Docker’s Nicknames
Dockers often devised nicknames for each other and quite often knew colleagues only by their nicknames! This isn’t unique to dockers, we all do it and many of us have had nicknames for teachers.
Nicknames were often very witty and sometimes cruel. They could originate from an event – “Dictator” came about when a man called Richard was nearly caught stealing potatoes, or from someone’s appearance – “Concorde” had a sharp pointy nose. Sometimes they were an allusion to a celebrity’s name, a man called Young was known as “Rita” after the film star Rita Young.
| Nickname | Meaning | Nickname | Meaning | Nickname | Meaning | ||
| 1001 | Had many jobs outside the docks | Frog | Always in the shower | Preacher | Worked every Sunday | ||
| Big spender | Careful with money | Handsome | Very good looking | Rita | A man called Young was known as Rita after the film star Rita Young. | ||
| Book ends | Identical twins | Headwaiter | Waited for others to do the hard work | Splinter | The son of man nicknamed Plank | ||
| Brains | Looked like Brains in Thunderbirds | Kipper | Always sleeping | Steady Eddie | Drove a tractor very slowly | ||
| Cardboard cut out | Didn’t move very much | Lord Ash | Always had a cigarette | Super Docker | Knew everything | ||
| Citrus | Son of a man called grapefruit | Manchester Brian | Came from Manchester | The Bat | Always worked nights never days | ||
| Concorde | Had a sharp pointy nose | Manhole | Fell down a ships hold | The Singing Docker | Singer outside work | ||
| Dickie bow Joe | Always wore a bow tie | Mile’r | Swam across Avonmouth Docks | Tiny | Very tall | ||
| Dick Barton | A docks policeman | Mouse catcher | Dad was a rat catcher | Tracker | Rode trains without paying | ||
| Dictator | When a man called Richard was nearly caught stealing potatoes | Mr Kodak | Was always saying ‘let me put you in the picture’ | Twiggy | His surname was Branch | ||
| Evo Stik | Would never let anyone else have a go | Odd ha’ppenny | Always asking others for 1/2d to make up a penny | Two note Bill | A superintendent who paid low wages for unpleasant work | ||
| Fiddler | Played the violin | Olympic torch | Never went out | Wolfie | His Docker uncle was called Big Bad Wolf | ||
| Flags | Knocked down some special bunting on a ship whilst using a crane | Pebbles | The son of a man with the nickname Stoneface | Wonder boy | Was always saying ‘I wonder what’s in here’ | ||
| Flash | Dressed very smartly | Pink panther | Turned pink in the sun | Zoomy | Always left early |
