A remarkable story has unfolded at South Tyneside College after a treasure trove of maritime documents dating back to the 1800’s were bequeathed to the marine department at South Tyneside College.
The documents relate to former student Thomas Jamison Henderson Snr who attended the marine school in 1863, they reveal that he lived in South Shields on a road formerly known as Westoe Parade, now commonly known as Mowbray Road.
Captain John Perry, a lecturer in Deck Cadets and OOW Certification at South Tyneside Marine College has been looking over the documents to try and find out more, he comments:
“We were given the documents by surprise; they came from a local solicitor, they had belonged to the last of the family who wanted them to be returned to the college.
“Since they arrived we have learned a lot about Thomas Jamison Henderson, we now know that he was local to the college and had two sons, one was an Extra Master and the other a Radio Officer. It’s fascinating to research all the past students; you sometimes forget that the college has been here for over a century and its history is deeply embedded in the community. The documents are an early birthday present as the college is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2011.”
The retrieved documents also contain majority of his discharge records and indentures for both the father and his sons which has enabled the college to track his life at sea.
South Tyneside Marine College will be celebrating its 150th birthday in 2011. To celebrate the event previous marine college lecturer, David Bell is writing a history book about the college due to be published in 2011.
David is currently researching the history of South Tyneside Marine College and needs former students or lecturers of the marine college to share any memories or anecdotes that could be included in the book. If you have anything you would like to share David would love to hear from you. Anyone can e mail him at davidbell21@hotmail.com to share their stories.
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