Sounds of the " Gibshill Trio "

 

 

Gibshill Trio Sounds


(MEET ME IN MY DREAMS TO-NIGHT)

VERSE
UNDER THE MOON I AM WAITING,
DOWN LOVER'S LANE WHERE I STRAY.
PLEASE COME ALONG,
SING LOVE'S SWEET SONG.
SWEETHEART, THO' YOU'RE FAR AWAY.

CHORUS
MEET ME IN MY DREAMS TO-NIGHT, DEAR,
LET ME SEE YOUR SUNNY SMILE.
MEET ME IN MY DREAMS, TO-NIGHT DEAR.
LINGER IN MY ARMS A WHILE.
YOU HAVE BEEN MY INSPIRATION.
LOVE HAS BEEN MY GUIDING LIGHT.
WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES,
MY HEART ALWAYS CRIES.
MEET ME IN MY DREAMS TO-NIGHT.

2ND VERSE
FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING AGAIN DEAR,
BLUEBIRDS ARE MATING ONCE MORE.
SPRINGTIME IS HERE,
LOVE TIME IS NEAR.
YOU ARE THE ONE I ADORE.

REPEAT CHORUS

Wingy O'Neil, Joe Robbie, and one of the Gilmour lads.

4 Irwin St, Gibshill, Greenock. Ground floor, Corr's to one side Burkes the other, Millars and Gilmours in the middle, the Gibshill Trio always rehearsed on the ground floor stair well, we ( the kids ) sat 3 to 4 to a step all the way up to the first landing.....we have no TV, and the radio worked off an accumulator, so playing time was limited

We all grew up with music, Gibshill was well known for parties, we, ' the Sinclair's' were lucky, we had Jimmy Neill, who played accordion & piano, we all took it in turns round the room to sing, you didn't have to be good, just join in, " Wan Singer, Wan Song " the cry would come up if you talked or try to join in when someone was singing

I CAN'T SING as you will hear from the video, but I just wanted you to hear the sounds we loved and grew up with

lived in London for over 25 years and carried on the Sinclair style...Parties & more Parties, I sang this song, nobody heard it before, but I've never forgot it....." PLEASE DON'T LET THIS SONG DIE ", I would love to hear a singer record this, and let me hear it before I pass on to the Happy Hunting Ground.

The alert Siren & all clear

 

 

We had coastal flood warnings today on the Norfolk Coast, and the sirens were blaring away, I closed my eyes and I was back in Gibshill in the 1940's, and it got me thinking,I shut my eyes and there are sounds or noises or sights, come flooding back, taking me back to my youth in 20 Poplar St. Gibshill, Greenock, through the magic of T.V, Computers, Films these sounds are still about. this is 7 sights and sounds, that played a major part of my youth.

1. The sirens

2. Train Whistle

3. Drone of Lancaster

4. Sea-Plane

5. Steam train Labouring

6. Barrage Balloons.

7. Accordion

The Drone of the Bombers

 

 

I loved this sound, it made my blood tingle, I used to stand rooted to the spot when a Giant troop sea-plane took off, or landed at the " Tail o' the Bank " this sound I will never forget, I watched a film the other night, a war film, which included scenes of sea-planes, landing & taking off, my memory was back in Gibshill, Greenock so much, couldn't follow the film one bit, but standing on Poplar St. watching this take off or landing, I feel so lucky to have seen this for myself

Sea Planes

 

I loved this sound, it made my blood tingle, I used to stand rooted to the spot when a Giant troop sea-plane took off, or landed at the " Tail o' the Bank " this sound I will never forget, I watched a film the other night, a war film, which included scenes of sea-planes, landing & taking off, my memory was back in Gibshill, Greenock so much, couldn't follow the film one bit, but standing on Poplar St. watching this take off or landing, I feel so lucky to have seen this for myself

Steam Train at Poplar St.

 

 

I live in a little village on the North Norfolk Coast, and we are so lucky to have a Steam Train service, now the age of steam was a huge part of my life in Gibshill, Greenock, I can stand on the foot bridge of our local station, and close my eyes, listening to our old engine pulling 6/7 carriages of holiday makers up from Sheringham, and immediately I'm back up Gibshill, Greenock, " The Yanks are Coming " alerting everyone, to get ready for the Dimes, Dollars, Life-savors, and wriggles chewing gum, I've explained the task further down my blog

But sadly, when our old engine blows the whistle, I think of the people who were killed behind Poplar St. the Express, as it was coming downhill, used to blow the whistle, one long blow from the 9 Arches, and kept blowing it, all the way round the sharp bend to Poplar St....Now if the express came at the same time as a troop train was chugging up the line, people were so engrossed on catching favor's thrown out by the troops, never heard the whistle......Once again a local sound today, takes me back to 1940's

Barrage Balloons

 

 

Cindy & I were driving along to A17 on Sunday morning and there was a Air-Balloon Race, I was so taken back, I pulled into a lay by and explained to Cindy that in the 1940's the whole of the " Tail O' the Bank " were dozens & dozens of Barrage balloons, anchored with a thick metal rope and all at different heights, the troop sips anchored at the " Tail O' the Bank " were targets, all these Barrage Balloons hampered the bombing aircraft, they couldn't fly under, because of the ropes, I used to stand or look out my window of 20 Poplar St. Gibshill, Greenock. and wonder at these Balloons, they looked so big, what a sight, never to be seen again, one air-balloon race on a Sunday morning 2012 could take me back so clearly to 1940's

Jimmy Neill ....Thanks for adding life to the Sinclair Household

My father & the lass gillan from 2 Irwin st.

 

 

I would like to thank Jimmy Neill, my sister Jessie's husband, both sadly departed now, but Jimmy was a master at the accordion & piano, and brought the Sinclair parties every weekend my fun and laughter, I will never forget dancing, singing, everyone had to sing, Yes !! even me, my song was Al Martino " Here in my heart ", when I see or hear an accordion playing now, I close my eyes and I'm back home, " Isn't your wee Billy got a strong voice Ann " " Aye " my mother would say .....Thank you Jimmy, for bringing the Sinclair household to life.

One man, One job

I watched Greenock Shipyards slowly die. In my opinion

I hated the union rule " One man, one Job "

The quote " One man, one job " haunts the life out of me, when I started my apprenticeship as a Plumber at Mitchell's, corner West Stewart St. & Nicholson St in 1952, I wasn't asked, I was told I had to be in the union, now Mitchell's were very proud of their apprentices and you were given a trade on conditions, you had to go to night school twice a week, and a day at James Watt Collage, Mitchell's wanted their plumbers to be the best in Greenock

I

 was trained in every thing, from hard metals and soft metals, lead burning, welding, brazing, in fact every aspect in plumbing, right through to our City & Guilds exams.

When I worked on the Shipyards as a plumber, . if I wanted to bring my hot & Cold water pipes through a bulk-head ( Wall ) 1st. I had to find a " Marker ", he would chalk the section of bulkhead and using a compass, draw a 2 inch or 3 inch circle or what ever was needed, 2nd we would have a " Centre Dabber ", who would come and mark round the circle, 3rd we had to get Oxy- acetylene cutter, to cut the hole in the bulk-head, after these three workers had finished, I could put my pipes through, then I would have to go and find a " Tacker " an electric welder who tacked the pipes to the bulkhead before I was allowed to move on

Now !! I was qualified to do all of these actions needed to get the Hot & Cold water pipes through to the next cabin, BUT !!! the " One man, One Job " was quoted, I could have done the job in ..say 30 Minutes...where as, depending where on the ship these different men were, this action could take me 3/5 days, sometimes even longer.

You don't have to be a mathematician, to count up the cost of putting pipes through, I only used this as an example, but this " One man, One job " affected every trade on the ship-building, you weren't even allowed to clear up a cabin floor to start work, we had to find a " Sweeper Upper ", who was generally a almost retired worker

I can say I had the pleasure of working on the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, when they both docked at the " Tail O' the bank ", and the Royal Yacht Britannia at Clydebank, but due to the " One man, One job ", the cost of Ship building on the Clyde, was so high, other countries could build the ships at a third of the cost

When I came out of the army in the 50's I returned to Mitchell's the plumbers, 2 days back I was approached by the union Rep. I packed up my tool box and walked out, I don't understand unions, and don't like them