Lyr Add: A South Shields Song

Subject: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 13 Jun 04 - 02:43 PM

A South Shields Song

The Sailors are all at the bar,
They cannot get up to Newcastle;
The sailors are all at the bar,
They cannot get up to Newcastle.

Wu wi' smoky Shields,
And hey for bonny Newcastle;
Up wi' smoky Shields,
And hey for bonny Newcastle.
- Bell's "Northern Bards," 1812.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 04:34 PM

On the subject of obscure North Eastern songs there was one which appeared to be perculiar to South Shields which I remember hearing around 1970 (although it would probably be very old by then)from a chap called Dickie Harrison who sometimes sang at the Turks Head on the riverside at their "Go As You Please" sessions. It was the only "traditional" song that he did and I also have heard it on the drunk's bus going through the town, around the same time. It appears to have eminated from the shipyards/dry docks possibly referring to the trade of the tank cleaners. The chorus went:-
"Come up you dorty trimmer,come up and get your dinner,
Climbing up the stokehole ladder,
Cos if you're ower late there'll be no dinner on your plate,
Climbing up the stokehole ladder"
If only one of us had had the nouse to record it or write it down.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 07:51 AM

Interesting! Thanks!
\
CB

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: Dave Earl
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:31 PM

hi - in 2004 Dave S quoted a song whcih mentioned trimmers and stokeholes in the same chorus. 'Er indoors was interested in this because she's found that Firing the Mauretania (various spellings) has a last verse either "come all you stokers" (Redd Sullivan) or "come all you trimmers" (Hughie Jones). So Elizabeth's question is, what's a trimmer doing on a steamship? Clearly he isn;t trimming sails.

Supplementary question: and does anyone know a good online reference to Cunard Greyhounds to check how many fires it has - 64 or 34 or ...?

Dave

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: Snuffy
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 07:32 PM

All you wanted to know about trimmers is here, Dave. Boilers, Firemen and Trimmers and it even has a pictures of the Mauretania and of her boilers. If you read it all, it might even tell you how many she had

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: Snuffy
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 07:43 PM

According to this website the Mauretania had no fewer than 192 furnaces, which could be three separate boiler rooms of 64 each!!! (or 6 of 32)

But in "Nineteen hundred and twenty four" she'd been converted to oil burning after severe fire damage in 1921.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A South Shields Song
From: Dave Earl
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 10:32 PM

Blimey Vaughan that should keep her quiet for a while!!

It was the date of conversion to oil firing that got her started on this quest!!

Thanks

Dave