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, 

The 1930's were the time of the Great Depression and we had very little  financial income which meant that every penny had to be spent wisely which including money for coal, which we bought from a local coal merchant once every two weeks. It was Christmas time and we had very little coal and could not afford a fresh bag. I was working over at the Engine shed doing what I liked best  polishing the  brass on the engine and I just mentioned to Mr. Gover about not having any coal and he replied that there was a pile of coal down at the wharf which was left over from when the old steam tug Frome was in service. The Frome had been replaced by the diesel engine tug Allen. Mr Gover said "When I go down to the wharf with the engine to pick up the empty trams, I will see if I can ask the  Wharf Foreman if you can have some of the coal". The following Monday which was the start of Christmas school holidays,  I was over at the Engine House by 6 AM  and all excited about a short ride down to the wharf.  Mr.Gover found the foreman and when the foreman saw that it was me, as he knew me from my many other visits to the Wharf,  he got several of his men to fill sacks full of the old coal and put it on one of the flat bed trams. The men even came up to the Engine House and carried the sacks of coal over to our house. What a wonderful Christmas present. By the way the type of coal was known as steam coal which is very hard to burn in a household  fireplace, but dad made some kind of bellows and got the coal burning just fine. We had enough coal to last all that winter.

The steam tug "Frome" at Ridge

We always gave Mr.Gover and his crew lots of apples, pears, plums and other things from our very large garden in the summer months and my mother would make them a apple pie along with a large bottle of dandelion wine.

Just another short story of my younger years living near the Engine House at Ridge. Thought you would like to read about this jester  of good will on behalf of both Mr. Gover and the men that worked down at the wharf.

Mike Holley (Canada)