The Clyde

[Graham Ritchie]

I was watching a Oscar winning short film called "Seawards The Great Ships" 1960 the other night, and it reminded me how shipbuilding and the Clyde were so important for so many. The DVD I projected the other night included other short films of Glasgow and the Clyde all interesting stuff. Years ago I read a book by a young New Zealander then, who was a be a Spitfire fighter pilot with the RAF during the war, and on his arrival in the UK on his second attempt crossing the Atlantic after his first ship had been sunk. He talks of the shipyard workers stopping to cheer as the ship he was on made its way up the Clyde to Glasgow, an amazing story in itself of his time with the RAF.

"Seawards The Great Ships" is a short film from 1960 and well worth watching, Years ago we went to a cinema here to watch a film called "Dear Frankie" which featured the Clyde quite a bit. Its interesting to note, that one of the main actors in it being Gerald Butler, would later go on and make big budget Hollywood film such as the excellent film Hunter Killer. However this small budget "Dear Frankie" is I think one of his best.

Anyway here a a couple of screen shots from the "Seawards The Great ships".

[Graham Ritchie]

Incidentally here are a couple of scenes from Dear Frankie projected earlier on...

Its a excellent film and well worth looking out for. I only have the 35mm trailer but am looking out for the 35mm print, its out there somewhere






The trailer, just need to find the feature to go with it

[Graham Ritchie]

Not sure how to edit this video into the original posting so will do it this way. I came across this stunning 4k drone footage today, taken of the "Waverley" sailing up the Clyde back in 2019....enjoy its really something. .

[Ali Hipperson]

I'll definitely try and get all of those DVDs Graham as it was a fascinating time when the Clyde and it's ship building was a major part of the Scottish economy - now all sadly gone ☹️

My late Scottish mother used to always say (to anyone who she thought was lying to her) "hey - do you think I came up The Clyde on a boat yesterday!" 😉

[Graham Ritchie]

Ali
The Glasgow transport museum is well worth a visit, they have a lot of "model" shipyard ships. I am not sure if the word model is the right one to use, can't think of another at the moment. There are a couple of very interesting Look at Life Super 8 films that Derann sold that had a couple of Clyde built ships featured. One being "The Last Battleship" another is "Shopping for a Queen".

One still I captured from "Seaward The Great Ships" just had to with this one, brought up memories of the car ferries the Arran, the Bute and the Cowal. I used to travel on them a lot. On a winters night crossing if you were outside the best place to stand was with your back against the funnel to get warm fun times.

Here is one of them, of what we used to call the A.B.C. boats.

I think the below photos of the "Queen Mary" leaving John Browns shipyard in 1936 are truly amazing. It must have been an amazing sight.

[Graham Ritchie]

Came across this excellent video today I am sure Ali on the forum will recognize back about a million years ago, well it seems like it, around 1964-65 I used to meet up with friends at the Dunoon pier on a Sunday morning and catch one of the many boats sailing the Clyde to Rothesay. Other than swimming in the Clyde, the nearest "indoor pool" was at Rothesay, so we would go there for the day. Later Dunoon would get its own indoor pool, but up to then, it was a place we called the "Lido" where a swim in the cold and I do mean "cold" waters of the Clyde were the only other place to go.

Anyway enough rambling, here is a wee look at Rothesay itself and a crossing on the Firth of Clyde taken this week....stunning .

Steven and I did a quick trip to visit my parents back in 1994, while there we did a day trip to Brodick, even in summer the weather can pack up so Steven found the ideal spot for that journey.

[Graham Ritchie]

Ever watched a film and think that's not real?, well I did when I first watched "Ice Station Zebra" 1968 when I first watched it. The big let down was the arrival of actor Patrick McGoohan at the Holy Loch base that was supposed to be in Scotland, looked more like a MGM backlot to me Also Rock Hudson being the captain of the submarine at a local pub lastly the submarine itself, leaving the Holy Loch, wait a minute submarines were not docked to any pier .

Anyway I always enjoyed watching "Ice Station Zebra" and thought it was a good film, however that start at the "Holy Loch" still makes me .

We lived in Dunoon from 1964 until I left in 1973 and for that time both at school and work the Holy Loch base was on our door step. Although things never completely went smooth with the base being there, in general they got on ok in Scotland. Being a apprentice mechanic it was a real joy to work on cars like the Ford Mustang and getting away from the usual British stuff

That base is now long gone, but the last time we visited my parents in 1994, there was a chap who lived a few doors up who was pointed out to me, as he was walking past down the road heading to the local outdoor bowling club, as the retired former "US navy Base Commander", who after it closed made his home in Scotland.

I came across this interesting photo of a captured WW2 U Boat in the Clyde.

In the background is Dunoon and the Holy Loch.

Lastly a video of the real "Holy Loch" base not the one shown in "Ice Station Zebra"

[Ali Hipperson]

Graham - only just catching up with some of the threads on here after a busy holiday period working.

The Ferry situation is a constant grievance up here on Bute and the other Isles and indeed as I write we have been down to just one ferry since November as MV Bute has been in dock awaiting new parts for the crankshaft!

Now - yer man walking up the town up to the aptly named Canada Hill goes up the sidewalk and steps known as 'the Serpentine' and halfway up (before he tackles the second lot of straight steps - which I run up 'Rocky' style when I train) and off to the right where the parked car is situated is Mount Pleasant Road, and a couple of hundred metres along on the right is where I live, as in the picture below - SMALL world!! 😉

[Ali Hipperson]

[Graham Ritchie]

Ali if there was one photo that summed up the 1960s on the Clyde during the summer, it was this one. Three ABC boats the Arran the Bute and the Cowal ran a regular Dunoon to Gourock service, with train connection for Glasgow Central. It was a brilliant service, and Dunoon like Rothesay were full of life. Those summers were a great time to be living in Dunoon. The highlight were of coarse were the "Cowal Games" where over 100 pipe bands converged on the place for three days. The West Bay had the rowing and motor boats you could hire. The pier in this photo brings back memories, of fishing with a line under it .

Those days are long gone, but the 60s on the Clyde were the best .

[Ali Hipperson]

Graham, you must have great memories of your time in Dunoon.

This year will be my third summer up here, but due to Covid, I've yet to experience any of the usual summer activities up here such as the Cowal Games and of course the Highland games as they travel across the Isles. I'm hoping they will all be back on this coming summer 🤞

I was over in Dunoon last summer when my sister visited and will post a picture I took from a similar spot - they were renovating the harbour when I was there.

[Ali Hipperson]

[Graham Ritchie]

We were always out and about This was me in my ACF uniform .

The second photo is of Steven 1994 on a visit holding a can of Irn Bru

Last April my daughter watching the pipe bands practice at the Cowal Games from the back of my parents place, next to the stadium.

[Graham Ritchie]

I am sure" Ali" will recognize this destination of our home movie footage, taken 30 years ago on our short visit way back in 1992.

[Ali Hipperson]

Great video Graham!

I'm still waiting to get a trip on The Waverley - not that easy after its sporadic appearances over the last couple of summers.

I actually want to shoot some Super8 using my Sankyo XL620 if I can get some film at not too silly prices 🤞