The Shields man who helped rescue Rasputin's killer from Russia

But we wonder if you knew about Rasputin’s links to South Shields, admittedly tenuous.

The remnants of the Russian royal family

The story takes us to 1973 when a new film called Nicholas and Alexandra had been released. It told the story of the last Russian Royal family’s flight from their revolution-torn country.

One South Shields man called Edward Barras was actually there when the real-life events unfolded. He was a stoker on board the HMS Marlborough.

The Marlborough, which was an Iron Duke-class battleship in the Royal Navy, had been in the Black Sea transporting thousands of White Russian troops.

Shields man could hear Bolshevik gunfire

But the crew of the Marlborough received an emergency call to go to Yalta in the Crimea. Their job was to evacuate the tattered remnants of the Russian aristocracy.

Mr Barras spoke to the Shields Gazette in 1973 because he was getting ready to see the film and see whether it was an accurate story of what really happened.

He re-lived the day he sailed in with the Marlborough to rescue the Royals.

“There were about 37 altogether, ” said Mr Barras, “Among them were the Empress Marie Feodorovina, the Grand Duke Nicholas and Prince Yisopov, who assassinated Rasputin.

‘They were fleeing for their lives’

“They were fleeing for their lives, and we could hear the gunfire less than four miles away. We were told it was the Bolsheviks.”

Once they were aboard the Marlborough, none of the crew was allowed to approach their high-ranking guests.

Mr Barras added: “When the Grand Duke sometimes came amidships, he was always with two Cossack bodyguards.”

Mr Barras, from Whiteleas, was planning a trip to the Gaumont cinema with his wife Elizabeth to cast a critical eye over the movie.

Share your own memories of life in South Tyneside in 1973 by emailing [email protected]