Introduction . . .

Great, great, grandfather apparently walked in front of early steam engines bearing a flag according to my Mother. I’am not too sure if this formed part of his daily duties or if he was in fact the village idiot! Either, or both, are a possibility given the preponderance of defective genes in our family!!

From our family maritime heritage, my uncle Arthur of Brixham was the wireless operator aboard the Elders and Fyffes ship “Camito” (left) bringing bananas from the Windward Isles to be unloaded at Avonmouth Docks.

In 1578, Peter Carder sailed from Falmouth to the South Americas with Sir Francis Drake and had such a story to tell when he finally returned a decade later, and by Royal Command, his adventures and experiences were recorded for posterity in the volumes of “Purchas, his Pilgrims”. These volumes are held within the British Library. [921]

Then there was one John D. Carder, (b.1871, Exmouth) who is listed as a 'Boatman' and 'Customs House Officer', Penarth Dock in the Census of 1901 ; together with wife, Emily, they lived at 20. Machen Street, Penarth. [679]

My late brother Peter spoke of a court case arising during the construction of Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge, when a riveter working for a contractor named Mr. Riden (also my Mother's maiden surname), dropped a red hot rivet from the bridge striking a boatman passing below.

Over the years, the Irish people have been a much maligned race, but it is clear that without the mix of creativity and determination of the Victorian engineers and the sheer hard graft of the navvies, little would have changed and Britain would not have become the powerhouse of the World.

The 10th June 2015 saw the 150th anniversary of the opening of the docks at Penarth and this date is undoubtedly an event for the local community and South Wales to celebrate; an opportunity to show pride in the achievements of those who went before. Next to nothing of substance occurred.