How Teesside made its mark on World Trade Center

It was a remarkable feat of engineering and created what were then, the two tallest buildings in the world.

But few people know how skilled workers on Teesside played their part in building Manhattan's World Trade Center - including the Twin Towers.

Among them was Ray Ward, from Marske-by-the-Sea, who worked as a draughtsman at American firm Nassau, which he said set up an office in Thornaby to recruit skilled workers in the 1960s.

Once finished, he stood on top of the towers, and thought, "this will be alright, it was done in Thornaby," but had no idea what he helped build would become rubble 30 years on.

Ward, now 80, recalled his first visit to America as the towers took shape.

He said: "We knew how big it was but until you actually see how big it is relative to all the other skyscrapers, it dwarfed them. It was an amazing sight.

"We'd never been out of Marske, America was a strange world."

Having served his time as an apprentice at Teesside firm Dorman Long, he said the Americans recognised the wealth of skills in the North East of England at that time.

He and his colleagues drew up plans in pencil, with the drawings for the construction project sent to the USA before he later relocated his young family to New York as the work continued.

In the mid-70s, his wife Kath and daughters, Paula and Debbie, then aged nine and eight, joined him for a new life in the States for about a year.

Ward was involved in detailing elements of the landmark project, including work associated with a neighbouring hotel that was later destroyed during the 9/11 attacks.

The World Trade Center site involved numerous buildings - with the Twin Towers alone the culmination of years of planning and construction.

They stood at 1,368ft (417m) and 1,362ft (415m) tall to become the tallest buildings in the world at that time.

Ward was granted rare permission to stand on top of one of the towers.

He said: "If people say 'what did you do with your life' I can say I did something not many people have managed, I stood on top of the Twin Towers.

"I actually don't like going up a ladder but you don't think about it when you're up there, it just felt solid," Ward continued.

"I thought this will be alright, it was done in Thornaby."

When the Twin Towers were brought down in an attack in September 2001, Ward was back on Teesside but watched events unfold on TV.

He recalled: "My sister-in law said 'put the TV on now.'

"I've never seen anything like it, you just couldn't believe it was happening. You just thought it was always going to be there.

"To see it all going down into rubble, it was just astonishing," Ward added.

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