Clyde steam puffer lighter SPARTAN leaves Irvine with a cargo of coal for Loch Riddon

Clyde puffer SPARTAN was the "First Foot" of the New Year to arrive at Irvine Harbour'

Loch Riddon is a small sea-loch in the Kyles of Bute near Tighnabruaich, Argyll, Scotland.

   It is a very remote and peaceful area, sparsley populated – and in 1950 even more lonely.  Surrounded by high hills there is only one steep, narrow, winding and dangerous road providing access for the few inhabitants and in the dark and deep depths of winter the people could be cut off from supplies by snow and ice.

   Thus in winter the people needed coal as fuel to heat their homes and cook their meals and the only way to obtain the coal was by being brought to them by a Clyde puffer vessel.   The people would form a club and collect money and then purchase an amount of coal – say about 100 tons or so – and then hire a puffer lighter from a puffer owner – and the puffer would load the coal – as at Irvine in this case – and bring the coal to Loch Riddon and unload it into lorries, horse-drawn carts etc.

   And that is why the puffer SPARTAN was at Irvine to load a cargo of coal for Loch Riddon.

A seaman from "Lady Anstruther" falls into water during a dog rescue at Irvine Harbour

From "Irvine & Fullarton Times" dated 6th January 1950

An incident which had all the ingredients of a cinema film thriller took place at Irvine Harbour on Tuesday afternoon with the main interest centering round a young collie dog who was an unwilling actor in the drama.
The dog, which was accompanied by two ladies, fell over the wharf into the river.
It managed to scramble on to terra firma below the wooden wharf via spikes which are fixed in the woodwork.
They could not however, entice the young dog to come into their arms and two seamen from the "Lady Anstruther," which was berthed at this part of the harbour, joined in the rescue work.
After overcoming many refusals to their overtures, the dog was at last caught by the sailors, hoisted aboard another steamer and thence on to the wharf, where, now very cowed and frightened, it rejoined its mistress.

In the course of the rescue operations, which took over half an hour, one of the seamen fell off a supporting spar into the water, but fortunately soon recovered his equilibrium and got off with a thorough drenching.

1950s advert by Shaw Savill Line, London for their passenger services

Athel Line's ATHELDUKE arrives in Greenock with a cargo of Molasses from Cuba

Ellerman's CITY OF SHREWSBURY closes at Glasgow for receiving cargo for Eastern Ports

CITY OF SHREWSBURY closes at Glasgow for Port Said, Suez, Aden, Vizagapatam and Calcutta

DERRYCUNIHY arrives in Greenock with a cargo of Sugar from Mauritius

Ellerman's CITY OF SHREWSBURY closes at Birkenhead for receiving cargo for Eastern Ports

Ellerman's CITY OF CHRISTIANIA closes at Glasgow for receiving cargo for Eastern Ports

CITY OF SHREWSBURY closes at Birkenhead for Port Said, Suez, Aden, Vizagapatam and Calcutta

CITY OF CHRISTIANIA closes at Glasgow for Port Said, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Karachi, Bhavnagar

Ellerman's CITY OF CHRISTIANIA closes at Birkenhead for receiving cargo for Eastern Ports

CITY OF CHRISTIANIA closes at Birkenhead for Port Said, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Karachi, Bhavnagar

NEW TEXAS arrives in Greenock with a cargo of Coconuts and Palm Kernels from West Africa

Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 1950

Contributed by P.W.