[iang]

Served my engineering cadetship with BP here.Stayed in King Teds,Mariners Hotel and Queen Vics.Good times.Would be great to hear from old classmates.
Local pubs:Charles Napier,Londener,Red Star? Remember the grub at king teds:3 shades of baked bean,the darker the older they were.What was the name of the tug at St catherines Dock we worked on.what happened to it?What was the name of the annexe where we did workshop practice?
Anyone out there from that time?
IAIN

 

[gasman]

Hi Ian,

I did Phase 3 at Poplar , I was much as you tell it. I was in RFA in King Teds, METAC.
Food was terrible, other pubs Star of the East, Green Man at College.
Didn't work on the tug. The annexe was just North Woolwich workshops.
Spent too much time on the piss. For my sins I operate gas plant (LNG) for National Grid now.

Regards,

Lindsay Ferguson (gasman)

 

[Doxfordman]

I was at Poplar Tech from 1970, Mariner Hotel, King Teds, the annex was at Woolwich, just past the sugar factory which used to stink. We had some great times there, expecially in Phase 3, having been to sea, we knew it all!!!
There was a boozer adjacent to the Londoner - The Pigots Arms I think it was called. I think they have knocked it down along with Pigot Street.
Guys Hospital on a Saturday, Raggy Mags on a Thursday and a teachers training college on a Wednesday - the name of which escapes me. Good times.

 

[bjd]

I started at Poplar with the RFA in 1969 but lived in manor park and forrest gate near the police station. I remember we used to spend more time playing cricket in the yard during phase 3, another trick was trying to blow the main breaker whilst in the electrical section o happy days

 

[Doxfordman]

We had a house in Forest Gate with 6 off us in it - totally out of control. We all got moved back to King Teds before having a period of living in a removal van. Happy days.

 

[Graham Wallace]

I studied for my Second's steam ticket at Poplar Tech in 1962. I always thought the most amusing time was lining up for the dole, was it each week, too long ago to remember.
I reckon it was one of the most well dressed dole lines in London. There was a system whereby your company did not pay you fully on ticket leave so the dole was there to 'top' it off. All very legit but sounded really odd!
I went back in 1999 to look at some of my old roots and was totally taken aback at the area, just overwhelmed by Canary Wharf.
Graham Wallace

 

[BigNick]

Hi Ian,

Nick here, you started a goodly chat here! The workshop place in phase 1 was Empson Street, i think we only did North Woolwich annexe in the third phase.
Doxfordman, it was Goldsmiths College on Wednesdays, God knows how we stood the pace.

 

[bjd]

I have remember happy times on thursday nights at raggy mags and a couple of times the fire alsrm going off in the early hours and seeing your fellow students trying to hide from the head count. You could also tell who never made it home on a thursday night by their dress on friday morning at Woolwich.

was it one of Scroggins???? House's in Forest Gate

Bryan

 

[Doxfordman]

Scroggins was the name - geez the memories, and Goldsmiths - that was it.

There was never any time for much study - most of waht wasa done was through an empty glass. Happy, happy days.

 

[iang]

Hi Nick,
"Empsons St". Thats it! ...on Mondays.

The tug we worked on was called the "Challenge": the last working steam tug on the Thames.It was volantary,on Sat` at St Catherines Dock

What night was Whitelands Teachers Training College!?.

 

[Duncan112]

I was there a bit later than that - 1981 -1983 for phase 1, the academic side had moved to Greenhithe but did the summer vacation at Woolwich and one day a week workshop in the second year. Stopped at Angel Hostel, Victoria Dock Road. Back down there last month - all changed now - the Angel Hostel appears to be flats (social housing?) and the front door is bricked up, Pub "Spanish Steps" many an exciting evening in there - shades of the Rawhide scene from Blues Brothers - all gone now - a hotel as best as I can make out where it was. Only pub in Custom House now is "The Connaught" which was boarded up when I was there. Couldnt find the site of the North Woolwich annex.

Greenhithe is now yuppieville - the college is an (expensive) housing estate, the pub that was "The White Hart" (Outside loos and 24 hour drinking 20 years too soon) is now an upper class bar/eating house.

I think "The Challenge" failed it's boiler survey and was scuttled as a dive site - the engine is now in the science museum - certainly one ship used by the cadets was.

Sic transit gloria mundi - happy days!!

 

[bjd]

Another place selling falling down water which we used when at Poplar was The Spotted Dog in Forest Gate

A memory of Empsom Street the six week course during the summer break between Years 1 & 2 and at the time I was there Skinheads were the Fashion a bit intimidating until you got to them

Bryan

 

[BigNick]

We were in the King Ted's Seaman's Rest, corner of Commercial Road and Salmon Lane. The drinking holes for us in 75-77 were the Charles Napier on Commercial Road, run by a real 'geeza' named Rick. Was always getting raided by the Old Bill at 2am, and a lot of us were under 18 as well! But if you lived at King Teds they didn't used to bother. Also drank at the Star of the East and The Londoner, live music from an all girl band named Brandy, lead singer later fronted Shakatak. Topless barmaids on Sundays. Memories are made of this!

Later moved to a smaller seamans hostel on the junction of Commercial Road, Burdett Road, West India Dock Road and East India Dock Road, (opposite The Londoner) but can't remember the hostel name.

For our 3rd phase in 78 KingTeds had become a battered womens refuge and we moved down West India Dock Road to Queen Victoria's Seamans Rest. Still used the Star of the East but also some pubs in the backstreets behind Queen Vics, again, can't remember the names. Iain, can you fill in any gaps?

Of course, Poplar College is something you look down on from Canary Wharf these days, but i believe the Green Man is still there on Poplar Hight St. near to the college.

Cheers,

BigNick

 

[iang]

Hi Nick,
Mariners Hotel as i recall.Can`t remember any pub names at back of Vics.Their was one pub though we were physicaly ejected from and had to run for it.Their was a birthday party on.One of our lot chatted up the birthday girl,not realizing the big bloke next to him was the boyfriend.All hell let loose.The pub was full of friends and familly they all joined in as we ran a gauntlet of kicks and punches.Can`t remember name of pub though.Stuck to the Star after that.
Iain

 

[BigNick]

The Mariners, course it was. Nice one Iain.

Nick

 

[Doxfordman]

Anyone remember the Pigot Arms - just accross the road from the Londoner - great boozer.

 

[Steve Hodges]

Poplar tech

Hello fellow Poplarites, I just found this thread and it brought back some memories. I did the OND course 1968-1970 - remember the Empson Street annex well, mostly for trying to weld my fingers together with an oxy-acetylene torch. Does anyone remember the ex-RN guy that taught naval architecture? Was it Commander Martin? He took us all down to Pompey for a day in the RN's damage control simulator, near drowned half of us.
Did my "vacation training" at Caird & Rayners on Commercial Road, making evaporators , and stayed in the Mariner's Hotel.
Also remember an epic three-legged pub crawl from the college for charity round most of the local pubs mentioned, finishing up in the Londoner, and all getting chucked out when one of our number threw up on the stairs. As one of our number has already observed - happy days, indeed.

 

[bjd]

I also remember the 3 legged pub crawl whilst at poplar was it a half in every pub and do es anyone remember the football games at Hackney Marshes a bit chilly when the wind blew across them

Bryan

 

[BigNick]

Steve,

Yes it was definitely Commander Martin, tall white haired bloke as i recall, still going strong 1975 to 1978.

BigNick

 

[Cwade]

Same same

I was there at the same time as you and also worked on the old tug. Funny that most of us never got to sail her when she left on her second maiden voyage.
Of course, your dredging up some old memories for me. i left the service in '80 to move to America.
Love to hear from anyone, especially old friends, Nic, Tim, Ian I, et al.

Served my engineering cadetship with BP here.Stayed in King Teds,Mariners Hotel and Queen Vics.Good times.Would be great to hear from old classmates.
Local pubs:Charles Napier,Londener,Red Star? Remember the grub at king teds:3 shades of baked bean,the darker the older they were.What was the name of the tug at St catherines Dock we worked on.what happened to it?What was the name of the annexe where we did workshop practice?
Anyone out there from that time?
IAIN