My grandad, Frank Robson, was a formidable, yet humble man. He was extremely well educated, despite being prevented from attending the local grammar school, as his mother had been unable to afford to purchase the uniform. He had read the Complete Works of Shakespeare from cover to cover and had a well-worn volume of Das Kapital by Karl Marx sitting on his bookshelf.
He worked at Austin and Pickersgill as a joiner, one of the many skilled trades which have depleted since Thatcher forced the closure of the shipyards in Sunderland and across the country during the 1980s.
The Jarrow March
In addition to this, my grandad was a committed trade union steward, a passion that he had nurtured since joining the Jarrow March in 1936. My grandad would have been 26 at the time and was out of work. He had local connections to Palmer’s shipyard workers and joined the march in October 1936. The marchers undertook an arduous route to London with the local MP “Red Ellen” and it culminated in perceived failure as it resulted in no new employment opportunities in Jarrow or the surrounding areas. Many of the men stayed in London as they found it easier to secure employment in the South East. My mum has confirmed that my grandad worked in London for a short time and returned home to Sunderland. He was fortunate to find work, enabling him to support his burgeoning family. History has been kind to the marchers and The Jarrow March, as it became known, was hailed as one of the catalysts of post-war social reform facilitated by the post-war Attlee Labour Government in 1945.
Improving working lives
My grandad went on to dedicate his entire working life to improving the working lives of the men working at Austin and Pickersgill and his tireless efforts led to improved working conditions and health and safety rules in the Wearside shipyards. He was remembered for this and for not being afraid to speak truth to power, occasionally speaking at rallies held at Roker Park. Other members of my grandmother’s family were also formidable trade union men, including Peter Callaghan (Junior), who was a shipwright and head shop steward at Austin and Pickersgill until it closed in 1988, when 2300 people lost their jobs. He held my grandad in high esteem. When the shipyards closed, Peter became the Managing Director of Pallion Engineering, which carried out ship repairs. He worked tirelessly to retain a semblance of shipbuilding in Wearside.
I’m convinced that they would have a few choice words to say about the current incumbents of number 10 and 11, I very much doubt I could relay them in this piece! I do remember the words they used to describe the Thatcher government and they were less than complimentary!
