Tales from London's docklands - Henry T. Bradford

Tales of London's Docklands is an engaging and endearing account of the day-to-day experiences of hardworking dockers in the Port of London after the Second World War. These real-life stories highlight the harshness, brutality and poverty experienced during the author's time spent working in the dock industry. Yet they also capture the humour and camaraderie that existed among the dockers, revealing the characters that shined through the backbreaking and dangerous daily toil. The antics of Big Dave, Little Fred and Old Percy will prove particularly appealing.
Tales of London's Docklands is a valuable and entertaining record of eventful episodes on the Port of London docks. It preserves the spirit of disappearing industry and the memory of the people at its heart.

Henry T. Bradford was born into a dockworking family. His grandfather had entered the port transport industry in the latter years of the nineteenth century, and Henry's father also worked on the docks after being invalided out of the army when he was wounded in the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. The author entered the industry in 1954 and undertook countless jobs as a grade-A docker until a serious shipboard accident forced his retirement in 1986.