Scunny.....

Quoted from BeijingMariner

This is one of the best posts I have ever read on the Fishy. I wish I had time to write down a proper response but I am moving house, country, continent and job, my youngest is finishing school in three weeks so am a tad busy. Suffice to say, Mr GY, even though you have a few years on me, I reckon we shared some haunts in Scunny, I was living in Wrawby, school in Brigg and in a band in Scunny, playing the Baths, Henry VIII, The Sherpa. I never had it in for Scunny or it's people or even it's team to be honest. This is a great piece of writing. I truly feel for any worker faced with redundancy, even if they are in Scunthorpe, or............Lincoln!

Quoted from GYinScuntland

I started on the steelworks in '75 in the days when your parents told you if you didn't do well at school you'd "end up on the works like your dad"
I didn't do well at school so I did end up there and actually with my dad but it served me well as a job for life for 40 years, one I didn't really appreciate at the time because let's face it a sixteen year old boy would rather be out with his mates than working 2/10 or nights. I stuck it out though.

Those days were incredible, the works were a melting pot, people from all over the UK and the world, many at odds with each other both in culture and football allegiances.
We used to go out together after work, the English, Indians ,and Poles, then around to the Pakistani lads houses for a curry sat around the fire, they didn't drink but were happy to get the food on, there were no Maccy Dees or Kentucky in those days.
Religion or having to respect each others culture wasn't rammed down every ones throats either and for years we thought Sikh was a part of India and Islam a part of Pakistan.
We all dressed the same, spoke the same to the best of our abilities and got on as best we could.

My own intake comprised of young lads from Scunthorpe, South Yorkshire, Grimsby, India, Pakistan and Eastern Europe.
You can only imagine it eh?
Scunthorpe v Grimsby, Lincolnshire v Yorkshire, Poland v Latvia and don't even get me started on Pakistan v India.
Yes, we all had our moments, a chelp here, a slap there, a bit of mither over there but we all stood and worked and covered each others backs when it really counted - on the shop floor.

Dangerous work in those days, just like the trawlers were, too many died young, were scarred for life or mutilated.
Friendships for life were forged, some for too short a time.
One of my first steelworks friendships was made on intake because the lad had a GTFC badge on his denim jacket as did I, I was sent to the Bloom and Billet Mill where my dad worked and he was sent to the coke ovens where he died four weeks later, cut in half under a coke wagon at the age of sixteen. I have never forgotten his name.
To this day many people can be seen around Scunthorpe with what might look like to some as hideous birthmarks, it's molten iron or steel.

In those days there were three Steelworks in Scunthorpe employing probably 30,000 over the various sites.

The top of North Lincs Rd was a huge bus terminal bringing in workers from the areas of Grimsby, Doncaster, Lincoln and even Hull which bearing in mind the bridge was unbuilt was no mean feat and many a time I kipped at a mates house in Meggies after footy then caught the 5am to Scunthorpe works on the sunday morning.
It's really hard to appreciate how massive the place was compared to today.

Some on here might hate Scunthorpe, some might think it's great the works could be buggered.
It's OK to hate Scunthorpe the football club, sodomist me, I bristle myself when I see the bloody badge, that's normal and how it should be but think it through.

In my last ten years on the works I was logistics based. We had Grimsby area HGV drivers who couldn't  get work picking up loads from farms and relied on eight, yes eight deliveries to the works every day starting at 4am.
Only the eighth one gave them a profit. it used to break my heart when one turned up ten minutes after the place they were tipping had shut.

The works shuts, and that driver is out of work. Multiply that by 800 lorry drivers looking for work.
All the people who load the lorry driver at the docks or railway stations not needed.
The quarries around the country that supply the limes for the steelworks not needed.
All the suppliers of the various alloys for the steel making process not needed.
Coal not needed because the coke ovens are shut.
Local manufacturers of bearings who supply the works on a daily basis not needed.
Cleaners not needed.
Caterers not needed.
The companies and farms who rely on Bi products from the works such as sulphates, tar and slag, what do they do?
It is so far reaching it's nearly unbelievable.
I could go on and on and on.

I was lucky to have had a job for life there and was very proud to have done my bit, I really hope it's there for future generations.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

I started on the steelworks in '75 in the days when your parents told you if you didn't do well at school you'd "end up on the works like your dad"
I didn't do well at school so I did end up there and actually with my dad but it served me well as a job for life for 40 years, one I didn't really appreciate at the time because let's face it a sixteen year old boy would rather be out with his mates than working 2/10 or nights. I stuck it out though.

Those days were incredible, the works were a melting pot, people from all over the UK and the world, many at odds with each other both in culture and football allegiances.
We used to go out together after work, the English, Indians ,and Poles, then around to the Pakistani lads houses for a curry sat around the fire, they didn't drink but were happy to get the food on, there were no Maccy Dees or Kentucky in those days.
Religion or having to respect each others culture wasn't rammed down every ones throats either and for years we thought Sikh was a part of India and Islam a part of Pakistan.
We all dressed the same, spoke the same to the best of our abilities and got on as best we could.

My own intake comprised of young lads from Scunthorpe, South Yorkshire, Grimsby, India, Pakistan and Eastern Europe.
You can only imagine it eh?
Scunthorpe v Grimsby, Lincolnshire v Yorkshire, Poland v Latvia and don't even get me started on Pakistan v India.
Yes, we all had our moments, a chelp here, a slap there, a bit of mither over there but we all stood and worked and covered each others backs when it really counted - on the shop floor.

Dangerous work in those days, just like the trawlers were, too many died young, were scarred for life or mutilated.
Friendships for life were forged, some for too short a time.
One of my first steelworks friendships was made on intake because the lad had a GTFC badge on his denim jacket as did I, I was sent to the Bloom and Billet Mill where my dad worked and he was sent to the coke ovens where he died four weeks later, cut in half under a coke wagon at the age of sixteen. I have never forgotten his name.
To this day many people can be seen around Scunthorpe with what might look like to some as hideous birthmarks, it's molten iron or steel.

In those days there were three Steelworks in Scunthorpe employing probably 30,000 over the various sites.

The top of North Lincs Rd was a huge bus terminal bringing in workers from the areas of Grimsby, Doncaster, Lincoln and even Hull which bearing in mind the bridge was unbuilt was no mean feat and many a time I kipped at a mates house in Meggies after footy then caught the 5am to Scunthorpe works on the sunday morning.
It's really hard to appreciate how massive the place was compared to today.

Some on here might hate Scunthorpe, some might think it's great the works could be buggered.
It's OK to hate Scunthorpe the football club, sodomist me, I bristle myself when I see the bloody badge, that's normal and how it should be but think it through.

In my last ten years on the works I was logistics based. We had Grimsby area HGV drivers who couldn't  get work picking up loads from farms and relied on eight, yes eight deliveries to the works every day starting at 4am.
Only the eighth one gave them a profit. it used to break my heart when one turned up ten minutes after the place they were tipping had shut.

The works shuts, and that driver is out of work. Multiply that by 800 lorry drivers looking for work.
All the people who load the lorry driver at the docks or railway stations not needed.
The quarries around the country that supply the limes for the steelworks not needed.
All the suppliers of the various alloys for the steel making process not needed.
Coal not needed because the coke ovens are shut.
Local manufacturers of bearings who supply the works on a daily basis not needed.
Cleaners not needed.
Caterers not needed.
The companies and farms who rely on Bi products from the works such as sulphates, tar and slag, what do they do?
It is so far reaching it's nearly unbelievable.
I could go on and on and on.

I was lucky to have had a job for life there and was very proud to have done my bit, I really hope it's there for future generations.


One of the very best posts I’ve ever read on here.
Much respect mate.

Quoted from chaos33

One of the very best posts I’ve ever read on here.
Much respect mate.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

I started on the steelworks in '75 in the days when your parents told you if you didn't do well at school you'd "end up on the works like your dad"
I didn't do well at school so I did end up there and actually with my dad but it served me well as a job for life for 40 years, one I didn't really appreciate at the time because let's face it a sixteen year old boy would rather be out with his mates than working 2/10 or nights. I stuck it out though.

Those days were incredible, the works were a melting pot, people from all over the UK and the world, many at odds with each other both in culture and football allegiances.
We used to go out together after work, the English, Indians ,and Poles, then around to the Pakistani lads houses for a curry sat around the fire, they didn't drink but were happy to get the food on, there were no Maccy Dees or Kentucky in those days.
Religion or having to respect each others culture wasn't rammed down every ones throats either and for years we thought Sikh was a part of India and Islam a part of Pakistan.
We all dressed the same, spoke the same to the best of our abilities and got on as best we could.

My own intake comprised of young lads from Scunthorpe, South Yorkshire, Grimsby, India, Pakistan and Eastern Europe.
You can only imagine it eh?
Scunthorpe v Grimsby, Lincolnshire v Yorkshire, Poland v Latvia and don't even get me started on Pakistan v India.
Yes, we all had our moments, a chelp here, a slap there, a bit of mither over there but we all stood and worked and covered each others backs when it really counted - on the shop floor.

Dangerous work in those days, just like the trawlers were, too many died young, were scarred for life or mutilated.
Friendships for life were forged, some for too short a time.
One of my first steelworks friendships was made on intake because the lad had a GTFC badge on his denim jacket as did I, I was sent to the Bloom and Billet Mill where my dad worked and he was sent to the coke ovens where he died four weeks later, cut in half under a coke wagon at the age of sixteen. I have never forgotten his name.
To this day many people can be seen around Scunthorpe with what might look like to some as hideous birthmarks, it's molten iron or steel.

In those days there were three Steelworks in Scunthorpe employing probably 30,000 over the various sites.

The top of North Lincs Rd was a huge bus terminal bringing in workers from the areas of Grimsby, Doncaster, Lincoln and even Hull which bearing in mind the bridge was unbuilt was no mean feat and many a time I kipped at a mates house in Meggies after footy then caught the 5am to Scunthorpe works on the sunday morning.
It's really hard to appreciate how massive the place was compared to today.

Some on here might hate Scunthorpe, some might think it's great the works could be buggered.
It's OK to hate Scunthorpe the football club, sodomist me, I bristle myself when I see the bloody badge, that's normal and how it should be but think it through.

In my last ten years on the works I was logistics based. We had Grimsby area HGV drivers who couldn't  get work picking up loads from farms and relied on eight, yes eight deliveries to the works every day starting at 4am.
Only the eighth one gave them a profit. it used to break my heart when one turned up ten minutes after the place they were tipping had shut.

The works shuts, and that driver is out of work. Multiply that by 800 lorry drivers looking for work.
All the people who load the lorry driver at the docks or railway stations not needed.
The quarries around the country that supply the limes for the steelworks not needed.
All the suppliers of the various alloys for the steel making process not needed.
Coal not needed because the coke ovens are shut.
Local manufacturers of bearings who supply the works on a daily basis not needed.
Cleaners not needed.
Caterers not needed.
The companies and farms who rely on Bi products from the works such as sulphates, tar and slag, what do they do?
It is so far reaching it's nearly unbelievable.
I could go on and on and on.

I was lucky to have had a job for life there and was very proud to have done my bit, I really hope it's there for future generations.

Quoted from Sweden

Fan of Grimsby since 15 jan 1977 Crystal Palace - Grimsby Town 2-1 brodcasting on TV here in Sweden.