As requested, readers of this site have contributed stories featuring supernatural phenomena. Researcher & Historian, and regular contributor to the site Dan Green, got in touch to pass on an interesting story he came across.
Report in The Shields Gazette 2013.
A visit to South Shields by three unexplained lights in the sky in October 1967 seemed to be very convincing as it was witnessed and recorded by policemen. But what occurred the previous year might be an even better UFO episode.
It began when a Shields resident agreed to tell her story to local newspaper The Shields Gazette in 2013 on the proviso that her identity was kept anonymous.
It was a cold night in late autumn, a black starless sky between 10-10.30pm when she and half a dozen of her girlfriends, all teens, were walking home from Harton village past Harton cemetery when they noticed a huge circular ‘flying saucer’ hovering approximately 20’ above the ground, coloured lights pulsated underneath with a humming noise.
It suddenly shot up into the air to a height of about 60-70’ staying stationary for a while then swooping down over the cemetery. Three times it repeated this climbing and ascending motion until it finally shot up into the sky disappearing in an instant.
The shaken girls stood there motionless and speechless and never said a word as they continued home. Little did they know that it appears that on the same night the unidentified aerial phenomena was also seen and witnessed by a Mr Alton, then aged 20, and his wife.
The object was first spotted as they were walking to their home near the old Westoe Colliery. It wandered slowly around the sky towards Tyne Dock where the following year the three lights above the flats were witnessed.
Disappearing from their view it was next seen 10 minutes later suddenly flying almost directly over Mr Alton. They could hear a soft humming sound as the black circular shaped craft blocked out the stars. A circular white light was centrally located on the underbelly of the craft, around the circumference was an aurora of soft, colourful light. It then flew off towards South Shields Town Hall nearby.
Mr Alton estimated it to be travelling at about 15mph and was at least 40’ diameter. They watched for about two minutes as it skimmed above the Westoe Road rooftops.
I recently contacted Mr Alton now 79 and living in Whitburn, to see if he was still clear with his story and indeed he is – there is no doubt in my mind that he is telling the absolute truth and in accurate detail.
Was this the same UFO witnessed on the same night as seen by the girls in Harton? Two remarkable close encounters begging the question, why was South Shields being visited by UFO’s during 1966 and 1967?
More revelations of supernatural phenomena will feature on this site. If you want to share your experience don’t hesitate to get in touch.
As requested, readers of this site have contributed stories featuring supernatural phenomena. 60 year old Jeff Anderson from Washington, County Durham, talked of his experiences.
The paranormal equates to something or some activity that is unknown now but is likely to be known and possibly understood in the future. So, a good example of paranormal activity would include ghost sightings and other spiritual activity of that nature.
It’s the stuff of sixth sense, which we are all aware of in situations when somebody is staring at us from behind, we look around and sure enough someone is. And vice-versa when we stare at someone suddenly they become aware of our stare.
I have over the last few years been equally fortunate and unfortunate to have been exposed to very real paranormal activity.
It was the very height of the Covid-19 pandemic I had been to Lidl one Saturday morning, nothing unusual there. Bonnie my German Shepherd was eagerly awaiting my return to the car. No sooner had I done so when quite inexplicably the car radio started playing and this despite being most definitely being switched off. I had the presence of mind to video the occurrence for future reference.
It sounded like Metallica playing but I wasn’t sure of the song. It turned out to be Creeping Death. I learned later it’s a song about the Biblical pass over featuring the Angel of Death. Creepy right?
On my weekly visit to my elderly parents house I explained to them the car radio occurrence and showed them the video I made that day. I felt someone somewhere was trying to communicate something.
In an instant a powerful gust of wind blew in through the upstairs front bedroom window, it came down the stairs twisting and turning and blew into the living room with such force that it actually blasted open the living room doors. It then turned back on itself and blew out of a small living room window. I mentioned it to my parents but they didn’t want to discuss it.
Unfortunately, my mother suffered a stroke a few year later. One afternoon I visited her in hospital with my Auntie. My mother occupied a room with three other stroke patients. There were just the six of us in the room on this occasion with no medical staff in attendance.
Of the four stroke patients three were asleep including my mam. The other patient was awake lying on her back, staring at the ceiling and occasionally crying out for her mother every few minutes or so, even though she was in her 70s herself. She was unaware of anything going on around her due to a possible dementia diagnosis.
The next thing it started raining mixed with hail and with such force and intensity I thought the window nearest to her might be blown in. After a short while things settled down.
However, the woman in the bed nearest the window was like someone possessed, she no longer cried out for her mother and was now fully aware. She turned her head and looked directly at me in the eye, diverting her gaze away from the ceiling. She even attempted to get out of bed at one point and come over to me. It was then I decided it was a goodtime to leave.
Sadly, my mother died a few months later. Two nights before her funeral I had left my bedroom window open only to be awoken at 3am by a strong gust of wind, so powerful it took every ounce of my physical strength to slam the window shut. Before I managed to close it the wind blasted me directly in the face, at which point an image of mother’s face unexpectedly appeared in my mind’s eye.
More revelations of supernatural phenomena will feature on this site. If you want to share your experience don’t hesitate to get in touch.
As requested, readers of this site have contributed stories featuring supernatural phenomena. A regular reader from South Shields shares her experience.
My ghostly event, and I can call it an event, happened thirty years ago at my late husband’s private memorial service. This account of the super natural happening is not only true it’s also factual. There are still people alive who witnessed the spectacle to tell the tale. There were other remarkable incidents before and after my late husband’s death but I have chosen to share with your readers ‘The Falling Angel’ episode.
Before the service I had spent some hours at the local church arranging floral displays. Andrew, the Reverend, popped in to admire the colourful stage set. There were several pedestals of white roses amongst autumn foliage, all linked with strings of white simulated pearls. A complete stranger had run her fingers along the strings remarking they were many tears of love.
The Reverend had asked me why the central pedestal was standing empty. I let him know I was intending to place my late husband’s photograph on top of it. It was the last one taken of him only weeks ago when we were touring the eastern seaboard of Canada. However, the Reverend offered me an alternative to the pedestal.
Hours later, a congregation of about thirty people sat in church in total silence with their heads bowed as the coffin was respectfully placed in front of the altar draped with a purple velvet cloth.
The Reverend began the service of love by welcoming the rows of tearful mourners. Then he walked over and took the photograph of my late husband from me and placed it firmly on the brass eagle lectern. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at my late husband’s image smiling back at me, resting on the eagle’s outstretched wings. The romantic scene was complete.
As he started to speak something unexpected happened causing a murmuring from the congregation. The photo fell to the floor. The Reverend returned it to the stand. He continued his soliloquy but not for long as the photo fell from the stand again. Visibly shaken he returned it for a second time.
As he replaced it, he mumbled some inaudible words before turning towards the shocked mourners. Everyone watched as the photograph moved forward and crashed to the floor for a third time. The glass in the frame shattered.
The service of love came to an abrupt end. I felt a deep urge to walk across and rescue the mischievous culprits image announcing with a smile ‘My husband is determined that he doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal’.
More revelations of supernatural phenomena will feature on this site. If you want to share your experience don’t hesitate to get in touch.
As requested, readers of this site have contributed stories featuring supernatural phenomena. Actor and theatre producer Alison Stanley talked of her experiences. Featured in this story is a medieval castle in Chillingham, Northumberland which is reported to be one of the UK’s most haunted castles.
In the past I’ve been a celebrant at funerals and enjoy doing it. I’ve always been interested in spiritualism. I believe in a next life. We’ve talked about what happens when you die and we’ve mentioned ghosts, spirituality and the like people believe different things explained Alison.
Some say when you die you just die and there is no afterlife. But how do they know for sure? And by the laws of science we are a ball of energy and by those laws it doesn’t die so where does that energy go? The physical body dies and is buried or cremated but what happens to the energy? It’s an interesting subject.
A few years ago we went to Chillingham Castle on a day trip. There was me, my mother, my youngest son and my step dad. It was a grey dark day lashing down with rain. We were driving along the country roads getting near the castle. We turned a corner and saw an old woman in a red coat standing at the side of the road. She wasn’t old as somebody from the 1800s but there was something about her that didn’t look right. We all remarked about this woman who was in the middle of nowhere really.
I looked in my rear view mirror and she was standing looking at the car. Where did she come from as there were no houses around maybe she has dementia? I just wasn’t sure I couldn’t put my finger on it. What really was wrong was she didn’t look wet she was bone dry. But it was lashing down?
We get in to Chillingham Castle and looked at all the artefacts and stuff it’s quite cluttered. On one of the clothes dummies was a lady with a red coat and she had a hat on. It was from one of the women who had worked there as a housekeeper. I swear it was the same coat we had seen.
Another time was 10 years ago. We were sitting in a bar called the Pig & Whistle in Hollywood which is a very theatrical, grand sort of place. I went through a red velvet curtain to the toilet downstairs and after four steps I couldn’t go any further, I stopped because I froze and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. There was no way I could go any further down the stairs.
I came straight back up and told my husband we’re going to another bar for a drink because there is no way on God’s earth I’m going to the toilet here. Later we found out there had been a fire there and there was strong spiritual activity in the pub.
I think if someone is in the next life and they visit you I think it’s a bit of an honour really. They might have plenty to do and they have taken time out of their day to see you – so yes, it’s an honour.
More revelations of supernatural phenomena will feature on this site. If you want to share your experience don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Jamie in ‘Hadaway Harry’. Photo credit Von Fox Promotions
Meeting up with contributors I’ve asked the usual questions of who, where, what, why and when. For a band you might not listen to their music, but we still want to know if they were signed? What venues did they play? Did they release any records? And yes, some did appear on Top of the Pops and the legendary live music show The Tube broadcast from Newcastle.
However, occasionally I throw in a question that is relevant for working class people in a creative business. How many times do you hear working class voices on stage or TV?
Wisecrack Productions, a North East based theatre company, have produced a number of plays documenting working class history – helping in their own little way. Earlier this year I met up with actor Jamie Brown who has starred in some of the plays and asked him – how do you survive in the arts?
I work with two theatre companies. I’m company director for Theatre Space North East based in Sunderland. It’s about cultivating creativity within the community. We do theatre tours and plays in the parks through summer seasons.
Also work with 1623 Theatre Company. 1623 was the year the Shakespeare plays were published. The work centres around taking inspiration from Shakespeare and people’s everyday lives and making new work from it.
When I came back to the North East as a professional actor I was cast in The Machine Gunners at The Customs House, South Shields with an actor called Donald McBride who was a few decades my senior. He said with a twinkle in his eye and a wink ”You’ll be around a long time you will, just keep your head down and be nae botha”.
There is something in just doing your job, doing it well and knowing your role within that room. As a younger actor there is a lot to be said for that.
As I’ve plied my trade in the area for the best part of 20 years one of the things I tell students when I go to do talks at project days is there are two types of people in the world. There are those that plant seeds and there are those that just go around picking flowers.
There are two types of actor, some pick flowers while others like to get their hands dirty and plant seeds. I think you need to be doing both. But you’ve got no insurance that anything is gonna grow if you’re not the person starting it off. So, you’ve got to rely on yourself to put things in place and bring things to life.
There are some actors who want to travel the country or travel the world but for me it was about having a sense of place, a sense of community, bringing stories to life about that place, for the people from that place.
There’s a lot to be said about shared experience and shared history and values you have around you. Also, you can’t just wait for people to knock on your door, you’ve got to be doing stuff in the meantime.
There is or was a perception that when I came out of drama school someone would put out a casting call, you’d apply, go for an audition but it wouldn’t always happen. There’s a lot of in house casting, a lot of casting people who they know because it’s a high risk business and they want to take as few as risks as possible. They would prefer employing people who they can work with and who will do a good job. As a young up and coming artist sometimes that’s not you because you haven’t had the opportunity to work.
Being on the other side of the table I completely understand it but as a young actor seeing the same people get cast in the same sort of things it is frustrating and you think if that was only my chance. But don’t give up, chances do come and you’ve got to be ready to take them and not kicking up a fuss or overstepping your role.
An actor who has a creative brain has aspirations to direct, but are you the right director in that room and in that moment? Overstepping can be a bit fractious as well. You have to know your role within the room and its boundaries.
You might want to be an established theatre director in the future but if you are being employed as an actor by all means contribute your ideas when it is appropriate or when they are asked for, they are welcomed, but if you overstep you are going to realise very quickly you are not somebody who understands that particular hat you need to wear in that room. It can rub people up the wrong way.
What projects have I been working on? Well last year we done As You LikeIt outside Durham Cathedral on the green then St Peters Church, Sunderland and the Anglo Saxon farm at Bede’s World in Jarrow. This year we are planning more inside and out doors shows at places relevant to the story we are doing. We’re really excited about it.
Musicians, writers and actors have contributed stories to the site for over 8 years now resulting in world wide views totalling over 430,000. A big thank you to all the readers – much appreciated.
The site also has local and social history posts. A contributor who goes under the pseudonym Tinwhistler sends in his recollections of characters in South Shields. The likes of Big Hec, Billy Meths and Wavis O’Shave have already featured and the number of views prove there is a thirst for these stories.
In his latest post he talks about how a myth can be cultivated to the point of belief.
‘Our heroes are due to legend created from what is said or written about them, however, they can become exaggerated when tales are passed down. The negative aspects are usually omitted so you might be left with a ‘Robin Hood’ tale bearing little resemblance to reality’.
‘Controversial characters become larger than life courtesy of Chinese whispers elevating the likes of small time hoodlum to status of master criminal.’
‘We have heard of individuals such as this with their names and gang titles posted via graffiti. Never in a position to place a face to any of the names sprayed out there, I often wondered if these characters did exist?’
‘What if they were simply the imaginings of a furtive mind creating a band of disciples who followed a not so large Mr. Big? Back in the 1980s in South Shields there was indeed a case of this.’
‘This originated in the realm of dreams that belonged to Wavis O’Shave and the title bestowed was ‘The Hard’ showcased by Tyne Tees television on their nationally networked UK live music show The Tube.’
‘The Hard was tough, a shaven headed individual with a pumped up upper torso (a little padding), wearing Dr Marten boots on hands as well as feet.’
‘The Hard was filmed completing stunts such as spreading out one of his hands on a brick wall and banging several digits with a claw hammer, his mantra was an unforgettable “Felt Nowt!”
‘So where and how did the Hard originate? The North East of England has had more than its fair share of this type over the years, some individuals, some gangs usually involved in some kind of turf war.’
‘Spotting them wouldn’t be too difficult, in fact take three or four and morph their assorted traits, qualities and characteristics and hey presto!’
‘Going back to the 1970s O’Shave was solely involved and directly responsible for the Hard’s precursor. Back in those days we would read the writings on the walls to see if we might discern who these characters were, what they might be about and wonder if they actually existed at all.’
‘And so it came to pass. Wavis cunningly wove a mental tapestry involving the adventures and exploits of one of these types, creating a legend that would expand over a period of time. A title was bestowed on the non-existent extra hard tyrant and it was ‘Big Moss’.
‘The somewhat susceptible youths who we spotted in our neighbourhoods were fair game to test out the believability of his creation. Several of us in the know would be dispatched to where they would assemble – street football, outside the chip shop or leaving a youth club.’
‘The message was that Big Moss had been seen in the area and he was big trouble, keep out of the way and avoid at all costs. We answered questions as best we could but there were inevitable distortions as a precise script had not been devised.’
‘If asked as to his South Shields origins one reply might be the notorious old Deans Estate, another might be Horsley Hill or possibly one of the town’s outlying estates such as Biddick Hall or Whiteleas.’
‘The general description given was – bigger than you can imagine, a mop of ginger red hair, Dr Marten boots, 60s style evaprest trousers that were worn too short for his long legs which left exposed ginger shin fur. An additional warning was issued, “whatever you do, do not laugh!”
‘The Big Moss wardrobe was somewhat random from charity shops and jumble sales married up with home made turtle neck knitwear topped off with a blazer or suit jacket as the pockets were useful for carrying tapes of preferred music.’
‘If you were stopped by Big Moss and asked what music you liked and your answer wasn’t what he happened to like then it was likely a case of seeing stars. If he motioned to place his cassette recorder (the size of a small suitcase) on the ground, then it was best to run as it meant he was going to fight you.’
‘As previously described, Big Moss wore a jacket with pockets where he kept tapes by Black Sabbath and Budgie who were a Welsh hard rocking trio.‘
‘He also carried cigarettes – unfiltered Capstan Full strength, a Ronson Varaflame lighter and in his inside pocket held close to his heart more tapes. These were of American band The Carpenters. It was strongly rumoured that Big Moss was secretly in love with Karen Carpenter.’
‘There were some agnostics who would only believe in him if they actually saw him and this was when the sightings were confirmed – up close and threateningly personal.’
‘The role of Big Moss was played by a Wavis acquaintance known as ‘HAT.’ Hat fitted the bill perfectly as Wavis had fashioned his mental prototype largely on his colleague, just a few tweaks were needed here and there.’
‘His hair was a natural ginger combed forward creating a fringe curling up at his forehead. His hairstyle was commented on by a local barber who asked “who the hell cuts his hair cos it looks like he’s wearing a cap or a hat”.
‘Hat’s wardrobe was what Big Moss’s apparel was based on and the crowning glory was an auburn curly wig was taken from the wardrobe of somebody’s mother (possibly mine) and though worn reluctantly it achieved the desired image.’
‘So, Hat played the role of Big Moss, the personification of mixed up violence/ hardness married to dodgy dressing. He was let loose during December 1977 until February 1978 and new believers arrived after a successful campaign.’
‘They were accosted several times, stared at, made to listen to his music via the cassette. One track enforced upon the poor unfortunates was self penned by Big Moss, rap in nature maybe pre dating what came out of the States. In fact, he may have been the first possessor of a ghetto blaster, who knows.’
‘His self penned ditty was played repeatedly to these new believers frightened to look at their companions as it may lead to triggering an unwanted reaction. Expressionless faces secured their safety. They were now believers, converts and fearful of the spectre that had descended upon their once safe neighbourhood.’
‘Wavis fielded their questions as best he could. One question was “is he called Big Moss because of his size?” Wavis replied that this was partially correct, it was also because there was another of that family, Little Moss. The new believers were told that if they thought Big Moss was hard then never ever get in the way of Little Moss.’
‘Twice as bad but only half the size. The new believers were told of the exploits of Little Moss such as how he had toppled opponents twice his size, taking them on frequently in pairs and sometimes their fathers as well.’
‘Little Moss was the absolute rock, the hardest individual in these parts. But this was wrong. Wavis informed them of another even more ferocious member of that clan. This individual was said to fight opponents in threes with their Staffordshire Bull Terriers as well. This was none other than Medium Moss. A new legend was born.’
Micky Cochrane and Glenn McCrory with Tim Healy, who was ringside on the night of the world title bout in 1989 when Glenn became world cruiserweight champion. (Copyright Ed Waugh)
“Carrying David is emotional and heart-breaking. It’s about the love of two brothers. This is pure theatre. You don’t have to like boxing to be emotionally involved in this wonderful story” said actor, Micky Cochrane.
Carrying David premiered in 2019 and played to full houses gaining the actor a standing ovation for his telling of an emotive and inspiring story.
Post-Covid, the play was staged in London and toured the north of Ireland to sell-out crowds, including the prestigious Lyric theatre in Belfast.
The play tells the incredible story of Glenn McCrory’s rise to becoming the first-ever world champion boxer from the North East. It also has the further twist that Glenn’s terminally ill brother David inspired him to become the best in the world.
The play was written by Ed Waugh who brought North East working class stories to the stage Wor Bella, Hadaway Harry and more recently The Cramlington Train Wreckers which toured the region with sold out performances.
Ed explained“This play is about two lads from Stanley. Glenn McCrory played by Micky Cochrane – aiming to become world boxing champion and his brother David McCrory – fighting every day to stay alive!”
David’s muscle-wasting disease meant Glenn often physically carried his brother on his back, hence the title of this fantastic story.
“David and I were very close,”said Glenn, a former Sky television pundit. “He was my inspiration. David would say, “If I can defy death, you can become a world champion! Saying those words still brings tears to my eyes. I think of David every day.”
David was not expected to live beyond 14 but evaded death until he was 29, living to see his beloved brother win the coveted world cruiserweight title in 1989.
The fight was held at Stanley Leisure Centre and broadcast live throughout the world. It is the remarkable story of an underdog defying all the odds – a North East story that people still talk about today.
Ed added “The performance by Micky is sublime. He won a standing ovation at every venue, the reviews are all five-star.Rocky was a great film…but this County Durham Rocky story is even better…and true!”
Carrying David will be performed at Newcastle Theatre Royal on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 & 22. Tickets (including concessions) are available from the Theatre Royal or via the Theatre Royal websiteCarrying David | Newcastle Theatre Royal
If ya like ya lists these make for interesting reading. There’s been a new welcome addition to the back office stats from owners WordPress. Previously they’ve counted views from each country with the total to date 422,000.
Now they have drilled down further and added the number of views from what regions and cities where the posts are being read. These are from start date February 2017 – March 2025.
Top 10 countries >>>
UK
USA
Australia
Canada
Spain
Germany
Ireland
France
Netherlands
Italy
This list includes countries with ex pats who I think will add views from countries like Australia and Canada. European countries Germany, Spain, Italy, France etc might include followers of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal – I’ve added many posts including North East bands Fist, Raven, Tygers of Pan Tang etc.
Top 10 regions >>>
England, UK
Scotland, UK
Virginia, USA
Wales, UK
California, USA
Northern Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
Limburg, Belgium
Texas, USA
Ontario, Canada
This list is harder to summarise – USA regions Virginia, California and Texas in the top ten are a surprise. I have added a few posts with musicians based in America so maybe that’s it really. I can speculate as much as I like about why people are attracted to the site but honestly, I’m just very grateful that people enjoy reading it.
Top 10 cities >>>
North Shields, England
London, England
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Manchester, England
Edinburgh, Scotland
Washington, USA
New Silksworth, England
Sheffield, England
York, England
Birmingham, England
Few things popped out of that list – New Silksworth is only a small suburb of the city of Sunderland so a big shout out to the Silks whoever you are! Washington, the capital of America, is not to be confused with Washington near Sunderland because when I checked on the list the stars and stripes are next to the name.
Outside the top 10 the next most international cities viewed are Menlo Park in California, USA, Maasmechelen in Belgium, then Lincoln in Nebraska, USA, next is the Australian city of Perth and then Dallas in Texas, USA.
Big thanks to all the readers it’s much appreciated that you check in to the site from wherever in the world you are. New posts have slowed up lately so why not do a quick search on the archive to see who or what is there – you might be surprised – and why not pass the link on to a friend.
If you’ve got a story to add why not get in touch.
Big thanks to all the readers of the site with just over 4,000 for January and a total of 418,000 since the first post in February 2017. There was an extra push on social media for ‘The Butchers of Bolingbroke’ (Angelic Upstarts) and the punk band proved as popular now after first posting the interview in 2017.
January readers in UK & USA have contributed most views to the site, however there’s been a spike in numbers from Australia and Sweden after another social media push on ‘Ticket to Ride’ from promoter Julie Clay in 2021 and ‘Light ‘Em Up’ from stagehand & lighting technician Par Can in 2023.
Finishing with a big number crunch from the backroom statistics uncover the largest number of referrers to the site are from Google search then Facebook, with smaller numbers from Twitter, Bing and Yahoo.
Drilling down into the count for daily views reveal a rise from the first year (2017) of 46 to 219 in 2020 and 212 the next year, with a slight drop to 147 in 2024. Average views per day in the first month of this year are at 130.
Well, it’s just about the end of the eighth year of the site, loved every minute of working on it and meeting everyone I’ve interviewed over the years. I look forward to seeing who or what will turn up in 2025. If you’vegot a story to add, just get in touch.
The incredible true story of Harry Clasper is set to tour the North East in February. The one man play ‘Hadaway Harry’ stars Jamie Brown who won a NE Culture Awards Performing Artist of the year.
Harry Clasper was born in 1812 in Dunston, Gateshead, at two year old he moved to Jarrow where he fell in love with the water watching ships coming up the Tyne. Education was limited for Harry, he couldn’t read or write and signed his marriage certificate with a cross. He started work at Jarrow Pit but unfortunately that didn’t work out so his next stop was an apprenticeship at Browns Boatyard.
‘That’s where he got clued up about boats. Harry revolutionized boat racing and boat design, innovations that became part of boat racing then are still employed in boat building today’ explained Jamie.
‘By shaving the boat they made a gun barrel shape instead of a square bottom and pointed the front of the boat. That increased the speed rather than drag through the water, and they made a scooped shape oar’.
‘It was like the time during the 2012 London Olympics when cycling became really popular, they had lightweight helmets, handlebars were shaped to create more speed – huge innovations just like Harry Clasper done for boating in the 1800s’.
‘Rowing was the main sport then, people would sit on the bank of the river and watch the race. Bets would be placed and there would be sponsors – even in those days. There would be stories of men employed to drill holes in the boats of opponents or tempt the oarsmen with alcohol the night before. There was even a case of someone’s food being poisoned. One of the first cases of boat tampering was with the part of the boat called the scull. The term skulduggery comes from that’.
‘The writer Ed Waugh has a desire to shine a light on people or events that have gone under the radar. We’ve done plays about North East musicians and singers Ned Corvan, Joe Wilson and Wor Bella about a ladies football team plus at the end of last year was The Cramlington Train Wreckers’.
‘These extraordinary stories about the working class, are told so they go unforgotten. There is a thirst for these stories, people responded well to them with standing ovations and sold out shows’.
pic. by Local Historian, Steve Ellwood
The Hadaway Harry shows in 2015 and 2017 eventually got Harry Clasper some recognition as a blue plaque was fixed onto the base of the High Level Bridge in Newcastle. There is also a pub called the Harry Clasper in Whickham, Gateshead.
‘He came from a big family – he was one of 14 and had 12 children himself. His ancestors are still around today, they’ve been to the shows and are very proud of his achievements’.
‘But his story wasn’t straight forward, it’s not looking back with rose tinted spectacles as he suffered personal tragedy and professional disappointments, there was plenty of hardship and personal dilemma’.
Later in life Harry became a publican in Newcastle but sadly died in 1870.
‘Over 120,000 people lined the streets for his funeral the procession was only a few miles but took over 12 hours. His coffin was put on a boat and sailed down the Tyne to Whickham where he was buried’.
The North East has stories of talented people achieving great things – we talked about the footballer Paul Gascoigne, coincidentally also born in Dunston where Harry came from.
‘Before Association football the sport of the people was rowing and Harry Clasper has been likened to the David Beckham of the day. I think, as many people do, he should have a statue next to the river Tyne. His achievements were fantastic. Do you know he won the world championship 8 times in 12 years’.
‘It’s been a privilege telling his story, but sadly this will be my last time on stage doing the Hadaway Harry show. I’ve loved doing the show but in the second half of the play it is hard rowing and narrating the story as a one man show plus I’m 40 in February so it can be a bit exhausting’.
‘So, this is me hanging up my oars but the play will go on and maybe a younger actor will take on the role. This is why on the tour schedule after about three nights we have a day or two off where there is time for rest and recovery and then for the next show I’m ready to be able to give 100%’.
For information about tour dates and venues contact the official website >>>
ALIKIVI : NORTH EAST UK CULTURE 