Armed Forces Day

A day to remember

A special servive was held on the steps of South Shields Town Hall on Sunday conducted by the Revd. Paul Kennedy, the Rector of St. Michael and All Angels, Westoe, and attended by the Mayor of South Tyneside Cllr. John Anglin, and his Deputy Mayor Cllr. Tom Pigott.

Here is a collection of some of the interesting and inspiring characters that I met.

Template made with Photoshop

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The Russian Convoy Club

Armed Forces Day

These are the real guys in the white hats, they were men who served at sea in the Russian Convoys between 1941 and 1945 helping the supply of materials exchanged between the Allied forces of the west and Russia in the Second World War. Their losses were heavy and more men from South Shields lost their lives at sea during the second great war than from any other town in the UK. They made regular journeys from UK and foreign ports via Scapa Flow to Murmansk and Archangel to keep Russia supplied with vital materials to continue her war effort, but their losses were heavy and arduous, 2800 lives were lost in the 78 convoys and over 100 ships ended their voyages at the bottom of the oceans as victims of German U-boats and surface ships.

The Russian Convoy Club have taken to wearing a white beret with badge to signify their participation in the vital logistics operation that sustained the Allied efforts.

On the left is Bob Robertson and his wife, and on the right George Nicols and his wife: I was honoured to meet them as they convened for a special service to mark Armed Forces Day on the steps of South Shields Town Hall yesterday, men such as these inspire the pride and remembrance in both our armed forces and the merchant fleet which protected our threatened democracy during those dark days. We should never forget the impact of their lives’ work and the lessons of history which flow from it.

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 46 mm lens, 1/350 second, f4, iso 200

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Ship’s chandler

138 High Street West, Sunderland

Used to be a ship’s chandler in the days when they had wooden hulls and sails, now it’s a pub.

The area around the bottom end of High Street in Sunderland would have been very bustling and busy about a hundred years ago when it was the centre of a busy commercial port, now it looks a bit run down, although a fair amount of new business and apartments are growing there.

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 82 mm lens, 1/750 second, f5.6, iso 200

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Black and white

A small tribute

Following the death of that strange but talented pop singer Michael Jackson, I offer this as my own tribute – black and white – it was the title of one of my favourites of his recent songs.

The picture is a close crop of some artificial flowers offered on a stall in South Shields Market Place captured in fairly flat light on yet another dull and overcast day, but I hear we may see some sunshine next week!

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 82 mm lens, 1/750 second, f8, iso 200

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A view from a cave

Marsden Bay

There are quite a few small caves to explore down on the beach under the cliffs at Marsden Bay, South Shields, although the exercise should be undertaken with extreme caution. Never venture there when the tide is incoming, and keep your eyes open for fresh looking rock falls, a sure sign that the cliff above you is precariously loose. In the distance you can see Marsden Rock and the light of Souter just poking above the cliff line.

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 28 mm lens, 1/2000 second, f6.7, iso 200

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