MEMORIES almost half a century old came flooding back for a visitor to a shipwreck exhibition.

Pauline Barker recognised herself in a photograph taken aboard a wrecked Greek cargo ship before it sank off Redcar.

The 73-year-old went on board the wrecked Dimitris which had been bought for salvage by her scrap dealer father-in-law, Alf, after it ran on to rocks known as the Scars on December 14, 1953.

At the weekend, the widow donned white overalls and a lifebelt to recreate an old black and white photograph showing her on board the stricken vessel.

"I'd never been on a ship before, it was so unique," said Mrs Barker. "She was still sat on the rocks, it was unreal.

"It was a ship that was dying; that's how I thought of it. It was sad, very sad."

Mrs Barker's contribution to the exhibition, being staged at Kirkleatham Hall Museum, delighted organisers.

The show was put together by Cleveland Divers, a local branch of the British Sub- Aqua Club and the University of Teesside Virtual Reality Centre, funded through the National Lottery Heritage fund.

Gary Green, project coordinator, said: "Mrs Barker has provided a lot of information and new photographs we hadn't seen before. We hope the exhibition jogs more people's memories."

The exhibition runs until May 19, but investigations on the Dimitris are continuing and will include a year-long survey of marine life in and around the wreck.