Shorebase moves upstream
Nautical Studies leaflet
The old Shorebase buildings, home of Nautical Studies for decades, will be demolished. It was good to see some of the former pupils visiting us in December to reminisce about their time in the classroom and see the old teaching aids still in use.
We used to have all the photos from the launch of the whaler ‘Collingwood’ in 1951, and the log of the Seaquest from the 60’s and 70’s, plus other archive material but all this was lent to the Amble Middle School when they were celebrating their history, and they requested to keep it, as it was just as much part of their history. However, many of the teachers involved at the time are now retired, and no-one seems to know what happened to these documents.
We do still have a leaflet advertising the Nautical Studies course in the 70s, and even the Lodging book – detailing the money paid to landladies for boarding boys who came from other parts of the county to do the course. In 1971, they were paid the 62p per day for this (went up to £1.92 by 1979).
We would love to know where the other information has gone to try and put it all together for the future.
If you have copies of any photos from the early days of Nautical Studies in Amble, we’d like to take a copy for our records.
Come up and visit us in the new building there is usually someone in the office Mon – Thurs 9 – 1pm: just drop in.
Vic Brown
I was at the Nautical School 1973 to 1975 with Stuart Colter and Stephen Nicholas, all of us from Whitley Bay. We were in digs at Shilbottle and it was the best and happiest school years I had. Its a shame so much documentation is lost as i am doing my family history book at the moment and photos etc would have been useful. Stephen’s wife Gwen was a teacher at the school when he left the RN and moved to the NE, I recall she did cover a feature with the children of ‘old boys’ who were at the school and what happened to us. I sent a photograph and pen picture of myself joining the RN as a junior mechanic 2nd class and leaving as a Warrant Officer 1st class Engineer. All thanks to that school!