As with so many industries the Docks once had a huge workforce. In the late 1940s there were still 1000 dockers and 100 crane men on the books. If you factor in the many other trades and businesses associated with the Docks, it is no surprise that the port played a central role in so many people’s lives in Leith. In the 1970s shipping methods were beginning to change with cargo becoming containerised. The road networks around Leith meant that access for containers was not easy and the majority of the container trade went to Grangemouth. This and more automated ways of working now means that Leith Docks operates with a staff of around 19 dockers.
This issue of the Thelma magazine is dedicated to memories of the Docks. In summer last year Russell Hoskin, a working docker and a regular visitor to The Wee Museum of Memory, brought in four boxes of glass photographic plates he had inherited from his Grandfather. This collection documents work within the Docks between 1924 and the 1950s. We doubt that these images have ever been seen by the public before and they make fascinating viewing. They make up the bulk of the images here.
We are grateful to Russell for not only allowing us to use these images but also for putting us in contact with people who worked in the Docks and who were willing to come in and chat about their memories.