Robert Laidler’s story is one of family, hard work and life in industrial Sunderland. Born in Monkwearmouth, Robert became a skilled blacksmith, working amongst the shipyards and quaysides of the River Wear — an industry that shaped the lives of so many local families.
His life took him through marriage, fatherhood, loss and a second family, before ending tragically at just 43 years of age following an accident at the shipyard in 1922.
In this story, we look beyond the dates and records to discover the man behind them — the places he called home, the work he did, the family he loved, and the Sunderland community in which his life unfolded.
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