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Thread: Counterpanes

  1. #1
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    Default Counterpanes

    Hi All.
    I suppose everyone remembers those counterpanes or bedspreads that we used to have on our bunks, blue and white with an anchor down the middle in a type of knitted material , I wonder what happened to all the thousands and thousands of them after the demise of British shipping, I often get into bed and think of those covers, I think every shipping Company I sailed with had the same ones.
    I know that Cappy would have given one to Mary to keep her wooden leg warm, but that is only one.
    Cheers Des
    Last edited by Des Taff Jenkins; 21st August 2017 at 06:06 AM.

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    Smile Re: Counterpanes

    ##i think every body in our street had them on there beds des.....you can still buy them in shields market from time to time ....saw a BTC one last time i was up ..it must be an old one now jeez they changed to BP while i was on the defender in 59 regards ......BUT WE STILL HAD THE OLD BTC ONES A YEAR LATERCAPPY

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  4. #3
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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    A lot of hospitals sill have. Probably where they started life. With newer hospitals however are now disappearing.JS

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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    Anyone remember ships where the crew had blue sheets and the officers white. ?.

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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    Prior to 1936 little interest was shown in crews space, but in subsequent reforms the minimum figures of 5 square feet and 120 cu. feet per man was embodied in the rules issued in 1937. As regards counterpanes and those described the hospital variety I saw on every British ship up until 1977 deep sea.After this date any deep sea ships were foreign flag so they varied. As regards some vessels offshore in U.K. Were lucky if you had any counterpanes, some companies supplying you with a sleeping bag, and a piece of foam rubber for a mattress. Australia and the likes would never have accepted. This was only a few years ago. Today I would imagine not much has changed, if it has in Australia it will be due to the unions influence only. Cheers JWS. Ps Anyone wanting to work out what bunk space they were entitled to would have been somewhere in the region of 6 feet 6 inches by 3 feet 6 inches by about 4 feet and so many inches head clearance. A speciial dispensation may have been allowed in some cases for those with big heads. Cappy is now going to say he had a king sized bed on the Avonmoor to carry Mary with him. Being also in charge of the linen he would of had white sheets smelling of lavender. Just shows how we all have to drop our living standards never hardly see white sheets at home are usually the colours of the Union Jack without the white. Cheers JWS. PPs as 100 cubic feet was considered to be 1 ton in the gross and nett tonnage every one of you were considered to be over a ton, no wonder the Chief Steward tried to keep all our weights down. That is only a subtle joke for those who think I am thick. Jws
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 22nd August 2017 at 02:44 AM. Reason: Out the white

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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    On UCL ships as I recall all crew had a floral colorful top sheet for want of a better word. The Peak steward would make up the bed ships style with just that and one sheet.
    But in officers accommodation the top cover was green in a heavier material, we had the same in officers steward accommodation.
    All the sheets were white along with the towels, apart from the ones out of the senior second engineers cabin, they were white going in and sort of engine room grease coming out.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    In 1952 we had blue sheets we had to wash ourselves just one issue, dhoby , dry and put back on, and NO Towells. and take our own knife fork and spoons. that was on a London Greek,
    On the Coast on SAVAGES, [ a wonderful name for a ship owner[ we had Nothing, just a dirty filthy mattress covered in coal dust and one blanket the same, no bathroom, just had to wait until we got to where we were going and leg it to the Seamens Mission.
    Don't know they`r born today.
    Cheers
    Brian

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  13. #8
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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    we were posh we had cunard ones? jp

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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    les it beet the grey coat anyday? jp

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    Default Re: Counterpanes

    #9... your right Brian that's why I always tried to assist in the shortage of water with the cement wash still visible by taking my rum straight , carried on with the habit, but insist on a shower at least once a month whether I need it or not. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Yet my wife still complains. Cheers JWS.

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