Thankyou for sharing your story. What a fantastic video. That really came from the heart and it was superbly presented; we loved your story and we were almost in tears with you at the end. We revisited Cambeltown this September during the beautiful spell of weather and we enjoyed researching the history of Campbeltown and the Kintyre peninsula. My wife and I were at the base back in 1980 and we just had to revisit Cambeltown again. It’s such a beautiful town with the friendliest of people. We love it.
Thank you very much😀 Someone else said Campbeltown was full of “kind hearted people who would help you in a heartbeat” which I think said it better than I ever could😀 To be honest the way I felt making that video surprised me as well. I’m your typical emotionally stunted male from that era😀 I think I could spend the rest of my life thanking the toon and the yerd for what they did for me. In fact I probably will😀 We have fond memories of the base as well. We were at a couple of dances in the messes (as guests) probably around the time you were there, and the Scouts and Venture scouts (which we were in) were allowed to do a few things as well (including shooting). A few years ago I mentioned to a young ex army guy who I was working with that I had shot an SLR and a Sterling and he said “i’ve seen them in the regiment museum”😀😀😀😀 That brought it home! Cheers Brian and Rhona😀
Hi I just came across you video, I expect you would have known my uncle -Malcolm Hamilton during your time in the shipyard, he was well known and retired in 1988 as far as I can remember. Cheers Jim T
Hi Jim, Aye I remember Tiger well😀. He was the main man on launch days. I always thought it was a lot of pressure on him, making sure the vessel was going to slide down that slipway when the bottle hit the bow😀 Great guy😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
Thank you😀 That’s what we think😀. For some reason that culture of kindness always stays, no matter what’s happened everywhere else😀 I’ve honestly never been anywhere else that comes close. Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
Great story and wandering about thinking back. I joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an apprentice fitter in 1975. As a country boy of 15yrs old it was a big deal to head off with 300 other boys. 1st night we arrived at midnight to find instructors shouting and ordering us about. We had tall boys, short boys, white boys, boys from all sorts of other communities, but we were all treated the same. 18 months of classroom and workshop training before being sent out to our first Squadron. This was were we really grew up being exposed to mature men of all ages and experiences. I must have enjoyed it 'cause I stayed in the RAAF for 22yrs 4 months and 3 weeks.
Thanks for sharing that Brian😀 I think it’s really important that decent people keep saying that we are all the same really😀 I think that anything where there is a clear objective has a way of bonding people. I worked on construction projects and one of my fondest memories is of sitting in a restaurant in Central Asia (one of the old Russian states). At the table were about 10 people. All colours and nationalities. Indeed some of their home countries were actually bitter enemies. We were all working on the same project. All anyone really cared about was how good you were at your job. All the things that in theory made us different were irrelevant. I’m glad I got to experience those things😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
@RobbotheHighlander yes. Going away on international exercises was a great experience as was living in SE Asia and Saudi Arabia...everyone is basically.the same...wanting families, safety and happiness.
Thanks again John😀 It was the making of me. I think perhaps I just did well enough at school to go to University, but if I had I would have just got more introverted I think. I’m genuinely grateful to the yerd and the toon😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Superb, Brian. I worked for the grand total of 2 weeks at the "yerd" I was an apprentice electrician with McKinlay & Blair. The rest of my apprenticeship was on the domestic housing side. I left school in 1977.
Thank you😀 Yeah, I remember 1977 as a really hot summer but also Mull of Kintyre being recorded. Of course a lot of the men were in the pipe band (including a lot of the apprentices). Before the record came out I asked John Brown (I think) how could there be a pipe band on a Wings record? John said something like it’s kind of weird but it works somehow😀 Who knew eh?😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Spent a couple of years visiting Kintyre with my family and absolutely loved it. The people are exactly as you have described and your videos are a credit to you. Great story about a great area. Thanks.
Awww thanks for that😀 It’s much appreciated. We’re just trying to be honest and ourselves (no click bait, or over dramatic titles) so it’s really nice when people actually watch them😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Brilliant we video mate bringing back so many memories of the toon 😁 . Thank we were in the same school. I went to the coop butchers when I left the grammar.
Thanks Eddie😀. It’s such a great place to leave school and start your first job I think. Just big enough to have jobs for young people but small enough that the people you work for and with know you or your family. There’s always someone keeping a wee eye on you😀. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
@@RobbotheHighlander great to see your adventures and making the trip back to thank the FB community ☺️ I did share your video and will hope that the rest of my friends shared it with their friends. You're really good at explaining things so hears hoping we have another wears away candidate on the up. I'll pop in and see your new videos when I can. It's a great legacy to leave. keep safe on your travels 🙏👍 Eddie Mitchell 👍
Thanks dad😊. It took me right back as well. I cut loads out, but I could have made a two hour video just talking about those days and the yard. Cheers, Brian.
I enjoyed that made me think back to when I was an apprentice electrician late 60,s i still have love and great memories and respect for my work friends. Set me up for my life .😊
Hi Graham and thanks☺️. I think it does set you up for life. Perhaps it's because as an apprentice you know your there to learn, and you end up learning a lot more than just the job. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Hi Eric, thank you😀 Yes i think it does set you up in many ways I think. Many years later I was working in an engineering office in London. I was having a little moan to myself about the travel, the weather outside was awful and I was bored. But then I thought back to the years I would have loved to have a seat, was working in all weathers and couldn’t just make a cup of tea whenever I wanted😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Thanks Pam☺️. We will be going to another place that holds real memories shortly. It’s a shame it was so windy at Campbeltown Shipyard, but it’s all a learning curve I suppose😃 Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Great nostalgic video , i to left school in 77 and started work as an apprentice on a construction company and as you say this was the 70s , they were very different times , most of the older men had served in the 2nd world war and I was fascinated by there story’s about those times , most blokes were decent but some had some very strange ways but looking back I’m guessing some had seen some awful things during the war , like you it gave me a grounding and I became self employed I’m my trade and I’m still doing that now at 62 , Iv lots of memories but one us is my parents were very old fashioned in a good way and I can honestly say I’d never heard a grown man say the f word till I started on that company , yes I was pretty naive but like all of us you knew when to listen to the older tradesmen and I learnt so much which has helped me earn a living for all these years , best wishes & keep the videos coming
Thanks Neil☺️. You know I recognise every single thing you said🙂. I'd forgotten that many of the older men had served, and how it must have shaped the way they thought. Thanks for that, it's actually fired up a lot of memories for me too🙂. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Nostalgia for me in tonight’s video. My dad worked at the yerd as a welder from it opened until it shut along with various other family members. I’m looking forward to showing my dad this video it’ll be a trip down memory lane. It’s great youve got so many memories of the yerd and the men that worked there. Thanks
Thanks Janice😊. It's hard to really express what it meant to so many people I think. I've never worked anywhere like it since. I hope your dad gets a wee smile from it🙂. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Hi John😀. It does. From wee boys to fathers and grandfather's in the blink of an eye😀. Even though I left a long time ago thinking back to those days in the yerd still makes me happy. I can't imagine there was a better place to be an apprentice😀. Cheers, Brian.
Excellent😀 If it is the 1976 boat, I used to have a large framed photograph of her taken during sea trials. Every now and again I would feel the need to tell the wife how it broke records in the years after launch and how she was a whaleback and gutting shelter seiner. Also I would sometimes tell her how a seine netter went about its business. The picture mysteriously disappeared some years ago😀 Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
Thank you for sharing your story with us. If I could give you 10 thumbs up I would. My own formative years on the building sites of Glasgow were similar and I owe a lot to the men who used humour, kindness and camaraderie to help me grown up and make an often harsh job seem almost enjoyable. Cheers. Jim.
Thank you Jim, that's much appreciated☺️. I know the Campbeltown humour is very similar to Glasgow. I know its unlikely but I hope one day that some young kid at school who's feeling like a bit of an oddball might see this video and see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Loved hearing your experiences as an apprentice. Such a good video - I could feel your emotion when explaining what the time spent there meant to you. Looking forward to your next vlog.
Thank you so much😊. I genuinely believe I owe that place a huge debt, and I wanted to express it somehow. Its really heartening that people liked it🙂. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Hi thank you so much. This is history from the seventies you are telling nobody is doing it. I worked in Selby shipyard North yorkshire and it was like you said. The men liked a crack. We had the best times. Hope you're both ok. Please keep going with the videos. Ps Selby shipyard is derelict. We built North Sea supply ships in the seventies one was the Seaforth challenger anyway hope you're both feeling better love Rog and Jan *
Hi Rog and Jan, thanks for that😊. Sounds like the yards were very similar. I think anywhere like that must have had a real sense of community. Years later I was working at a desk in offices in London. Anytime I got bored or dissatisfied I would think back to the days when I would have done anything just to sit down or get warm and being at a desk seemed okay again🙂. Even the bad days at the yard were helpful later. Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Hiya, I wouldn't camp there. It's a popular walking place and overlooked by houses. More like a public amenity area now really (also a lot of debris around from the old shipyard). Cheers, Brian and Rhona😃
@@RobbotheHighlander I did end up camping there. Locals were surprised about my presence but super nice and up for a chat. I also collected an entire trash bag full of trash before leaving. No house was able to have a look at my car at the position where I was standing. It is super hard to find a nice spot in close proximity and I think it is ok to be there for a night but I won´t be promoting it online ...
Thankyou for sharing your story. What a fantastic video. That really came from the heart and it was superbly presented; we loved your story and we were almost in tears with you at the end. We revisited Cambeltown this September during the beautiful spell of weather and we enjoyed researching the history of Campbeltown and the Kintyre peninsula. My wife and I were at the base back in 1980 and we just had to revisit Cambeltown again. It’s such a beautiful town with the friendliest of people. We love it.
Thank you very much😀
Someone else said Campbeltown was full of “kind hearted people who would help you in a heartbeat” which I think said it better than I ever could😀
To be honest the way I felt making that video surprised me as well. I’m your typical emotionally stunted male from that era😀
I think I could spend the rest of my life thanking the toon and the yerd for what they did for me. In fact I probably will😀
We have fond memories of the base as well. We were at a couple of dances in the messes (as guests) probably around the time you were there, and the Scouts and Venture scouts (which we were in) were allowed to do a few things as well (including shooting). A few years ago I mentioned to a young ex army guy who I was working with that I had shot an SLR and a Sterling and he said “i’ve seen them in the regiment museum”😀😀😀😀
That brought it home!
Cheers Brian and Rhona😀
Hi I just came across you video, I expect you would have known my uncle -Malcolm Hamilton during your time in the shipyard, he was well known and retired in 1988 as far as I can remember. Cheers Jim T
Hi Jim,
Aye I remember Tiger well😀. He was the main man on launch days. I always thought it was a lot of pressure on him, making sure the vessel was going to slide down that slipway when the bottle hit the bow😀
Great guy😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
So enjoyed your memories of the shipyard. Happy and better times. Now we get ferries built in Turkey! Thanks again.
Thanks for that Sheila☺️. I know something like that's got limited appeal, so it's really nice that you liked it🙂.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Thanks for sharing, and showing some of modern day Wee Toon.....looks like nothing has changed, and that is part of it's charm.....
Thank you😀
That’s what we think😀. For some reason that culture of kindness always stays, no matter what’s happened everywhere else😀
I’ve honestly never been anywhere else that comes close.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
Great story and wandering about thinking back. I joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an apprentice fitter in 1975. As a country boy of 15yrs old it was a big deal to head off with 300 other boys. 1st night we arrived at midnight to find instructors shouting and ordering us about. We had tall boys, short boys, white boys, boys from all sorts of other communities, but we were all treated the same. 18 months of classroom and workshop training before being sent out to our first Squadron. This was were we really grew up being exposed to mature men of all ages and experiences. I must have enjoyed it 'cause I stayed in the RAAF for 22yrs 4 months and 3 weeks.
Thanks for sharing that Brian😀
I think it’s really important that decent people keep saying that we are all the same really😀
I think that anything where there is a clear objective has a way of bonding people. I worked on construction projects and one of my fondest memories is of sitting in a restaurant in Central Asia (one of the old Russian states). At the table were about 10 people. All colours and nationalities. Indeed some of their home countries were actually bitter enemies. We were all working on the same project. All anyone really cared about was how good you were at your job. All the things that in theory made us different were irrelevant. I’m glad I got to experience those things😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
@RobbotheHighlander yes. Going away on international exercises was a great experience as was living in SE Asia and Saudi Arabia...everyone is basically.the same...wanting families, safety and happiness.
Thanks for sharing this with us Brian. A wonderful summary of your time at the "yerd".
Thanks again John😀
It was the making of me. I think perhaps I just did well enough at school to go to University, but if I had I would have just got more introverted I think.
I’m genuinely grateful to the yerd and the toon😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Loved it. Same story, different shipyard, different boy, same outcome. John Brown’s.
I absolutely love the way you put that😀. It’s poetic🤝
Superb, Brian. I worked for the grand total of 2 weeks at the "yerd" I was an apprentice electrician with McKinlay & Blair. The rest of my apprenticeship was on the domestic housing side. I left school in 1977.
Thank you😀
Yeah, I remember 1977 as a really hot summer but also Mull of Kintyre being recorded. Of course a lot of the men were in the pipe band (including a lot of the apprentices). Before the record came out I asked John Brown (I think) how could there be a pipe band on a Wings record?
John said something like it’s kind of weird but it works somehow😀 Who knew eh?😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Spent a couple of years visiting Kintyre with my family and absolutely loved it. The people are exactly as you have described and your videos are a credit to you. Great story about a great area. Thanks.
Awww thanks for that😀
It’s much appreciated. We’re just trying to be honest and ourselves (no click bait, or over dramatic titles) so it’s really nice when people actually watch them😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Brilliant we video mate bringing back so many memories of the toon 😁 . Thank we were in the same school. I went to the coop butchers when I left the grammar.
Thanks Eddie😀.
It’s such a great place to leave school and start your first job I think. Just big enough to have jobs for young people but small enough that the people you work for and with know you or your family. There’s always someone keeping a wee eye on you😀.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
@@RobbotheHighlander great to see your adventures and making the trip back to thank the FB community ☺️ I did share your video and will hope that the rest of my friends shared it with their friends. You're really good at explaining things so hears hoping we have another wears away candidate on the up. I'll pop in and see your new videos when I can. It's a great legacy to leave. keep safe on your travels 🙏👍 Eddie Mitchell 👍
Thanks Eddie😀
That’s really much appreciated😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Brian, you made your old dad very nostalgic for the old days. Thanks for the memories.
Thanks dad😊. It took me right back as well. I cut loads out, but I could have made a two hour video just talking about those days and the yard.
Cheers, Brian.
Great video remind me so so much of my apprenticeship brought back some good memories for me thanks
Thanks Rick☺️. I know in my case if I had gone to University or something I may have stayed in my shell forever🙂.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
I enjoyed that made me think back to when I was an apprentice electrician late 60,s i still have love and great memories and respect for my work friends. Set me up for my life .😊
Hi Graham and thanks☺️. I think it does set you up for life. Perhaps it's because as an apprentice you know your there to learn, and you end up learning a lot more than just the job.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Thoroughly enjoying following your trips, but this one was brilliant xx
Awww thanks Susan😊.
That's really much appreciated🙂.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Great story I also served my time in a shipyard in Tyneside it certainly gives you a good grounding in life and comaradary
Hi Eric, thank you😀
Yes i think it does set you up in many ways I think. Many years later I was working in an engineering office in London. I was having a little moan to myself about the travel, the weather outside was awful and I was bored. But then I thought back to the years I would have loved to have a seat, was working in all weathers and couldn’t just make a cup of tea whenever I wanted😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Enjoyed getting to know about your life and how much this place means to you, see you in the next 😊
Thanks Angela😊. I think the yard changed a lot of young men's lives, and I just wanted to show my appreciation.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
You are an excellent story teller. More please.
Thanks Pam☺️.
We will be going to another place that holds real memories shortly.
It’s a shame it was so windy at Campbeltown Shipyard, but it’s all a learning curve I suppose😃
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Very interesting video. Good stories.👍
Hi Robert😀.
Thank you very much for that
It's much appreciated.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Great nostalgic video , i to left school in 77 and started work as an apprentice on a construction company and as you say this was the 70s , they were very different times , most of the older men had served in the 2nd world war and I was fascinated by there story’s about those times , most blokes were decent but some had some very strange ways but looking back I’m guessing some had seen some awful things during the war , like you it gave me a grounding and I became self employed I’m my trade and I’m still doing that now at 62 , Iv lots of memories but one us is my parents were very old fashioned in a good way and I can honestly say I’d never heard a grown man say the f word till I started on that company , yes I was pretty naive but like all of us you knew when to listen to the older tradesmen and I learnt so much which has helped me earn a living for all these years , best wishes & keep the videos coming
Thanks Neil☺️. You know I recognise every single thing you said🙂. I'd forgotten that many of the older men had served, and how it must have shaped the way they thought. Thanks for that, it's actually fired up a lot of memories for me too🙂.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Nostalgia for me in tonight’s video. My dad worked at the yerd as a welder from it opened until it shut along with various other family members.
I’m looking forward to showing my dad this video it’ll be a trip down memory lane.
It’s great youve got so many memories of the yerd and the men that worked there.
Thanks
Thanks Janice😊. It's hard to really express what it meant to so many people I think. I've never worked anywhere like it since. I hope your dad gets a wee smile from it🙂.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Nice wee video Brian ! Just seems like yesterday we started the yerd 😊
Hi John😀.
It does. From wee boys to fathers and grandfather's in the blink of an eye😀. Even though I left a long time ago thinking back to those days in the yerd still makes me happy. I can't imagine there was a better place to be an apprentice😀.
Cheers, Brian.
great, I am looking to buy one of their builds,now named argonaut 1V.
Excellent😀
If it is the 1976 boat, I used to have a large framed photograph of her taken during sea trials.
Every now and again I would feel the need to tell the wife how it broke records in the years after launch and how she was a whaleback and gutting shelter seiner. Also I would sometimes tell her how a seine netter went about its business. The picture mysteriously disappeared some years ago😀
Cheers, Brian and Rhona😀
Thank you for sharing your story with us. If I could give you 10 thumbs up I would. My own formative years on the building sites of Glasgow were similar and I owe a lot to the men who used humour, kindness and camaraderie to help me grown up and make an often harsh job seem almost enjoyable. Cheers. Jim.
Thank you Jim, that's much appreciated☺️. I know the Campbeltown humour is very similar to Glasgow. I know its unlikely but I hope one day that some young kid at school who's feeling like a bit of an oddball might see this video and see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Brilliant self-reflection. Thank you.
Thank you😊.
I think your channel is a fantastic resource, so your comment really is much appreciated.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Loved the video .
Thanks Alan😊
That's much appreciated.
Loved hearing your experiences as an apprentice. Such a good video - I could feel your emotion when explaining what the time spent there meant to you. Looking forward to your next vlog.
Thank you so much😊. I genuinely believe I owe that place a huge debt, and I wanted to express it somehow. Its really heartening that people liked it🙂.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
brilliant
Thanks Cheryl and Simon☺️.
It's lovely that you like it.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
@@RobbotheHighlander just uploaded our first vlog - testing testing 👀 ua-cam.com/video/3MynO6GybnE/v-deo.html
Hi thank you so much. This is history from the seventies you are telling nobody is doing it. I worked in Selby shipyard North yorkshire and it was like you said. The men liked a crack. We had the best times. Hope you're both ok. Please keep going with the videos. Ps Selby shipyard is derelict. We built North Sea supply ships in the seventies one was the Seaforth challenger anyway hope you're both feeling better love Rog and Jan *
Hi Rog and Jan, thanks for that😊. Sounds like the yards were very similar. I think anywhere like that must have had a real sense of community. Years later I was working at a desk in offices in London. Anytime I got bored or dissatisfied I would think back to the days when I would have done anything just to sit down or get warm and being at a desk seemed okay again🙂. Even the bad days at the yard were helpful later.
Cheers, Brian and Rhona.
Would you camp on that shipyard over night or is it a dangerous zone?
Hiya,
I wouldn't camp there. It's a popular walking place and overlooked by houses. More like a public amenity area now really (also a lot of debris around from the old shipyard).
Cheers, Brian and Rhona😃
@@RobbotheHighlander I did end up camping there. Locals were surprised about my presence but super nice and up for a chat. I also collected an entire trash bag full of trash before leaving. No house was able to have a look at my car at the position where I was standing. It is super hard to find a nice spot in close proximity and I think it is ok to be there for a night but I won´t be promoting it online ...
we have a new video up covering arbroath park4night Rob think you might enjoy it. stay Safe and take care. Haste ye back