had delayed work in the yard.

• Jack Bristow Characters in the Shipyard

  Jack Bristow worked as a machinist in the engineering department. He remembers the Bible Club and rats!

• John Cairns Plater’s Pricing

  John Cairns was a plater. He describes how their wages were calculated by piecework rates for each different job.

• Tommy O’Hara Boatman

  Tommy O'Hara was a boatman. His job was to ferry people across the river to work.

• George McAllister The Launch

  George McAllister describes the dangers of a launch, and the strain it puts on a ship.