Roy�s London Docks DVD started where we left off last year, proceeding down the Thames to Tilbury. These were taken from vantage points along both sides of the Thames and included Belvedere, Erith, Purfleet, Tilbury Fort and Gravesend, as well as within the Tilbury dock complex. There was a picture of the training ship HMS Worcester that lay at Greenhithe until as late as 1978. We were reminded of the many coaster companies that plied the Thames, from purpose built coasters that fed the many Thames side power stations and gas works, the vessels of the CEGB, Stephenson Clark, Cory and Esso, to Everard and General Steam Navigation Co. We also had a good picture of Queen of the Channel on her run down the Thames to Margate or Clacton via Southend pier.
Also featured were regular visitors of the Palm line, Clan Line, Bank Line, Harrisons, US Lines, Bowater, P & O, Royal Mail, Port Line, Strick Line, Atlantic Steam Navigation, Blue Star, Russian, Chinese and Blue Funnel. Liners shown included P&O�s Arcadia, Royal Mail�s Highland Monarch, Russia�s Mikhail Kalinin, Mikhail Lermentov and Baltika, Polish Ocean Line�s Batory and Stephan Batory, British India�s Uganda: Achille Lauro�s Angelina Lauro; and the ex Southern Cross, Calypso. This DVD from Roy is packed with memories of the Thames as it used to be. With the recent news of the approval of Thames Gateway Port on the old Shell refinery site, shipping in the Thames is due for a further revolution.
The second half of the evening featured two naval films. The first was made in 1945 and called the �Broad Fourteens� (1945) and was a story of the new crew of a Motor Torpedo Boat working up to their first engagement with the enemy off the Dutch coast. It was filmed in Weymouth. The second was called the �Dragon Squadron� and featured the ton class minesweepers assigned to Hong Kong during the 1980s. This showed the various duties and responsibilities of the squadron.
Our thanks goes to Alan Chapman for his visit to bring the LCD projector and Naval films and to Roy Kittle for assembling his slides into a very watchable Power Point presentation.