Aerial view over Billingham

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t13668An aerial view of Billingham and the surrounding area. What can you see? Date unknown.

 

 

 

 

Image and information courtesy of Bruce Coleman…

The nearest I can get to dating this image is after 2006 because the La Ronde nightclub is missing, if the small section of white building to the very right centre of the image is part of the old ICI office block then it is before 2012, if it is not the ICI office then it is after 2012.

1: St. Cuthberts Church

2: The Smiths Arms

3: Wolviston Village

4: Dawson House

5: The Green

6: Town Centre

7: North School (Pentland Primary)

8: John Whitehead Park

9: The Picture House

10: Forum

11: “Billingham Stores” (Stockton Co-op)

12: Kennedy Gardens

13: Billingham Town Football Ground

14: Old Police Station ( Now a residential home)

15: South Modern School

16: “Tin Lizzie” footbridge

17: St. Johns School and Church

18: Billingham Baths

19: Synthonia Cricket Ground

20: Roseberry bridge

21: Synthonia Sports Stadium

 

ST Cervia and John H Amos – River Tees, Stockton

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ST Cervia was built in 1946 as a seagoing tug for use as a fleet auxiliary by Alexandra Hall & Company Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland. She is the last seagoing steam tug to survive in UK waters, and she was also the last to work commercially. Today she is a floating Museum still undergoing restoration in Ramsgate, Kent. Alonside it is the steam paddle tug John H Amos built in 1931. Taken c1970s.

Photographs by Len Toulson, courtesy of Neal Toulson.

Fife and Drum Band, 1/4 Battalion. Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment c1914

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This photograph shows my Great Great Grandfather, Sidney Alfred Duckett. He lived in Henrietta street in Thornaby and he was in the 1/4 Battalion Alexandra, Princess of Wales”s Own  Yorkshire regiment. He is at the very front of the photo in front of the drum. Sydney was the oldest person found to date to have served with the 4th Yorks Battalion during the War. His Battalion number indicates that he was among the first to join up when War was declared and probably sailed with them to France in April 1915. He suffered Injuries in WW1 and was brought home but sadly died. He left a wife and 10 children, one of which was my nana.

Photograph and details courtesy of Sue Horn.

Ruston, Lincoln at ICI Billingham c1930s

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ICI Billingham in the early 1930’s as the factory was being expanded at a huge pace. I originally thought that this was Oil Works in the south west corner of the site and very close to the area bounded by New Road and Mill Lane,
the tank farm was in that area although what looks to be the twin towers of Newport Bridge in the distance now makes me less certain?
The columns were built by Ruston of Lincoln, a long established heavy engineering company whose factory stood for over 100 years before being demolished earlier this year and the site cleared for new housing. The gable wall carrying the company name became something of a local feature but a local campaign to keep and preserve it failed and it too was demolished.
The name of Kellogg Coy on the column refers to the American engineering and construction company who were still associated with ICI in the 1970’s and built their pioneering and then world leading ammonia production plants.

Details courtesy of David Thompson. Photo credits to the ICI Archives and Kevin Turner.

William Henry McDonnell, H.M.S. Calliope 1916

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t14949This photograph shows my Grand-Uncle William Henry (Ernie) McDonnell in a Dunfermline Photographic Studio, before he joined the Light Cruiser H.M.S. Calliope in July 1915.

Ernie born c. May 1897 at 30 Maritime Street in Stockton-on-Tees, was the first son of George and Maria McDonnell. 5′ 4″ William Henry grew up in the old Quayside district of Stockton, living variously at 12 Smithfield, 26 Garden Place, 8 Commercial Street, 10 Tees Street and by 1914 at 3 Paradise Street.

He was a Stoker in the Royal Navy during the Great War; he served from July 1915 aboard HMS Calliope, a modern, oil fired, light cruiser, which was hit by shellfire from German battleships at The Battle of Jutland in May 1916. He was awarded chevrons for his part in the battle and was granted his 1st Good Conduct Badge in July 1918 for 3 years ‘VG’ conduct in service.

Photograph and details courtesy of Anthony Pearson and the McDonnell family of Stockton.

British Road Services Staff

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Here’s a photograph of the British Road Services staff taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s. My sister, Brenda, is fourth from the left and this was her first job after leaving Richard Hind School.
I believe the office was somewhere near Parliament Street or St John’s Crossing.

Photograph and details courtesy of Neil Stockdale.

Two Stockton Mashes

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I wonder if any Picture Stockton visitors know anything of this little ditty. Being brought up in the Garbutt Street area I was asked a good number of years ago if I had heard of it, I had not. It was then I contacted the local Remember When, they in turn asked readers to contact me if they could supply any information regarding the Two Stockton Mashers. After a week or so I received a phone call from a Thornaby gent who told me he knew of the song and without hesitation proceeded to sing it to me over the phone. He was good enough to write it out and post it on to me, so here it is…

Image and details courtesy of John Robson.