This year, the 150th Anniversary is being celebrated of the opening in 1861 of the Marine School of South Shields.

Like his father before him, who studied at the School as a shipyard apprentice in 1910, Alan Johnson studied at the School as an electrical engineering apprentice during World War 2

Later Alan became a lecturer, for over 28 years, at the South Shields Marine & Technical College, the successor to the old Marine School, retiring as a Senior Lecturer in 1986.

Together with his friend and colleague the late Doug McIntyre, Alan had assisted in collecting memorabilia on the School and College which Doug collated into two A3 volumes.

Alan’s book, on over 100 years of the history and tradition of the Marine School and South Shields Marine & Technical College, includes biographical notes on the founder of the School, Dr. Thomas Masterman Winterbottom, who left £20,700 to finance the building and running of the School.

The book traces how this small, trust-funded school, suffering many ups and downs over the years, wrote itself into the history books, not only of the town, but of the safety and excellence of British seafaring and Marine Engineering throughout the shipping and later, of course, the offshore petroleum industry world.

This book is a fine tribute and I feel sure that it will be sought by past students around the world to remind them of their days spent at the college.
Copies of the book can be obtained directly from the author. The recommended retail price is sterling £9.99 however, by quoting this website you can obtain a copy for £8.99 add (£2.50 for postage & packing to mainland UK)

For overseas orders it will be necessary to check the postage cost with Alan

Contact Alan Johnson
102 West Avenue
South Shields
NE34 6BH