My father, William Blacklock, who has died aged 101, worked for Lloyd’s Register of Shipping as a marine engineer and surveyor in the UK, Germany and Brazil.
Bill was born in Wallsend in North Tyneside to William, a tram driver, and his wife, Jessie (nee Tomlinson). He attended Wallsend grammar school, leaving with his school certificate at 16 to start an apprenticeship with the local engineering company Clarke Chapman. While working, he studied engineering at night school, later giving classes to supplement his income.
