Sunderland retro: Cavalry hero, shipyard owner, High Sheriff - this Wearside man did it all

Robert A Bartram was the last of a line of Bartrams who served Sunderland as the chairman of the family-named shipyard company.

Into battle with the Scottish Horse brigade

It was 55 years ago when he retired from Bartram and Sons, the South Docks shipbuilders.

It heralded the end of the family line as he was the last active member in a family business dating back to 1837.

But Robert’s mark on the world went much further than that.

At the outbreak of World War I, he together with several young men from Sunderland, enlisted in the Scottish Horse brigade.

High Sheriff of Durham

He was commissioned and served in France, Eqypt and Salonika.

By 1938, he had taken command of his regiment and mobilised it at the start of World War II.

Robert ran the shipyard with his brother until it was sold to Austin and Pickersgill in 1968.

He also served as the High Sheriff of Durham.

Bombed out of her home - but she still did an afternoon shift at work

Many people will still have memories of serving at Bartrams and here are some of the highlights previously reported in the Sunderland Echo.

In 1947, the teams at Bartram’s had completed the building of the Rio Chico which was a 450ft steel cargo ship.

She was ready for launch but Mother Nature had other ideas. It was only at the sixth time of asking that the North Eastern Marine Engineering-built ship finally went into the River Wear.

Bartram’s was open in Sunderland from 1837 to 1978 and its work was in especially high demand during World War II when it built 24 cargo ships.

Tell us more

One Bartram’s worker had a life of drama, especially in the 1940s.

Florence Collard was bombed out of her home in Plymouth before returning to her hometown of Sunderland – where she suffered the same fate.

After another bombing raid, Florence was trapped in her kitchen and had to be rescued, but she still turned in for her afternoon shift at Bartram’s shipyard.

Tell us if you have memories of working in Sunderland’s shipyards. Email [email protected]