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Hi The Silver Hatchett gang actually bring back memories to me 

It was before my time that this gang existed, but I was told many many times about them,
The reason for this it still seems to had an effect even in my early days, I know there was a dockland murder case and often Mafia type moves, I still have several names in clublands and other buisnesses, some born out by my mentioning and given FREE membership by the landlord of the clubs, and yes the names still remain to this very day.

The active roll that my grandfather played was a bookies runner, this was a two bit job to do with them, but it still brought in favors, I can be contacted to give out those names if neded, but apart from that I cannot recall to much. please contact me in private if I can add my tupence worth
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Regards, Tony

I read your message and thought surely not, not after all these years.
I asked my wife if she would drive me there to check it out, ( I am disabled) sure enough it has been fenced in, as we drove up, three workmen drove away.
 Apparently while I was in a hospital, a petition went around requesting it was regenerated,  I hope it is to do that, and not simply remove the stones.

I am in a wheelchair at the moment  but often drove past sculcoates cemetary, yes it is overgrown and is in a sorry state, a few years ago  some volunteers started tidying the place up, sadly to no avail.
I believe the council got permission to 'smarten' the place until the church people found that meant bulldozing the stones, fortunately that was stopped.
The cemetary is next to a Tannary factory, the smell is gut wrenching at times, personaly I think thats its salvation!
What is special about Sculcoates is the art work on the graves, One I am particular that comes to mind is the NEWMARCH  headstone, the names of all the battlefields the military bag, sword, rifle and even his hat to name a few.( I think its the Peninsular war)
Another is a carving of an old fishing smack (and the boats name)giving details of the sailor lost at sea..
Finally rows and rows of small stones with just the poor souls initials on them from the workouse.
In my opinion wellingtons a stick and a camera, are worth the visit, but god, what a smell!

Shaun I am sure it would be, I am thinking or writing some memoirs about him.
He was brilliant with metal, When I had the privilege of being his apprentice, he told me many stories, he had no need to work anymore he had the staff to do that, but I worked 44 hours a week back then, that means every Saturday til lunch time, I did not have to work much he seemed just to potter about enjoying my company, a bit like  talking to your granddad, he was stubborn but good with me, he could turn his hand to almost anything only he did things the old way, the rest was left to the staff, I saw him many a time doing some hardening and tempering metal using his anvil, often just for an old friend, I believe the Coach Spring Maker would probably be a repair on old coaches.

I have often see the comment, Whats a Whitesmith?
I think I can explain and you might also understand it was a fairly common engineering job years gone by.
I was taken on as an apprentice Whitesmith when I was 15, my old boss, he would have been born about 1900 maybe a little earlier, told me he had to collect worn out toilet ash pans from the brick or wooden box that the toilet was in, these were dragged from under the seat so they could be emptied, after a while the bottom would wear out, his job was to collect them, take them back to the work yard and wash them out, then remove the old bottom and rivet a new one back in its place, he told me they had to test for leaks, by pumping water in them and leave them to stand for a while, before taking them back.
He pointed out to me in those days they had no gloves on!!
other jobs was repairing things like buckets, baths and other water containers, such as general light engineering.
So there you have it, straight from the horses mouth, now wheres my packing up !!

Antiquarian