My name is Michael Holley and live in Langley, British Columbia, Canada  (Now 85 years old in 2010) but spent my very early childhood  between the years of 1929  to 1940  in the village  parish of Ridge  Nr Wareham  Dorset, 

Operating down at Ridge for Pike Bros., I think there were in fact two tugs one a steam one called "FROME" and a 2nd one which was diesel "ALLEN". It had had a very short stubby orange painted funnel. That is about all I can remember about the newer tug , but after it arrived at the wharf  the steam tug "FROME"  was never used  again and was just tied up in the river to the West side of the Wharf. It was the on new one "ALLEN" that the captain  gave me a trip all the way to Poole and back, what a wonderful time I had, to me at that time it was an adventure beyond my wildest dreams. 
Now looking at the B&W pictures of the barges or as  I remember they were called lighters, as kids one of our pastimes at a weekend when lots of boaters were going up and down the river passing the wharf was to climb onto the one of the tied up barges and slide down the big heavy canvas cover, this cover can been seen very clearly in one of the B&W  pictures you so kindly sent, you sort of made my day, I never ever thought I would see any pictures  of the Wharf.

Because the land or should I say swamp around the Wharf area was so flat, one could see the tug pulling a string of  barges on its way to Poole for a very long time because as you know the river Frome estuary is very winding and takes what seem for ever to get out into the open channel. By the way the swamp land in that area was a great place to go and collect sea gull eggs like buckets full and bring them back to the village and sell them door to door, anything to make a few pennies. Yes  the Wharf brings back so many happy memories  and of course the ride on the tug  boat to Poole  was an exception. I was pleased to see and read about the old Allen tug is now house boat on the Isle of White, I am sure if she could talk it would be many very fine stories, and it was good to know the tug was built in the Village of Ridge. 

There was a very well know book writer by the name of Percy Westerman lived and worked on a very big old house boat (called "The Barge") which was tied up on the river  just West of Redcliffe  where the old tow path goes between Ridge and Wareham.

He wrote story books for young boys. One day in the early 30's walking to School from Ridge to Wareham  we kids all had to use the tow path which went right past  Mr. Westerman's house boat, well one day he came down the boat's gang plank (About 8 AM   School  started at 8.45 ) and stopped to talk to me and ask me as I passed his houseboat every morning at 8AM  would I just walk up the gang plank and nock on his door real hard, no need for me to wait for him to come to the door. It was just to wake him up and for doing that he would give me a shilling a week. Now that was a lot of money, so once again along with the sixpence I made each Monday morning at the engine house our family income rose considerably!  I kept that up for several years. Whenever I saw him, which was not very often because he always left the money he gave me for waking him up each school day morning in a Tin cup each Friday, he was always dressed in a naval uniform. In my book Mr. Westerman was a real gentleman and someone I will never forget .
When I was in the UK in 2001 I found one of Peter Westerman's  books  and bought it but since then have lost it. He was a very kind man to the two swans that were always in the river near his houseboat and cared and fed them all the time.  Redcliffe was at my time a lovely place  for us kids to go swimming  and climbing  all the way to the top of the cliff , it had lovely red and yellow sandstone colour. 

(ed - British Pathe have a wonderful video of Percy Westerman in their library. Click here . Percy Westerman was the founder of the Redcliffe Yacht Club which is celebrating it's 75th birthday in 2011 )