The Launch of The Laurelwood, 31 May 1969

The launch of the Laurelwood, 31 May 1969 (1)

Ya hoyed us on yer shoulders
fer to see above the crowds
and we cheered fer the launch uh the Laurelwood.

Ya pointed out the rivets
that were yeuwa contribution
to ouwa six hundred yors uh history.

Ya said that one day i’d folla ya,
like yae’d follad yeuwa fatha,
and me Ma’d give us stotties for me bait.

“Cos doon on the Wear we mak’em,
and send ‘em out all ouwa the world,
and that son,” you towld us, “should mak ya reet proud.”

(1)On the Seventh of December 1988 the last shipyard on Wearside was closed down, leading to the loss of 2,400 jobs.