This is one of a series of articles to commemorate our 40th Anniversary year. Here we look back at our first decade in the 1980s through the themes of the people, places, events and technology of the world around us during that year and covering music, movies and cars.
Overview of the 1980s
What happened in the 1980s? In Britain it was the decade of Margaret Thatcher’s government that carried out policies to break up the big nationalised industries. Programmes of rapid privatisation provoked industrial unrest across the nation amid bitter labour relations.
There was no internet, no social media and there were only 3 TV channels until Channel 4 was launched in 1982. Offices had piles of paper and smoking indoors was normal, in offices, pubs and stations: everywhere. Technology was mostly linked to phone lines, such as pagers, telexes and faxes and the occasional DOS computer. This was the decade where technology was to begin changing very fast!
The 1980s was a truly classic decade for music with the punk era ending; New Romantics beginning and the later appearance of technopop. The decade also saw many iconic movies released.
1983
1983 was the year we were founded! Harbour Shipping was founded in April 1983 with our first office located in a block at Dover Eastern Docks, now long-since demolished.
1983 saw the Royal Mint introduce Britain’s first £1 coins to replace the traditional £1 notes. The top two cars sold that year were the Ford Escort Mk3 and the then brand new Ford Sierra. In music the best-selling single in 1983 was Culture Club’s ‘Karma Chameleon’ and Duran Duran’s ‘Is there something I should know’ was topping the charts when we were launched in April. ‘Star Wars – Return of the Jedi’ was the top movie of the year.
1984
1984 was Harbour Shipping’s first full year of trading, still based at Dover Eastern Docks. In those days we cleared freight on hovercraft and train ferries as well as the old Sealink and Townsend Thoresen ferries from Dover, and Sealink ferries from Folkestone. Runners collected paperwork from offices around Dover and phoned in using the old red phone boxes. Woe betide anyone who didn’t have a 10 pence coin to make a call!
Around Britain 1984 was a seminal year. Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government was in a long hard dispute with Arthur Scargill’s Mineworkers union, including bitter confrontations at the coal mines around our own area of Deal and Dover.
The Ford Escort and Vauxhall Cavalier were the best-selling cars of 1984 and music and cinema were dominated by names that still resound today. The year’s top movie was the original 'Ghostbusters' and the UK Number 1 single in April for Harbour Shipping’s first anniversary was Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’. Overall the year’s No1 was Band Aid’s legendary ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’.
1985
EastEnders starts! Live Aid Concert! Vodafone launches UK’s first mobile phones! In those days clients sent instructions by telex and the post and our runners received instructions on pagers to phone the office (from a phone box).
17 million viewers watched the first EastEnders episode in February. Although Vodafone launched Britain’s first mobile phone network in January almost nobody except ‘yuppies’ had a mobile phone until a few years later.
The Ford Escort and Vauxhall Cavalier were the best-selling cars of 1985 and music and cinema were dominated by names that still resound today. The year’s top movie was 'Back to the Future' and the UK Number 1 single in April for Harbour Shipping’s second anniversary was USA for Africa’s charity fund-raiser ‘We are the World’. Overall the year’s No1 was Jennifer Rush’s power ballad ‘The Power of Love’.
1986
The Soviet Union (USSR) admitted the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and a fallout cloud drifted over northern Europe including France and the British Isles. Microsoft introduced its first basic (but ground-breaking at the time) package of programs called Microsoft Works. 44-year-old Alex Ferguson was appointed to manage Manchester United football club.
Ford began a long run of dominating car sales in Britain with the Ford Escort, Fiesta and Sierra in the top 3 for sales nationally. In the world of music and cinema the year’s top movie was 'Crocodile Dundee' and the UK Number 1 single in April for Harbour Shipping’s third anniversary was Cliff Richard’s ‘Living Doll’. Overall the year’s No1 was The Communards ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’.
1987
A lot happened in 1987. We celebrate most of our 40 years but 1987 is different because this is the year we remember the Herald of Free Enterprise tragedy. 193 souls perished out of the 539 passengers and crew on-board. At Dover Eastern Docks we saw the ship and handled freight on it daily and many local people were among the victims. A saving grace is that it led to urgent safety improvements that continue to this day.
In happier news this year work on the Channel Tunnel began and Microsoft launched Excel. What would we do without both of these today?? The 1987 hurricane caused huge damage around the UK and famously grounded Sealink’s ‘Hengist’ at Folkestone Warren.
At Harbour Shipping’s Eastern Docks office a young lad named Steve Applebee started as a runner! Whatever happened to him?
Ford continued its long run of dominating car sales in Britain with the Ford Escort, Fiesta and Sierra in the top 3 for sales nationally. In the world of music and cinema the year’s top movie was Timothy Dalton’s first James Bond film ‘The Living Daylights’ and the UK Number 1 single in April for Harbour Shipping’s fourth anniversary was Ferry Aid’s charity fundraiser on behalf of the Herald of Free Enterprise fund: ‘Let It Be’. Overall the year’s No1 was Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.
1988
The major news occurred just before Christmas 1988 when an American airliner was bombed and crashed into the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The crash killed 259 passengers and crew aboard the flight and 11 people in the town.
The English £1 note was withdrawn from circulation and replaced by the £1 coin.
Ford continued its long run of dominating car sales in Britain with the Ford Escort, Fiesta and Sierra in the top 3 for sales nationally. In the world of music and cinema the year’s top movie was ‘Fatal Attraction’ although the original ‘Die Hard’ movie was released in July and has since become a cult classic. The UK Number 1 single in April for Harbour Shipping’s fifth anniversary was Aswad’s ‘Don’t Turn Around’. Overall the year’s No1 was Cliff Richard’s Christmas classic ‘Mistletoe & Wine’.
1989
At Harbour Shipping a young John Griffiths – now head of Deep Sea Customs Clearance - started work and Harbour moved its office into the newly-built East Camber Building where we’ve maintained an office ever since!
This was the year when the Berlin Wall was breached and the reunification of Berlin and Germany began, and the beginning of democracy across eastern European countries after decades of Soviet-backed dictatorships. Tragedy struck Deal in September when the IRA bombed the Royal Marines School of Music and killed 11 unarmed bandsmen.
Ford continued its long run of dominating car sales in Britain with the Ford Escort, Fiesta and Sierra in the top 3 for sales nationally. In the world of music and cinema the year’s top movie was ‘Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade’ and the UK Number 1 single in April for Harbour Shipping’s sixth anniversary was ‘Eternal Flame’ by The Bangles. Overall the year’s No1 was Phil Collins’ hit ‘Another Day in Paradise’.
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For expert business-to-business Customs Clearance don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on Dover 01304 211919 / Email [email protected]
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Panorama of Dover Eastern Docks courtesy and © Copyright Peter Jeffery and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.