THE 1950s was a decade of great change for South Shields, when residents were beginning to put their lives back together after the Second World War. New housing estates and factories were built bringing increased prosperity to the area, the rock and roll era arrived, and night clubs offered a new type of entertainment.
Major employers were the town’s six major shipbuilding and repair yards – Readhead and Sons, Brigham and Cowan, Middle Docks, Thomas R. Dowson, Tyne Dock Engineering and Anthony Proud Ltd – and the collieries at Harton and Westoe.