Workman, Clark and Company


Workman, Clark and Company was a shipbuilding company based in Belfast.

History

The company was established by Frank Workman and George Clark in Belfast in 1880. By 1895 it was the UK's fourth largest shipbuilder and by 1900 it was building transatlantic liners for major customers such as Cunard Line and Alfred Holt. It expanded further to meet demand during the First World War and was acquired by Northumberland Shipbuilding Company in 1918. After Northumberland Shipbuilding Company went into receivership in 1927, Workman, Clark and Company was resurrected only to go into receivership itself in 1935.
Frank Workman, then a Belfast city councillor, was a leading figure in the foundation in 1912 of the Young Citizen Volunteers. From soon after its inception the YCV faced financial problems, and by early 1914 Workman was paying for the upkeep of the group from his own funds.