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Patrick Sullivan My interest with the sea all started way/way back ! The earliest I can remember was when living in Stepney and listing to my mum and dad's friends who either work on the river or in the docks etc, I must have been all of 4yrs, laying in bed at night listing too the river traffic. tooting of tugs and hooting of the much bigger ships . I dreamt /ships later we were to move Dagenham New Town to spare ourselves more of the bombing. The only point that I saw of moving away from my beloved Stepney there was less noise but still bombing as we lived near to (Ford Motor Co. making tanks etc, ) (Beckton gas works ) (Mann & baker ) (Stirling engineering- sten/gun) (R.A.F. Hornchurch)(Barking power stn)( every ready- Batteries) (Upminster/London underground train service) (Dagenham Dock to Tilbury railway)and (Dagenham Dock). The list was endless and we were to be a lot safer so my mum told me?????? when the war finished I joined the (Dagenham Sea Scouts ) at the dockland settlement Heathway dag. I then went on to join the Dagenham Sea Cadets at the Stirling engineering works Eastbrooke Dagenham. This lead me onto the (pwsts dover 1955) first trip (Oronsay) I was to stay at sea until 1960 ?? when financial came to bear as I was trying to support a family of four, and the wages shipping companies were paying at the time were very poor compared with shore side. So I went into the construction industry as a (industrial/painter) later to form my own painting company with my father, we undertook large bridges /buildings/ gas monitors) most of the large manufacturing companies etc. The one contract that I loved above all others was the (P.L.A. Tilbury ) grain terminal which could turn around a large ship in about three days, this lasted for ten years. I the moved to Colchester open a residential/ care home for people with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour etc,. always doing things ie (bed & breakfast for lorry drivers) (laying on dance nights at the Circus Tavern Perfleet) (plant and machinery) my life as never ever been dull. And add to all that I have the best circle of friends in the (pwsts) (British Sailors Society)
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