The Gatehouse Boy

In The Gatehouse Boy, readers are transported to a distant, misty town on the river, where the sound of industry fills the air. This town is home to a shipyard, where a young boy grows up and shares his experiences of life in a bustling, prosperous place. Through the magic of words, he invites readers on a journey through his past, from his childhood in the shipyard to his adventures in other forgotten places of work. Along the way, he shares tales of happiness, sorrow, excitement, routine, humour, and horror, offering a glimpse into the life of a young man growing up in a time long gone. So, stick on your ovys (overalls), put on your takkities (boots), pull up a seat round the brazier and join the boys doon the yard for a few wee tales.

Robert, or Bob as he prefers to be called, left school at the age of 15 and started his working life as a gatehouse boy in the shipyard. Due to a number of closures, three companies later Bob passed out as a journeyman Turner/Diemaker.

Bob moved on to the world of aviation and avoided redundancy by regularly changing jobs which included training both management and shop floor employees, job evaluation, industrial relations and finally retiring as safety and environmental executive to one of the company’s divisions.

On retiring Bob and his wife moved to Penang, Malaysia where Bob started writing. The first piece was an article about adopting a cat from the Malaysian SPCA, for their website, written from the cat’s viewpoint. The piece was titled “Malay Cat Manor”. Bob has three cats.

The second piece was for an American motorcycle magazine titled “Wrecks to Poverty in Zero Seconds Flat” which described Bob’s journey in restoring a 1962 Triumph Twenty-One, 3TA.

Finally, before returning to UK, Bob wrote and published a coffee table book for the Anglican Church in Penang recognising the ladies who stitched kneelers for the church’s bicentenary celebrations.

Having left the world of engineering Bob has embarked on his new trade as a writer and is looking forward to creating stories to entertain and enlighten.