Where does one start with this subject? It is very difficult. The writer may have a very good insight to people and names .They don't have to be famous, notoriety sometimes helps, but those type of people will always find an audience. It is a problem. However we must start somewhere.

First of all we have two photos of a visit by HRH the Prince of Wales taken in the early 1930's. In the first photo can be seen Capt Bartlett, General Manager of Falmouth Dock Co with possibly Mr Smeaton, Manager of the Docks in the background The second shows the Prince heading for a launch wearing a flying suit. He may have flown away from Falmouth, possibly in a flying boat? 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has visited the yard on occasions with HRH Prince Philip and the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Royal Marine Band would be in attendance Beating the Retreat. In addition other members of the Royal Family have visited this "hallowed soil". Princess Anne was one of the last to visit and that was in1998, when Falmouth hosted the Tall Ships Race.

However, can this be more important, than say the last manager to walk around the docks wearing a bowler hat. He was one of the old school. Like all Managers he soon developed a nickname . It was at the time that the Russians sent up the first Sputnik satellite. Like the Russian craft going around the earth every 90 minutes, this manager would perform his duties at a very fast pace. The satellite gave out a signal and so the Manager was nicknamed after it - " Bleep-Bleep". A very efficient manager, though.

Personalities from the world of entertainment also make their way here. In 1949 the Eastern Breakwater was host to the film industry when a scene from the dramatic film "Scott of the Antarctic" was shot there. A crowd  made up of  local extras were used. The scene depicted Scott leaving the Bluff in New Zealand on his way south. This was a lot  cheaper than going out to the southern hemisphere! The "Onedin Line" also used Falmouth Docks as a backdrop. It was strange to walk along the Empire Wharf on a normal work day only to be confronted by people in Victorian dress and accessories. Very strange indeed! Lastly, one presenter from "Blue Peter" came to do a piece  but was glad that he arrived late as the weather in the harbour had turned very bad.

Every department had their characters, all too numerous to mention. Take the Fitting Shop. Walking through this area, any person could be accosted by a voice that sounded like a person gargling with barbed wire. "You haven't returned that so and so spanner that you borrowed three weeks ago". This would be the storekeeper in the tool room. His memory was phenomenal and we do believe it was photographic.

One particular General Manager would forget that there was a telephone on his desk and shout up the stairs for the Head Draughtsman, who was a very softly spoken gentleman. He would wander down to the Managers Office and as he walked he would  remove his specs and would be seen carrying a slide rule in the other hand.

The Heavy Lifting Dept had a Welsh Foreman. They used to remark that he was the only Welshman who hated singing. "No singing on my ship", he would say. As you might well imagine, singing was a priority for all those who were near him!

Mr H.A.J. Silley was most remembered by the workforce. He was the Managing Director during the 2nd World War and afterwards he was also a Lloyd's Underwriter. He served his apprenticeship as a marine fitter, served in the 1st World War in the Army, became a Director at Green and Silley Weir in London before  coming to Falmouth. Christmas time was not always the best for shipping with many of the workforce laid-off and put on the Dole. However, he always made an effort to support his workforce and all those out at that time would receive £2. In today's terms it seems a pittance but in the 1960's, a married man with two children would be entitled to six pound and twelve shillings per week only. The photo shows Mr Silley with the Duke of Edinburgh opening the newly refurbished No.2  Dry-Dock, named the Queen Elizabeth II Dock. For his association with the people of Falmouth he was eventually made a Freeman of the Borough. He later died  in an air crash.

This photo was taken in 1958 during the visit by the Duke of Edinburgh, the same day as the opening of No. 2 dry-dock. The shop chargehand is showing the Duke a valve chest from the large Admiralty Floating Dock. On the extreme right of the picture is a gentleman who in his spare time was a member of the Magic Circle. Next to him is a gentleman who was a Justice of the Peace for a number of years.  The gentleman with the spectacles was in charge of the very important "Tool Room" and finally, in the background, one of the shop's helpers.

Up until the present, 5 workers have served Falmouth as Mayors and there have also been representatives serving as JPs.

One gentleman became very successful as a poet. Other people have become local preachers and. some became very good story tellers. One in particular told so many stories of his life that when people tried to work out his age it totalled 129 years. At Christmas or  retirement it was not unusual for the management to turn a "Blind Eye" to celebrations. It's not a very attractive bar in this photo but the end result would be the same. We cannot name the culprit , but he was a well known Justice of the Peace.

Our last photo is from 1973 and shows P&O personnel looking over the docks. P&O were to become major shareholders in the company having already being involved with the London Yard (Green and Silley Weir). Here we see the yard being presented by Mr Dewar- the yard Manager and Alan Ahrens- the Shipwright Foreman to  the P&O personnel. They were Mr Nancarrow, Col Tooth RA, Capt. Southwood RN and Mr Marshall. Mr Dewar had originally come from Hong Kong to take over his post in Falmouth . An unusual feature was his habit of carrying a Walkie Talkie, a new practice in the yard and he was affectionately known a "Radio One".

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