They may be far from being prominent, but Yemenis living in South Shields have long been part of the community. Now a new exhibition seeks to recognise their worth. Womens Editor Sarah Foster taks to its architect, Peter Fryer.

THE reader's letter, signed 'Engineer', appeared in 1926 within the Shields Gazette's dense pages. Designed to counteract the myths - and in response to someone's slight - it seeks to elevate the name of so-called 'Coloured Labour at Sea'. The men in question were from Yemen and it is clear from his account that this lone voice, if no one else, knew just how valuable they were.

"These coloured men are engaged as firemen (men who feed ships' furnaces) for their great reliability as steam raisers on time, their reliability as workers during working hours and, best of all, their sober habits when joining ships or when in foreign ports," the letter reads. "I have given white men many chances myself of employment, thinking it was a shame to see them out of work. But a few times bitten a few times shy is my motto in the future. I have sailed with all nationalities down below, so I am writing from experience."

How men from Yemen came to England to work on British merchant ships makes quite a fascinating tale. With Queen Victoria on the throne and Britain's Empire at its height, it annexed Aden, then Yemen's capital, back in 1839. The new protectorate was born because it held strategic value - between the Suez and Bombay, it was an ideal coaling station. And while many flooded to the city with hopes of finding good jobs there, a high proportion of its males, now rendered practically British, sought new adventures staffing England's many ships.

They found new homes around the country, at major coastal towns and cities, and as the Tyne then teemed with vessels, a lot sought lodgings in South Shields. It was the Yemenis who stayed who came to Peter Fryer's notice.

"I've lived in South Shields for about 17 years, so it's remiss that I didn't begin this exhibition until five years ago," says the 55-year-old. "One of the things about this piece of work is it's very much about South Shields, rather than Yemen, because even though the guys are from Yemen, it's about their lives in the town."

The men established boarding houses where they could stay between each trip - in 1920, South Shields had eight, which hosted up to 600 Arabs. What prompted Peter's exhibition, comprising atmospheric photographs, was the desire to represent them. "The guys that I photographed live in the remaining two Arab boarding houses in South Shields," he explains. "The seamen wanted an environment that was theirs, so Arabic was spoken, appropriate food was served and someone could deal with problems and often get them the next job onboard another ship. Where they lived was close to the Customs House area, where they would often go down and sign on, so there's been a huge history for over 150 years of these guys being in that area of town. In a way this piece of work is a celebration of their community and their contribution to South Shields and South Tyneside and also, indeed, to British shipping as a whole."

As an established freelance photographer, he is no stranger to such projects. While Peter comes from the Birmingham area, he's lived on Tyneside for some time. He has a background in fine art. "You inevitably bring skills that you learn in terms of the aesthetics of the piece of work, but I like to use photography to address issues," he says of changing to the latter. "It's a medium to put a point over and it's a medium of research and being able to involve yourself and learn how people live their lives and sometimes what abuses and horrors they go through.

"It's not an on-the-fence activity - you bring your own political agenda to whatever piece of work you address and so therefore you need to have a position with the people you work with and then that, hopefully, is put across by the piece of work. The best photographers working today are those who have a stance, and if they don't, I think their work can come out as very mediocre and without commitment or direction."

For Peter's part, he likes to photograph communities, become immersed in people's lives. A long term project has been Palestine. "I'd always had an interest in the Palestine issue and I thought it was about time that I actually went and found out for myself what the situation was," he says. "I very quickly got to know and love and work with the Palestinians in the refugee camps. There are some horrific conditions but the warmth and hospitality is always there. I'm always looked after and assisted, which makes my life much easier."

No matter who his subject is, what Peter always needs is trust. He says he had to tread quite gently with the Yemeni community. "You've probably got the camera down far more often than you're actually taking photographs because you're building a relationship," he says. "Some people would be very happy to talk and wanted to tell you their particular stories; others would say no. I would inevitably be invited down for lunch at the weekend - they have a great meal on a Saturday called Aseed."

With perseverance, and with his smattering of Arabic, he did succeed in making friends. As he was gradually accepted, he gained some fascinating insights. "Sometimes you'd go down and things were quite quiet and other times they'd be quite busy - the men would be sitting down and playing cards or dominoes, coming back from the mosque or getting ready to go out to the mosque," says Peter. "They allowed me phenomenal access to photograph the day-to-day. They also allowed me to photograph in the mosque."

Perhaps inevitably, he gained respect for these old men. Since their arrival in the region, they've laid down roots that still endure. "There's a younger generation who have come over because they have family here and they're in local factories or shops," says Peter. "A community doesn't stay still. Some of the men also married women from South Shields or other places in the country."

What Peter hopes is that he can preserve their now fading way of life. He feels it needs to be acknowledged as part of Tyneside's social fabric. "I have respect for these guys in terms of what they've come through - they almost have a life here and a life in Yemen in terms of a cultural base, although they're very loyal to here," says Peter. "I also respect them for what they've contributed, what they've given to this society."

The Arab Boarding House exhibition runs at Side Gallery in Newcastle until July 7. Admission is free.