Query on Ranks

[Keith Tindell]

Well , on further investigation, my claim to be the lowest rank on the ship, only just above ships cat, seems promotion to galley boy was *scullion *, so i bow to your position then Cappy !!!, lol

[Denis O'Shea]

I think the only time I heard it said was of the galley boy who washed all the pots after the cook had finished with them. Den

[happy daze john in oz]

The question is how did a deck boy convert to a galley boy, or Scullion as some say.

Could be confused with Scallions, or spring onions in some parts.

But as galley boy he would have to work his rear end off cleaning up after all the cooks, cuckoos and willful bloody murderers.
Then was the pots and pans,

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Jeez, ten bob extra for peeling spuds, I must have been robbed as deck boy, I should have contacted Cappy for a job as his oppo, but he would have wanted 5bob of it .
Des

[j.sabourn]

#34 I’m only guessing at the 10/- Des , could well have been 7/6d , 50% of that is 3/9d , which Cappy has a fixation with . I can only remember 1 scullion or galley boy and that was in Dalgliesh and he insisted on a potato peeler and I said to him don’t mention it to young Dalgliesh who used to come down to ship and ask for ideas. He jumped at it , and we never carried a galley boy again . He tried the same with washing machines which someone asked for , and supplied 5 cheap domestic ones for the public bathrooms, but then expected the ships laundry to be done in them , he failed on that one as became a union issue. Whenever I think of some of the shipowners I always think of that song “ Never smile at a crocodile, don’t be taken on by his cheeky grin, he’s just waiting to see how well you’ll fit beneath his skin “ . Catering staff on most of the ships I was on were Chief Steward, Chief Cook, second Cook & Baker, 2nd Steward , 2 assistant stewards , and a cabin boy. The second steward usually being the old mans tiger, so probably the first to know what was happening. JS

[cappy]

On the original theme of ranks, and had occasion to look at a ship, and crew list in the 70s, and saw the deck boy was promoted to scullion, have never heard of that rank before, can anyone enlighten me as to what role a scullion played,?, kt

worked longer hours but got plenty top food ...usually sqattted away when the cook wasnt looking....cappy

[cappy]

jeez, ten bob extra for peeling spuds, i must have been robbed as deck boy, i should have contacted cappy for a job as his oppo, but he would have wanted 5bob of it .
Des

seven and sixpence ....lol regards cappy

[cappy]

[QUOTE=Keith Tindell;396253]Well , on further investigation, my claim to be the lowest rank on the ship, only just above ships cat, seems promotion to galley boy was *scullion *, so i bow to your position then Cappy !!!, lol[/QUOT

[cappy]

[QUOTE=cappy;396285]

Well , on further investigation, my claim to be the lowest rank on the ship, only just above ships cat, seems promotion to galley boy was *scullion *, so i bow to your position then Cappy !!!, lol[/QUOT

well i joined a tramp out of liverpool and was the onlygeordie aboard .....the peggy was a bit witless but managed to duck out of bunkering the coal burning galley bunker .....this was performed at five thirty as it took a good hour to fill.....a medium sized leather bucket ante spark of course......climb down ....fill bucket climb up use handy billy to pull bucket up .....empty into galley bunker ......lower bucket into pitch black again all in all about 12 or 15 times .....bunker filled .....off to shower to get coal dust off .....looked like black and white minstrel......eventually was told by a couple of guys that was the peggies job .....i told the peggy and the second steward i am not doing it tommorow .....next morn i just stayed in my bunk ......thegalley bunker very low .....the cook comes bawling and shouting ......i was quite a litttle twat when i wanted to and told him to fxxx off....the chief stupid came and threatened me with keel hauling at least and i would have to see the mate and go before the old man ......and probably be chucked over the wall etc etc....any way i turned to in the galley and the mate came in .....how long had i been doing the bunker ....and indeed it was the peggies job......honour restored .....the peggy bleedin hated it and i must admit i did get out my pit to see him sweating his nuts off as it was suprisingly hot down that bunker in the warmer climes......happy days but must say never was on any vessel with a writer or purser ....they were jobs on the big ships i believe......as js stated wonder what the writer would have writ ...upon seeing old captain roberts in his long johns threatening to chuck the pilot in an african river over the wall if he asked the man at he wheel to port his helm again .....oh happy days.....R683532

[happy daze john in oz]

Only did one voyage as Tiger, but yes knew all that was going on and what was to happen next.
Good skipper who did care for the crew.
Only problem he was a keen movie camera fanatic.
Sometimes he would show the films on deck, some were good, some were very ordinary but he enjoyed showing them.
Bit of a novelty back then.