This is a story written by my Late Great Uncle Horace (Ted) Barber of the beginning of his life as a tugboat man on the River Thames. Eventually he came to own a fleet of tugs.

" I was born on 4th January 1892.

When I was thirteen and in the Ex 7th Class I went to school in Stratford one Saturday to pass what was known as the Labour Examination. If you passed you were entitled to go to work at the age of thirteen instead of fourteen. Having passed, I made up my mind I would go on the water the day I was fourteen. On that day I strolled down to the Victoria Dock.

There were two barges moored in between two Dolphins, which supported the gangway. Also it was by tugs crew to relieve. In fact it was used by everyone to get in and out of their craft awaiting to go go up the river or in the docks. This was private property and belonged to William Cory and sons Ltd.

Tarpaulins and dozens of pairs of barge oars were kept there. Lying there was Cory's steam launch 'Olive'. Aboard was the governor and the Labour Master. I tripped down the gangway and went aboard and asked for a job. Who should come out the cabin, my father, the foreman. The governor asked who I was and what I wanted. When he found out who I was I was started right away. A week of days and a week of nights at 12 shillings per week. Daytime I scrubbed the decks down and polished quite a lot of brass work. All this had to be done before the 'Heads' come aboard, down to the Charlton coaling station and they read newspapers etc., while the Captain cooked breakfast. I was busy doing odd jobs holding the fender over the side of the vessel so that she did not bump and interfere with the breakfast. The night work was quite easy.

In Bugsby Reach there were moored 'Atlas 2' & 'Atlas 3'. They were huge floating pontoons. No. 3 had eight up to date three ton grabs and No. 2 old hydraulic cranes, the ships went alongside and were unloaded into barges. The ships that moored at No. 2 the coal was dug out by hand and it was a sight to see the state of the men. No shirts and sweat running off them.

My Captain Mr Everest was apprenticed to my father. He had to keep an eye open so when different gangs of Coalies finished a certain hold we would run them ashore to the Victoria Dock as they all lived local. A rule was laid down that the boy got the beer money, the Captain the 'Sparrows'. The beer was to come in two gallon jars and the Rum in half pint bottles from the pubs, the 'Bell and Anchor' and the 'City Arms'. Monday mornings there were forty gallons of beer and twenty bottles of Rum to be taken across to the ships while they were working. I got fourpence per gallon on the beer and tuppence per bottle on the rum. So taking the weeks work the beer money was as good as my wages. The 'Sparrows' were kept secret, they consisted of doing little private towing jobs. Sometimes a Lighterman may be in trouble, gone athwart the barge roads or gone by his destination and our little vessel could help them out of trouble. The Lightermen would always call out to let go and shout out, " Bob will see you later".

On May 8th 1906 I was less than fourteen and a half and my father took me to Watermans Hall and I was apprenticed to him for seven years and from that day I was always in mischief. I stayed in that job for twelve months then I was detailed for heavier work. At that time they had what they called 'the dock gang', that was about twenty five men and six boys who worked driving barges under oars. Some up through the bridges to Vauxhall and Battersea some drove up Bow Creek to Bromley Lock and West Ham gas works. The boys would go with elderly Freemen and the gems of speech was something awful if you happened to drop your oar overboard or if he caught you with a few whiffs of a cigarette on the quick. Some of the old'ns were alright but if you had to go with one who was groining with reumatics it wasn't so good. He generally sat on the head-post for'ard shouting at you to pull that way, bring your oar forward or take it aft. By the time you had done a days work with him you had had enough!

You may go driving or mate in a tug which was ordered to do any class of barge towing such as barges to Teddington Lock or hurry away down to the ballast dredgers in the lower hope, Thames Estuary, The Dutchmans, Williams etc., and for that night you would recieve 3/6d. There were no steam pumps so the Tug carried hand pumps so it was a dirty night, the hands were pumping all the way up to London but in later years steam pumps were were built with better tugs. The barges were larger but there was nothing to stop them from sinking if caught in a gale which they did!

One morning I was ordered to West Ham gas works and I and a Freeman ( a qualified Waterman and Lighterman) to drive an empty barge out of the creek at West Ham Gas Works and down the light roads at Charlton. My mate said, " If it's a fair wind in the morning, let her come down and I will pick you up at Bromley Lock and have breakfast". It was a fair wind down and I got two oars aboard and the barge was flowing along like a little dog on a lead. When I saw him coming at distance my stomach was full of butterflies, I had got my two oars in the outside craft and alongside came the 'Olive'. The governor shouted, " Throw your oars aboard and where is my mate?". That did it, I could hardly speak, I hadn't got over my driving. I said, " I'm very sorry sir, my mate did not show up, so me having my licence I did the best I could." I told him the position of the barge fully expecting a 'bashing'. He called down to the cabin where they were making the tugs orders out. " Fred what do you think? That bloody little monkey has been and done. Drove one out from West Ham to Charlton. Have you any orders for him?" The reply was, " Yes tell him to go home and come down the office tonight, you have earnt your days pay (3/6d). In all it was seven hours by the time I gathered the oars and threw them with the others at the Victoria Dock dummies. Quite a lot of Lighterman would not believe it, they reckoned it was too big a job for a small boy. Anyhow the Governor issued orders that I was to always drive double-handed until he thought I was strong enough. When the First World War broke out driving was almost abolished.

Where we used to drive with a fifty ton order to factories it became more quicker by road as lorries were getting large and quicker. After you received your two years licence you were allowed to take charge of a barge being towed by a tug. There were six licenced men and a mate, a boy, engine driver and fireman and it was common to handle forty barges a day to and from docks and wharves. I was always in different tugs sometimes to Teddington Ham river grit, Bow Creek and Tilbury, Gravesend canal, Mucking shoots and the dredger loading ballast in Sea reach. We had to work a large number of hours, but when the forty eight hour week was made legal that was a godsend to all of us. We worked twelve hours on and twenty four off ( four watches a week ). I knew the time when we did not get paid for overtime but as the union got more power we got paid. I knew one crew in my young days who asked for twelve hours overtime, the tug foreman was told to book it. The next week the tug was tied up and a note put in their pay packets saying owing to slackness their services were no longer required. The Sack!

If I could I would get in the wheelbox with the skipper and listen to jokes being told. I was watching every move because I had it in my head that one day I would be as clever as him and be skipper.