Steve Thompson

Jarrow man Tommy Kelly was a German Prisoner of War from April 1940 until the end of the war. He spoke little of his experiences but what he did say was that it was nothing like the 1950 British film, THE WOODEN HORSE which gave a very different picture to the harshness he experienced. Sorry … Read more

Jimmy McCauley and Johnny Kelly were two marchers on the historic Jarrow Crusade. Two hundred men from the town of Jarrow marched to London in 1936. The town’s shipyard, Palmers, had closed in 1933 resulting in mass unemployment. The aim of the march was to bring Jarrow’s plight to the government’s notice as life for … Read more

This song, featured in the musical STEEL TOWN and captures the desperation of families living with the threat of unemployment. Their source of employment, Consett Steel Works, closed in September, 1980.ìSometimes feels like heaven is pouring tears down on me.î sorry no folk version yet – below is an alternative version rehearsal recording This post … Read more

The title track of the STEEL TOWN musical. Consett moved from a hard working town, ìRaising hell in this frontier townî as its fame grew. The same story could apply to the industrial heartlands in Europe and the USA. sorry no folk version yet but here is an alternative version preceded by a story from … Read more

The north-east was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, sons followed fathers and grandfathers into the Pits, Steel Works and Shipyards. ëMy Father’s Father’ remembers, commemorates and celebrates that world sorry no folk version yet. Alternative version below. This post and the media contained in it is licensed under a Creative Commons License.