Chinese Seamen Vanish From Liverpool.

[Jim Brady]

I have often heard the children of these Chinese seamen talking on the radio about the day their fathers disappeared without trace.In the Liverpool museum there is an audio of one of the wives of the seamen talking she said they were all told to muster at some meeting point where they were loaded on to coaches,she thought they were joining a ship.When her allotment didnt arrive after a week she went to Holts office to enquire why, it was then that she was told he was not aboard any of their ships.
Regards.
Jim.B.

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-...liverpool-1946

[j.sabourn]

Out of all the foreign crews I sailed with Jim, I agree with what is said, I preferred them to all the others. As long as you were straight with them they returned the compliment. As said the only problem was them jumping ship in the States. Cheers JWS.

[Tony Taylor]

Out of all the foreign crews I sailed with Jim, I agree with what is said, I preferred them to all the others. As long as you were straight with them they returned the compliment. As said the only problem was them jumping ship in the States. Cheers JWS.

I agree also, although we never lost any in States, only one person from each dept was allowed ashore for shopping and had a list of items from those who had to stay aboard. Security guards boarded as soon as we arrived, even if anchored for a while.
I recall one CPO used to escort my wife ashore in Japan as I was cargo engineer on LNG tanker so couldnt get ashore, he would turn up at my cabin dressed in collar and tie with folded raincoat over his arm, he was a perfect gentleman.

[Lewis McColl]

Thanks for the post Jim, That plaque is just beside the MN memorial on the water front I was reading it only a week or so back, it shares the same slab of concrete along with memorials for Dutch , Polish and Norwegian seamen, and all it is a slab of concrete.

[j.sabourn]

#3.. Tony we used to employ Pinkertons security and they still managed to get away. Can’t remember if it was 1000 or 10,000 dollarss bond on them as this was 1969.when you get them going in blocks of 15 at a time, gets very expensive. JS a footnote to above I had just joined the ship in Philadelphia, on searching the vacant cabins afterwards found a letter written in Chinese , had it interpreted and it was instructions on where to go etc. it was a managed and organised illegal entry into the USA by a group calling themselves the Happy Villagers Association. They were all destined for different catering jobs in different areas, I met one of them years later in Hong Kong and the idea was to work for a couple of years and build up a nest egg and after paying off the middle man , they used to turn themselves in and were repatriated back to Hong Kong. Cheers JS

[John Arton]

As cadet on a C.P, forest products ship, we would load phosphate in Jacksonville for discharge in new Westminster before back loading timber and timber products for discharge in Europe. We had Spanish crew and the fat, ignorant, immigration officer in Jacksonville ( who refused to start his work without first been given a crate of guiness), would arbitrary refuse to issue shore passes to a number of the Spanish crew, saying he could spot a jumper a mile off. One trip of all those he issued shore passes too, half of them jumped ship, which meant replacement crew had to be flown out to join us as we transited the Panama canal. Even before we reached Panama we got a message from one of the jumpers saying he was already back home in Spain. Don't ask me how he had achieved that as I was only a cadet doing 12 hour plus days as a stand in A.B. to make up the required numbers. Of the jumpers half of the catering staff disappeared but fortunately not the chief cook who enjoyed a week of excess overtime until the new 2 nd cook joined.
Rgds
J.A.

[j.sabourn]

We had a must have been a Geordie as I bumped into him in Whitley Bay , his name was Nelson so hard to forget. He jumped in Cairns and was home before me. JWS.

[Trader]

Blue Funnel used to take off their Chinese crews and replace them with Lascars on their Round the World services. This was in early 50's when I was there. (I never sailed on that service).

[Red Lead Ted]

I done a few trips with a 2nd cook in Harrison's of Liverpool. Big guy as Chinese as they come, I remember entering the crews mess when I met him his name was Stevie Chow, He leaned out of the galley and asked { What are you after our kid } He was as scouse as me great guy Happy days Terry

[Lewis McColl]

I will never forget the generosity of the Chinese crews I sailed with on the Autolycus and the Demodocus. Arrive Hong Kong and Jackie Taylor arrives onboard. Never been so well dressed in all my life, new suit, 3 shirts , okay no pay No 4 say you very good man, now how many boiler suits you want? how many white uniform you want, um!!! not so cheap lol, but part of growing up lol. When I docked in Liverpool my then wife came up the gangway with our son. He was about 6 months old. My watch man said Chinese crew want to meet your son, I would have trusted this guy with my life. I was not so happy when said son was returned as Steven was not so happy. Wife said he just needs his nappy changed. No pampers in those days. Turns out his nappy was stuffed with £ notes etc, must have been what £20 ? but suffice to say, very generous, lovely people, stubborn buggers as well though as to them there was only one way to do anything.
I reckon the quality of Blue Funnel engine room Chinese ratings made Blue funnel engineers some what very reliant on them, I was going to say lazy barst--ds but best not.