My stories of my UK stay

[Lou Barron]

So back to Liverpool but before i forget Jim Brady gave me a very nice gift of a cap and a coffee mug with logos all about the Liverpool Bof A anniversary i doubt if there is any of these in NZ .One place i did go to a couple of times was the Maritime Museum in Albert Dock and it was really good i did ask at the desk if there were any models of the two ships that i had been on D| Bedfordand the
G| Castle but they told they was not but in my wandering around i came across the Empress of France nee the Bedford she was done up in her peacetime colours not like when i was on her a sombre grey .I must have stayed a few hours there in the morning i would recommend that to anybody who as not been there it would be a number one thing to do .Then on the Thursday afternoon i met Jim who was going to take me out to Seaforth to meet is brother John who i had met him with a old shipmate of mine Johnny McNab when i came home in 1945 and we use to drink together .So we got the train to Seaforth and into a pub (i dont know the name )i was to meet John he was sitting thhere with another guy and the first thing he said was hi Chas (thats what i was called in the old days and i did not like it so it became Lou).Then we started to about the times we had John had a very good memory and he also said he had been to my house in Rockferry also the pub we drank in and saying about my Mam being a barmaid in the pub then he ask me if i did remember the two girls that useto live next door to me i think he had his eye on one of them because i did a bit of line with the other one but thats another story .By the time we had a few pints it was timeto leave Jim said his goodbyeand i caught the train to James St walked backto the Inn into the bar (No G&T)just a couple beers

[Lou Barron]

Friday this was to be my last day in Liverpool but unfortunatly i had a ring from Jim that he was not feeling very well so i think he arranged to have John Gill to meet me at the Pier Head by the ferry place .In the morning i did another visit to the Museum i even had my morning smoko there so after awhile i wandered down to the ferry building to meet Gilly as i wanted to have a trip on the ferry as it would be my very last trip on the Mersey that i had sailed out a few times so off we went it was about a half hours trip and i really did enjoy it when we got back to the Pier Head Gilly suggested that we take a walk up to the Pen and Wig ,i did not need any asking if i wanted to go i was all for it .Well Gilly and i had a few pints of J S and it was time to leave .I would liketo thank Gilly for thetime he spent with me .So to Jim Brady really looked after me and also John Gill .As i have said before this part of my stay in the UK will live in my mind for ever thanks to the People of Liverpool for making it such a great time

[Lou Barron]

Saturday morning after a good breakfast i said goodbye to one of the waitress who use serve me mostly dinner at nightand she gave me a nice little kiss .I then went to the reception desk and passed over my door card and ask if they would ring for a taxi for me to take me to Lime St stationtha would bejust a little after 9am i knewi was a bit early but i wanted to make sure that i would have no problems finding the platform my train leaves from but i had no problems ,anyhow as i have related before about the taxi driver not taking any money for my fare .When i got into the cab the driver said to me that he could see by my badges on my coat that i was a ex MN and he ask me did go to sea during the war which i told yes and he said that the MN did a great job so when we arrived at the station i offered him the money but hewould not take i did try to get him to take it but he insisted that the MN did a great job during the war and this i thought was another thing i will never forget of Liverpool .Well i had my seat in the first class carriage reserved as the carriage was full and i did enjoy my trip to Euston station were my daughter met me.

[happy daze john in oz]

It is great to see there are soem who do appreciate the efforts of the Merchant Seamen during the war. Makes me proud to think that they feel that way.

[Lou Barron]

Getting back to Twickenham was good in one way i did not have far to walk to to The Old Goat pub also i wanted to have a couple of rest days .I did go into Teddington and also Kingston i did like Kingston i thought it a good place to wander round in .I did a bit of gardening for my daugher mainly cleaning up and cutting the hedges then of to the pub for a couple of pints .Then 7th June my daughter and i went into London to meet her friend Helen who was going to take us for a tour around the Foreign Office where she and her husband worked (they are now in Ethiopia working for the Goverment )I it was to be a great way to spend couple of hours we had to be searched and a photo taken put onto a card to hang round our neck i had to leave my camera at the desk then off we went .What a lovely building and very very big .Helen introduced me to some people who was very interested in my life at sea and in the war we went to a big window and just oustside was 10 Downing St .Helens husband ask if we would like lunchso i thought it would be outside somewhere but no they had a big canteen in the basement i think it was anyhow we had lunch on the Foreign Office but it sure was a good day .There was another placei did go to now and again not far from home it was a restaurant called The Loch Fyne and it was noted for the great seafood the had on the menu i did go there for lunch somtimes and the all family did go there a couple of times great service one of my favourites was the smoked salmon

[Lou Barron]

Thanks Keith very well done

[Lou Barron]

After that very nice opportunity visit to the Foreign Office it was a chance for me to go to London on my own as i wanted to go the Trinty Gardens as i do go there when i can i like to sit there for a little while by the plague of . the G| Castle call it being too sentimental but it is the only chance i can get being so far away On the Sunday the 9th June my son in law said he would take me down to Battle to pay a short visit to the Captain of this ship Brian Probettsi had sent him a message would be ok to pay him a visit and sure enough he said it would be ok .So on the Sunday morning we got into the car and off we went .Brian (Son in Law) said he would drop me off at Brians House and would go and take the grandaughters and my daughter and go down to Hastings it was a pleasant trip with a fine day i think it took about just over a hour and a half . We arrived ok and i met Brian it was to me a very pleasant short stay and have a good talk .This was also one of my highlights of my UK trip .It was a pity that it was only a short visit i think we both enjoyed the bit of a natter we had i have fond memories of that visit .So it was back to Twickenham .Now it was to get ready for the arrival of my daughter Susan and her husband David who have been touring Europe the live in Alice Springs so its get ready for party time

[Lou Barron]

Not much doing for a couple of days bar for a walk to the garden centre not to far away i bought a battery charge hedge cutter for my son in law as he said the hand clippers took to long to cut the hedge . Then go to the pub for a couple of pints and a natter to the barman who i got to know fairly well .I had to go into Teddington to get my specs repaired as i broke the arm of them did not take long but i had a spar pair so it was no problem thev weather was very good so we had a few BBQs and as usual few beers then on the16th June my daughter and her husband arrived it was a very happy meeting so we then started to make plans for a trip to Edingburgh which we were looking forward to more later

[Lou Barron]

On the 18th June Susan ,Dave and I went in to London for a few hours we even went on the Eye of London (The big Wheel ) what amazing sight we enjoyed it had a wander round the South Bank found a nice place for lunch i should have remembered the name of some of these places we went into it was a lovely sunny day a mass of people around then we went to the War Cabinet meeting where they had the wartime meeting i had been there before a number of years ago but it was still interesting to see by now it was getting on so we walked our way to Waterloo Railway station to catch the train back to Twickenham so as we got off the train near home Dave said lets go to the The Old Goat pub i said thats a bloody good idea so we had a few pints my daughter likes the Stella beer so it was a good way to spend the day

[Lou Barron]

Very quiet for couple of days watching the cricket my Aussie son in law was not very happy with the Aussiesgetting beat at rugby by the Lions and the cricket by England so we helped him to drown his sorrows by having a BBQ and plenty of beer .Then we started to make plans for our trip toEdingburghmy daughter booked our train and the apartment we was to stay for five days i must say we was loking forward to meeting some people we knew they had stayed with my late wife and i when they stayed in NZ they were lovely people .In the meantime we did a lot of wine and dining just as well my daughter Susan and Dave was doing most of the paying all though i did my share so on the 24th June i we took off for our stay in Edingburgh which was to be a very nice holiday