More from the CRT Online Archive - Sam and Gladys Horne

[alan_fincher]

I'm having another dip into the archive.

Sam and Gladys Horne worked for a number of companies, although I'm surprised more is not made of the fact that they were the very first crew for Willow Wren on its initial formation.

Sadly Gladys passed away a couple of years back, and Sam much more recently. (Incidentally I was intrigued to find "Sam" was actually called "Fred", but always known on the canals as "Sam").

After BW abandoned most of its commercial carrying after the 1962/1963 winter, Sam and Gladys continued for a while to operate the same boats, but now delivering concrete piles to where they were needed, out of Marsworth depot. They then came off the boats, and he became Berkhamsted lock keeper / lengthman, and continued to live at Raven's Lane lock until not long before he passed away.

Their story is well told in Euan Corrie;s "Tales from the old inland waterways", but some of the images are now in the CRT archive as well...

 

from this link

In the next image, although it is Gladys on the butty, I think the person on the towpath is not Sam Horne - I'm no expert, but it looks to me like their friend "the other Sam", namely Sam Brookes.

 

 

from this link

 

and actually delivering the piles - Euan Corrie's book reveals that Sam was actually scared by having to go up onto the Lee, with which he was not familiar

 

from this link

Although the source does't seem to be given, the hand written descriptions at the top right of each picture would suggest they are from the same collection.

RIP Sam & Gladys - boat people in the old tradition.

[Tony Dunkley]

I'm having another dip into the archive.

 

Sam and Gladys Horne worked for a number of companies, although I'm surprised more is not made of the fact that they were the very first crew for Willow Wren on its initial formation.

 

Sadly Gladys passed away a couple of years back, and Sam much more recently. (Incidentally I was intrigued to find "Sam" was actually called "Fred", but always known on the canals as "Sam").

 

After BW abandoned most of its commercial carrying after the 1962/1963 winter, Sam and Gladys continued for a while to operate the same boats, but now delivering concrete piles to where they were needed, out of Marsworth depot. They then came off the boats, and he became Berkhamsted lock keeper / lengthman, and continued to live at Raven's Lane lock until not long before he passed away.

 

Their story is well told in Euan Corrie;s "Tales from the old inland waterways", but some of the images are now in the CRT archive as well...

 

 

from this link

 

In the next image, although it is Gladys on the butty, I think the person on the towpath is not Sam Horne - I'm no expert, but it looks to me like their friend "the other Sam", namely Sam Brookes.

 

 

from this link

 

and actually delivering the piles - Euan Corrie's book reveals that Sam was actually scared by having to go up onto the Lee, with which he was not familiar

 

 

from this link

 

Although the source does't seem to be given, the hand written descriptions at the top right of each picture would suggest they are from the same collection.

 

RIP Sam & Gladys - boat people in the old tradition.

The man on the towpath in the second photo looks more like Bert Wallington to me.

[alan_fincher]

The man on the towpath in the second photo looks more like Bert Wallington to me.

Yes, I think you are right - not Sam Brooks - I think I'm getting them mixed up. Thanks for the correction.

 

Somewhere there is a picture of a whole gaggle of all those names working in that 62/63 winter, where they are standing on a canal (the Oxford I think), and BW has them engaged in tree cutting. I thought I might turn that up amongst Sam Horne pfotos, but if it's there it is not captioned with his name, I think, (and "Wallington" doesn't find anything either).

[Ray T]

The man on the towpath in the second photo looks more like Bert Wallington to me.

 

I've shown part of this headstone before but not the complete picture, it is Lenton's Lane Cemetary near Exhall, Coventry.

 

DSCF6126

[alan_fincher]

 

I've shown part of this headstone before but not the complete picture, it is Lenton's Lane Cemetary near Exhall, Coventry.

 

DSCF6126

 

I absolutely love the BW Liveried Butty on there - does it carry a name?

 

By my maths Bert Wallington would have been aged about 40 in that bad 1962/63 winter then? Looks about right for the man in the picture.

[Ray T]

DSCF6127

 

The name on the stern looks like "DUBHE" ? The Butty is numbered BW No 272

 

As I enlarged the picture to discerne the name I noticed a lovely pot of flowers in front of the cabin block.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Ray T

[alan_fincher]

DSCF6127

 

The name on the stern looks like "DUBHE" ? The Butty is numbered BW No 272

 

As I enlarged the picture to discerne the nameI noticed a lovely pot of flowers in front od the cabin block.

 

That makes sense, and it is a butty that sometimes does appear in carrying photos from the BW era.

 

Several in the archive, in fact, including this one pictured from a very similar angle...

 

 

From this link

 

EDIT:

 

Not a boat I'm familiar with in current times, but this link on the HNBC site confirms it as now looking very different....

 

Edited January 1, 2015 by alan_fincher

[Ray T]

 

That makes sense, and it is a butty that sometimes does appear in carrying photos from the BW era.

 

Several in the archive, in fact, including this one pictured from a very similar angle...

 

 

From this link

 

 

 

Norton Junction looks very different now.

[Mike Tee]

That makes sense, and it is a butty that sometimes does appear in carrying photos from the BW era.

Several in the archive, in fact, including this one pictured from a very similar angle...

 

From this link

EDIT:

Not a boat I'm familiar with in current times, but this link on the HNBC site confirms it as now looking very different....

I'm sure we went past that boat last year, and I just cannot remember where - somebody put me out of my misery!

[alan_fincher]

I'm sure we went past that boat last year, and I just cannot remember where - somebody put me out of my misery!

Well the HNBC site records it as being "Near Ellesmere". This seems likely, as I have never been there by boat, and can't recall ever having seen Dubhe in the flesh.

 

EDIT: To remove rather a lot of random characters that had crept in.

Edited January 1, 2015 by alan_fincher

[Tam & Di]

We bought Andromeda, Dubhe, Dipper and Coronis on tender from BW. John Duddington brought them down for us as one of the last boating jobs working for us before he and Ellie went to France and bought a Freycinet barge for trade.

 

We motorised Dubhe with the counter in the photo at Adelaide Dock, but I've no idea if that is the conversion we put on it. I last knew of it moored on the Thames at Hammersmith, but that was a few years ago now - the 90s?

 

Tam

[Ray T]

Being ignorant of what a Dubhe is / was, good old Wiki:

 

Alpha Ursae Majoris (Alpha UMa, α Ursae Majoris, α UMa) is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Major (despite its Bayer designation of "alpha"). It has the traditional name Dubhe, and a rarer name Ak.

 

The traditional name Dubhe comes from the Arabic for "bear".

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Ursae_Majoris

Edited January 1, 2015 by Ray T

[Tony Dunkley]

Yes, I think you are right - not Sam Brooks - I think I'm getting them mixed up. Thanks for the correction.

 

Somewhere there is a picture of a whole gaggle of all those names working in that 62/63 winter, where they are standing on a canal (the Oxford I think), and BW has them engaged in tree cutting. I thought I might turn that up amongst Sam Horne pfotos, but if it's there it is not captioned with his name, I think, (and "Wallington" doesn't find anything either).

When he finished on the boats Bert went 'on the Company' and lived, as far as I know until he retired, in the house by the stoplock at Sutton's. He generally worked (along with Ron Hough) a sister boat to your tug, the 'Tycho' on Hilmorton Section.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Tony Dunkley

[Mike Tee]

Well the HNBC site records it as being "Near Ellesmere". This seems likely, as I have never been there by boat, and can't recall ever having seen Dubhe in the flesh.EDIT: To remove rather a lot of random characters that had crept in.

Probably is Ellesmere then, we went to Llangollen last summer.

[archie57]

I would agree it's Bert Wallington, especially as his boats "Tarpoley" and "Bodmin" are pictured in the background! - from well known set of photos frozen in at Suttons 1962/3 - "Saltaire" and "Bakewell" to left, "Banstead" and "Bellerophon" in distance

[Tony Dunkley]

I would agree it's Bert Wallington, especially as his boats "Tarpoley" and "Bodmin" are pictured in the background! - from well known set of photos frozen in at Suttons 1962/3 - "Saltaire" and "Bakewell" to left, "Banstead" and "Bellerophon" in distance

Did you ever find that photo of 'Achilles' at Fenny lock?

 

Tony D.

[archie57]

Haven't come across it - a shame, as it's very impressive! - but I'll keep a look out for it

[archie57]

This is Bert Wallington again, with the "Asterope" and "Dubhe" - as confirmed by the man himself

[alan_fincher]

I would agree it's Bert Wallington, especially as his boats "Tarpoley" and "Bodmin" are pictured in the background! - from well known set of photos frozen in at Suttons 1962/3 - "Saltaire" and "Bakewell" to left, "Banstead" and "Bellerophon" in distance

 

Yes, I agree, I named the wrong person, I now realise!

 

Looking back through the forum Bert Wallington's great nephew has posted on here in the past.

 

Linky

Edited January 1, 2015 by alan_fincher

[Derek R.]

Sorry to hear Sam had passed. Wonder what will come of topside cottage now.

 

Not sure which part of DUBHE we are talking about here, as this shot was taken late eighties (Christmas at The Shovel) when Roger Farrington had her, but I was understanding he had built this from the stern end of DUBHE (stern end going forward). Clearly the same boat as appears in the short tug styled previously shown.

 

Edited January 1, 2015 by Derek R.

[Laurence Hogg]

Here is a better resolution picture of Duhbe working from my archive:

 

[Ray T]

Laurence, thank you for posting this picture. I would hazard a guess it is the picture the stone mason used for Bert Wallington's head stone. The angle of the boat is the same and it even has the pot of flowers astern of the cabin block.

[pete harrison]

We motorised Dubhe with the counter in the photo at Adelaide Dock, but I've no idea if that is the conversion we put on it. I last knew of it moored on the Thames at Hammersmith, but that was a few years ago now - the 90s?

 

Tam

I am sure that the DUBHE that was kept for some time at Hammersmith was the fore end, lettered DUBHE OF WOOLWICH.

 

The tug in the photograph near Ellesmere is the stern end and has always been lettered DUBHE since its conversion. I have not seen this DUBHE since 2005 when it was owned by the lock keeper at Grindley Brook and tied fairly locally.

[alan_fincher]

The tug in the photograph near Ellesmere is the stern end and has always been lettered DUBHE since its conversion. I have not seen this DUBHE since 2005 when it was owned by the lock keeper at Grindley Brook and tied fairly locally.

 

Obviously another case where somebody else doesn't know the full picture as your detailed records then, Pete.

 

I have taken another look at the HNBC site, and it makes no reference to the one at Ellesmere having started life as the stern, or indeed to what has become of the front end.

 

EDIT: Unfortunately I only noted the picture of the back end - as Derek has now pointed out, I missed a fore end picture, in which it is evident that it is the back part of Dubhe forming the front of that tug.

 

Googling finds this link and this link on a Flickr account belonging to Ian Press. So that's the front end.

 

I'm not sure I'd be sitting on the cabin top like that whilst passing Thames Clippers though, and definitely not a crew bothered by life jackets for that location!

Edited January 2, 2015 by alan_fincher

[Derek R.]

If you go back to Alan Fincher's post No. 7, and click on the link to the HNBOC site, look at the thumbnails and select the front end of DUBHE. This is clearly the back end of the butty going forward, and I am sure built by Roger Farrington in the eighties. A half decent paint job makes a lot of difference.