Robert Prescott

[Gulliver]

Hi 6294rossd-that's a mouthful of a name...what do we call you?.
The engineer on the right is the 'Robert Prescott' of this post.
His sister' Calway' on this site will be pleased you posted. The Sparky(long-hair) is another Rob? from Liverpool.The guy in the middle is Simon Mawford(Deck Cadet) from Gt Yarmouth-an ex-Worcester cadet.
Young Robert died in the trials explosion aboard Liverpool Bridge,before they renamed the vessel Derbyshire- the rest is indeed a sad tale....
Cheers!
Davey

[Ross Davidson]

G'day Davey, thanks for your your reply. I am still getting used to working my way around this site.I guess 6294 rossd is a bit much but wasn't sure of the protocol for the site so, we can drop the "6294" and the "d" and just stick with Ross. I'll get around to changing the log on to ROSS Asap.
My Bibby Line ships were Gloucestershire, Westminster Bridge, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Berkshire between December '70 and September '73.I have a couple of good yarns about Sparky and the "trouble" he got us into! Prior to Bibby's i sailed with Bank Line on the Elmbank. Catch you soon, regards, Ross

[Gulliver]

G'day Davey, thanks for your your reply. I am still getting used to working my way around this site.I guess 6294 rossd is a bit much but wasn't sure of the protocol for the site so, we can drop the "6294" and the "d" and just stick with Ross. I'll get around to changing the log on to ROSS Asap.
My Bibby Line ships were Gloucestershire, Westminster Bridge, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Berkshire between December '70 and September '73.I have a couple of good yarns about Sparky and the "trouble" he got us into! Prior to Bibby's i sailed with Bank Line on the Elmbank. Catch you soon, regards, Ross

Hi Ross! Pleased to 'meet' you,mate.
I was Deck cadet 1969-73.so, we served about the same time.My Bibby ships were Derbyshire,Staffordshire(to breakers).Shropshire,Worcestershire,Dart America.
Don't think you were on Worcestershire from Dec.71(London) to Mar.72(Glasgow) ? Like most of us here,terrible with names but remember the faces.
Staffordshire was sister ship(ex Prince Line) to your Gloucestershire. As a Lekky you must have loved having no winches to worry about(all 'steam winches)!.Great old ship,Burmese crew,12 pass job.Colombo was our 'home port' (not Liverpool! )on that one
Yes,great company. Mind you I often fancied Bank Line too,....proper cargo ships,great runs,you'd see at least one in every port out East.

Happy Days,as we say
Davey

[Ross Davidson]

Hi Davey, The old Gloucestershire was a bit of a tub on her last voyage. Everything was stuffed, above and below deck!In Tilbury(Dec '70)i used to wake up in the morning with hundreds of Roaches nestled in my crotch keeping warm. My cabin was one wall thickness away from the crews quarters so you can imagine the migration from one side to the other. I told the Chief i wasn't going to sail unless he moved me. I was put in the first passenger cabin on the port side- beaut!! However i nearly had a heart attack when i was wakened by this horrible banging noise coming through the deck head - your lovely steam winches that you mentioned!What a racket.
The Worcestershire i joined Dec '71. We took general cargo to Doha(Qatar), Bahrain, Kuwait, Khorramshar, Basra. We ende up with some Campbells soups from broken pallets. We left the Persian Gulf at high speed and headed for Port Lincoln, South Australia(with the anchor stuck in the pipe). We arrived at the same time as a Jap ship and it was first in best dressed and we won the race as we frantically tried to free the anchor. We went from Port Lincoln to Port Giles(York Peninsula) and then to Albany(West Australia).After Albany we went to Durban and then Glasgow. We anchored off Gourock(my home town) and my mother had a bedsheet hanging out the upstairs bedroom window so i knew she'd be home.Much embarassment.The pilot came on board around 0100 hours and we arrived at Dunbarton at dawn. I signed off at lunchtime and caught the train home.I have a lot of memories of that voyage but it would have to be done by private mail.If i can find a pic, i'll put it on the site, Cheers and thanks for your mail as it jogged a lot of memories and cleared a few cobwebs,Ross

[steve burden]

Hi Cal,

I first meet Bob when we were both 16 and had to join a ship called the Gloucestershire in London. This was for a taster trip to sea before we signed on with Bibbys.

We then parted and went to different colleges. I did not see Bob again until 1969 when we were both at Southampton college. We were young and wild then and had some crazy times on nights out.

After a year in Southampton we both joined the Warwickshire. After the Warwickshire we sailed on the Pacific Bridge together and then a few years elapsed until we sailed together again on the Hampshire. A short time later Bob was killed on the Liverpool Bridge.
I was a pallbearer at Bobs funeral a very sad day for all.

Bob was always the life and soul of the party and it was a great shame that he was doing a favor for Bibbys and ended up on the Liverpool Bridge when he should have been on leave.

Best wishes

Steve Burden

[calway]

Hi Steve

Its always good to hear from someone who knew Robert and it sounds like you knew him quite well

Ill private message you shortly if thats ok?

Thanks, Cal

[calway]

Hi Steve

This may take a couple of goes!

Cal

[calway]

A few more.....

[calway]

Hope you can recognise yourself somewhere or put some names to faces!

Ill dig through some of the pictures we have from when he was on the ships!

Thanks, Cal

[Nils Dahl]

Hi Davey, The old Gloucestershire was a bit of a tub on her last voyage. Everything was stuffed, above and below deck!In Tilbury(Dec '70)i used to wake up in the morning with hundreds of Roaches nestled in my crotch keeping warm. My cabin was one wall thickness away from the crews quarters so you can imagine the migration from one side to the other. I told the Chief i wasn't going to sail unless he moved me. I was put in the first passenger cabin on the port side- beaut!! However i nearly had a heart attack when i was wakened by this horrible banging noise coming through the deck head - your lovely steam winches that you mentioned!What a racket.
The Worcestershire i joined Dec '71. We took general cargo to Doha(Qatar), Bahrain, Kuwait, Khorramshar, Basra. We ende up with some Campbells soups from broken pallets. We left the Persian Gulf at high speed and headed for Port Lincoln, South Australia(with the anchor stuck in the pipe). We arrived at the same time as a Jap ship and it was first in best dressed and we won the race as we frantically tried to free the anchor. We went from Port Lincoln to Port Giles(York Peninsula) and then to Albany(West Australia).After Albany we went to Durban and then Glasgow. We anchored off Gourock(my home town) and my mother had a bedsheet hanging out the upstairs bedroom window so i knew she'd be home.Much embarassment.The pilot came on board around 0100 hours and we arrived at Dunbarton at dawn. I signed off at lunchtime and caught the train home.I have a lot of memories of that voyage but it would have to be done by private mail.If i can find a pic, i'll put it on the site, Cheers and thanks for your mail as it jogged a lot of memories and cleared a few cobwebs,Ross

migration of cockroaches from one side to the other! Sounds like the propaganda used by the hutu/tutsi? for the killing sprees , or was it meant to imply that the migration was from crew cabins to "officer" ones?
Thus an example of contamination of the officer class by the lower orders