My stories of my UK stay

[Lou Barron]

After i got back from attending the London BoA i was a bit knackered i put this down to walking i did more walking in the UKthan i have done for a very long time as at home its jump in the car and off .I think that the walking did improve my health while i was there but sometimes i did feeli bit tired but a short walk to the pub was no problem .I was looking forward to my trip to Liverpool having been in touch with my very good friend Jim Brady who kept me informed about the Liverpool meet up and the best place to stay that was the Premier Inn Albert Dock which proved it was the best place to stay and it was .I stayed there for 8 days and i really enjoyed it .So my daughter onlined my bookings for the Inn as my son in law ( Brian)was going to drive me to Liverpool he also stayed the one night .As he could not take me back to Twickenham i was to get the train back so my daughter onlined my train trip first class 39pounds wich i thought was pretty good .more later

[Lou Barron]

For the next few days very quiet went into Teddington then Kingston bought a few things .My youngest grandaughter was to play in a soccer tournament that was for the area schools to played at the Chelsea football grounds it was a very interesting day . Then came the day 24th May to take off for Liverpool left at 10.45am the traffic was very busy .We arrived at the Premier Inn Albert Dock 3.30pm and booked in . Jim Brady had been to the Inn just to confirm my bookings and told them at the reception office that i was a elderly man and could i have a room away from the noise as it did get a bit noise at night ( taken my earing aid out i would never hear anything )but i did get a lovely room looking out of the window i could see the Mersey and the Liver BuildingsThanks to Jim . Then Brian and i went i search for the Pen and Wig pub where we was to meet Jim and John Gill this was to be apart of my stay in the UK that i will treasure till my dying day it was to be a stupendous my 8 days i had to spend iin good old Liverpool.More later

[Lou Barron]

Well the Saturday morning arrived what was to another episode of a day i will never forget .First of all after a good breakfast my son in law (Brian)wanted to go to the Beatles museum that was just next door to the Premier Inn so off we went in and it was really worthwhile going to see we must have spent a couple of hours in there they also a lot of other people goingto have a look .Then we had a bit of awalk round before taking off for the Pen and Wig where Jim Brady and John Gill had organised the Liverpool Meet Up what was to be a very great afternoon .What got to me was how do you recongise these guys with the only way that you knew them was through the British MN site ,but that was soon no problem .It was very well organised and soon the John Smiths was flowing and hand shakes as we got to know each other .I will mention the names but i will try to put some photos on this story because it will show you people who could not make it to this meet up and all the credit must go to Jim Brady and John Gill for making this wonderful afternoon .My son in law was going to drive back to London and he did not have a drink got so much enjoy ment he did not leave till 5pm more later

[Lou Barron]

As the timewent on and the pints kept coming i thought i hope i dont fall in the dockon my way back to the Inn but right then i could not a give a continental as i was really enjoying the company it was really great to talk to a lot of the guys who i only knew through the MN site the pub put on a lovely smoko lunch plenty of every thing including Tabnabs i just cannot remember all the names of who i had a talk to but will come to that when i can find my notes more later

[Lou Barron]

While this meet up was not on the official programme it was to me one of the big highlights of the time i was in Liverpool meeting Ivan and Wendy(a very good joke teller )Cloherty,Capt Kong and Ann ,John Gill ,Colin and George ( Southampton) Aj and son ,John Pruden ,John Albert Evans ,MAC and a couple of others (sorry if i forgot your names) blame the John Smiths not forgetting my very good friend Jim Brady it was partly because of him that i made the long plane trip to the UK and i am very happy that i made it .Icannot remember the time we finished up but i was like that old MNsong You see him in the Street rolling around on groggy feet going back to the INN .I looked at the gallery phots of the meet up the showedit all more later(got to get out in the garden )

[John Pruden]

you are a real gent louis?jp

[Neil Morton]

Greetings Charles I have greatly enjoyed your journal so far. Your stamina, ( we all know that you are no spring chicken), is inspirational. How I would enjoy meeting up with the "faces" that belong to the names as you have done. Apart from Lazy Daze and Capt Kong all are a mystery. Good on ya.

[Lou Barron]

The weather for that weekend was Brilliant the Port of Liverpool Building was open all that weekend as a Veterans Welcome Centre providing tea ,coffee and cakes all free the people who served the refreshments did a wonderful job and it was very well patronisedand a good few of us met there in the Sunday after noon but before that , for myself On the Sunday morning i took a walk down to the Pier Head they were lots of people around and i was standing by the rail looking at theMersey Riverand more or less talking to myself i said this river brings back a lot of memories ( i did have my medals on as i wanted to go to Port of Liverpool Buildings ) .Any how this guy standing just near taking notes came over to me and ask me if i served in the war and when i said i did he said that he was a BBC reporterand would i mind if would mind telling him what i did so he took me a bit further on and they had a chair with camera with a set of lights and as i was telling my story they were taking photos and he said it would be on TV but he did not say when .While this was going on there was a fair crowd of people around , as i was walking away another guy came up to me and said he was a reporter from the Liverpool Echo so the same story and another photo of me leaning on the rail looking at the river that story was in a supplement of the Echo i thought bloody hell i will have something to tell my grand kids when i get home but another incidentwas to happen to me later on that day .So it was over to Port of Liverpool Building to meet up wth some of the other people and have coffee and tabnabs more later

[Lou Barron]

All though it was impossible to see all the events that was put on for the BoA Annivesary i did manage to see Princess Anne with all the dignitary laying the wreaths on the MN memorials .Then i went over too the Port of Liverpool building to meet up with some of the other MN people were we had a cuppa and cake i just cannot remember who was all there .After awhile if i have got it right Capt Kong ,Ann and i went for a walk down to the Pier Head as we came to the Memorail for the Ships that brought the ex pows from the Far Eastwe stopped and i pointed outbto Brian the ship that brought me and a lot of other guys home it was thev first ship to land us at the PierHead ( it was a lot was a lot different in them days) The ship was the Monawai it also had the the name of another ship i had a lot to do with the Duchess of Bedford.As i was pointing this out to Brian and Ann a few people started to gather round then a young girl 14years old came and ask me what my medals was for me it was some thing that i will never forget ,Brian took a photo of us talking ,the other people came and shook hand ( i hope this sounds that i am not getting big headed) i am tell you say what the people of Liverpool did for the Merchant Navy Veterans













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[Keith at Tregenna]

Was just reading about some of what you tell here: LINK: http://www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/arme...ant_seaman.htm

K.