In the days before modern computerised technology and cutting-edge engineering was used to load and unload the ships at Southampton docks - it was down to the stevedores.

They were an efficient and tough bunch of men who tackled some of the toughest jobs, proving themselves a crucial cog in the machine that is the port.

They were a tough breed - working long hours on the quayside in all weathers, never knowing if they would land themselves regular work from one week to the next.

If they couldn’t get work for a day, the men would be “bumped”, in which case they would be paid less than 50p for the day - not nearly enough to look after a family.

With the advancement of technology and engineering to speed up the work rate, the roles of those who work in the port has changed dramatically.

Daily Echo: Stevedores in Southampton docks

Long gone are the days when hordes of stevedores would manually shift mountains of crates and cargo from the ships, onto the dockside and into various sheds and warehouses.

A vessel which would have taken hundreds of men days to unload now takes less than a dozen men less than half a day.

The stevedores viewed a workplace without nicknames like a ship without a crew, or a body without a soul, and therefore everybody was given a thoughtfully apt moniker.

Daily Echo: Stevedores get to work shifting cargo. April 14, 1977.

Most of the aliases were mischievous and fun with few, if any, bestowed with malice or cruelty.

Some men went through their entire working life known to their workmates only by their nickname. It was often considered a badge of honor.

Some of the names doing the rounds in the port of Southampton were:

All Electric - There wasn’t a spark of life in him.

Battleship - who was always after a sub.

Bread and Jam - named after his favourite sandwich.

Cinderella - he always had to be away from night shift by midnight.

Chicken Lips - who never wore his dentures.

Clock ‘Em In - a foreman who was keen on punctuality.

Effy - who was always swearing

Flipper - who always stopped short of swearing.

Horace Hotplate - who was always first in the canteen breakfast queue.

Mario Lanza - the singing docker.

Man without a Cause - with the constant complaint: “I think it’s ‘cause the foreman don’t like me.”

No Socks - because he never wore any.

Ronnie the Rat - who was scared of the semi-pet cats that were in the docks.

Shifting Sands - was always dodging from one shift to the other.

Stop the Job - a ship steward named after his favourite saying.

Ted the Balloon - who constantly told his men not to let him down.

If you know of any more, feel free to share them in the comments below.