Morris Foley

Name:  Morris Foley

Place of birth:  East London

Job on the river:  Morris was an apprentice rigger with the New Zealand Shipping Company after leaving school aged 14. After serving during the Second World War he became a registered docker at the Royal Docks.

Strongest memory:  Morris preferred to work on board ship rather than on the quayside, loading cargo rather than unloading. It was a skilled job and one that had to be done carefully to avoid accidents. On one occasion, Morris was working at the Royal Docks after the war when he witnessed a group of poverty-stricken children being shipped to New Zealand.